Financial Director
Finance Director required to join the Senior Leadership team of a new alternative energy company based in their executive office in London. This business is about to go on major growth trajectory while delivering a "One of a kind project".
Role Overview
The Finance Director will be the senior finance leader responsible for shaping the company’s financial strategy, building robust financial operations, and enabling rapid, capital-efficient growth. You will partner closely with the CEO and executive team on fundraising, project finance, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), and corporate governance.
This is a pivotal, high-impact role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment and is passionate about climate and energy innovation.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Finance & Capital Strategy
- Develop and execute the company’s financial strategy in support of business growth, project development, and technology deployment.
- Lead capital planning across corporate and project levels, including equity, debt, grants, and tax incentives.
- Build investor-ready financial models, scenario analyses, and long-range plans to support fundraising and strategic decisions.
- Advise the CEO and board on capital structure, dilution, valuation, and M&A opportunities.
- Support project-level financing efforts, including term sheets, lender/investor presentations, and coordination with legal and technical advisors.
- Maintain strong relationships with existing investors, banks, and strategic partners.
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Own the budgeting, forecasting, and monthly/quarterly business review processes.
- Develop KPIs and dashboards to track cash burn, unit economics, project IRRs, and other key metrics.
- Provide decision support for commercial contracts, pricing, partnership structures, and go-to-market strategies.
Accounting, Controls & Compliance
- Oversee all accounting operations, ensuring accurate and timely month-end close, management accounts, and statutory reporting.
- Implement scalable financial systems, policies, and internal controls appropriate for a growing startup.
- Manage external auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory compliance (including any ESG/sustainability reporting requirements).
- Ensure proper accounting treatment for project assets, SPVs, grants, and complex revenue arrangements.
Project Finance & Commercial Support
- Work with the development and engineering teams to assess project bankability and financial viability.
- Support structuring of special purpose vehicles (SPVs), cash flow waterfalls, and security packages for project finance.
- Review and negotiate commercial terms in PPAs, EPC contracts, O&M agreements, and supply contracts from a financial risk perspective.
Team & Operations
- Build and lead a high-performing finance team as the company scales (accounting, FP&A, project finance).
- Collaborate cross-functionally with legal, HR, and operations on payroll, benefits, procurement, and cost management.
- Foster a culture of financial discipline, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
Qualifications & Experience
- Qualified accountant (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CPA, CMA) or equivalent, with strong technical accounting knowledge.
- 20+ years of progressive finance experience, including significant time in a senior finance role (Finance Director, Head of Finance, or CFO-track) at a startup or high-growth company.
- Demonstrable experience in the energy, infrastructure, renewables, or related capital-intensive sectors.
- Strong track record in fundraising (equity and/or debt), financial modeling, and investor relations.
- Deep expertise in FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting.
- Experience designing and implementing financial systems and controls in a scaling organization.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial concepts for non-finance stakeholders.
Skills & Attributes
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen and a bias for action.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving structure in a fast-moving startup.
- High integrity, with strong governance and risk-management mindset.
- Collaborative leader who can attract, develop, and retain top finance talent.
- Technologically savvy; experienced with modern finance stacks (e.g., cloud accounting, FP&A tools, data visualization).