Finance Director
In business, every major financial decision a company makes has a profound effect on its profitability, or even its survival. Big decisions about expansion, restructuring, new product ranges, setting up in new territories and the really tough decisions like mass redundancies all need to be financially justified to the company, shareholders and sometimes the public. It’s the finance director’s job to oversee those decisions.
Finance director jobs are usually part hands-on financial analysis and decision making, and part overseeing a team of finance managers, departmental managers and accountancy departments. As a board member, they will have plenty of sway, but must also be in charge of implementing company-wide policies from a financial standpoint. They will know when to sit down and crunch the numbers themselves, and when to delegate the tasks to trusted lieutenants who can deliver sound, evidence-based figures on which to base those key decisions.
The skills required of the finance director
Clearly, the role of finance director is reserved for those who are highly experienced in overseeing the financial matters of large organisations. You won’t necessarily need to be a director already, but you will have to have proved that you understand business economics inside and out, and that you have had to make tough financial decisions and seen them through, gathering evidence, presenting your case and analysing results.
You’ll also be a great communicator and negotiator, as you’ll often be meeting with banks, shareholders, other board members and managers to both listen and to instruct on financial decisions. Many businesses require a BA in finance, accounting or business before this role is considered.
Finance Director Jobs in Derry
Derry is often called Londonderry after being granted a royal charter by James I (and is called Derry-Londonderry on its UK City of Culture 2013 website). The county, city and district variously share the name, but they all refer to the same place. Derry was the last city in Europe to be walled, in the early 17th century, and most if not all of the wall remains today. It was an important seaport, and played a huge part in World War II owing to its position as the westernmost port in the UK, indeed Allied Europe, as Iceland was neutral.
In peacetime, the city had a reputation as a shirt maker, with several factories springing up to make men’s shirts for export and domestic use. As with the Northern mill towns of England, however, this industry was all but gone by the 1980s, with most of this kind of work moving to Asia.
An important employer in the city has been Du Pont, who made Neoprene there for years, and more recently switched production to Kevlar and Lycra. There is also a burgeoning hi-tech manufacturing sector in the city. Seagate Technology, one of the world’s top hard disk drive manufacturers, makes more than half of its read/write heads in the Derry factory. The city is also home to Northern Ireland’s largest private company, Desmonds, plus a healthy smattering of multinationals.
With a population of around 100,000, a thriving shopping centre and a good deal of industry popping up in this regenerating city, Derry would appear to be a prime location to look for Finance Director positions.
Popular locations
Finance director recruitment at Cast UK
At Cast UK, we understand how difficult it is to find high-calibre candidates to interview for critical roles like this. That’s why as an agency, we have always focused on the upper echelons of business, namely executive and managerial positions. So if you’re looking for the perfect finance director for your organisation, call 0333 121 3345 and we can deliver exactly those A1 candidates you’re looking for.
If you are a finance director or have a CV that proves you’re ready to become one, we want to hear from you – as do some fantastic businesses up and down the country. Please register with us by following the link below.
Contact us