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 Swansea
Once known informally as Copperopolis because of its fame as a region for smelting Cornish copper, Swansea has transformed itself from a typical Industrial Revolution city to a modern, fashionable and affluent part of Wales. Much of its employment is now in the service industries, most notably financial services, with retail also contributing. However its two most famous exports are probably the poet Dylan Thomas and Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones!
Also like many industrial towns and cities across the UK, it bore the brunt of German air raids in the Second World War, and has been heavily developed in the post-war period. A key development came in 1981, when Swansea Enterprise Park became the UK’s first enterprise zone. With excellent transport connections in the shape of the A4067, A4217 and A48 and the South Wales Mainline, the zone continues to attract businesses, which means the logistics element is regularly on the lookout for Finance Director positions to be filled.
Some of the larger employers on the Swansea Enterprise Park are beauty product manufactuer Alberto-Culver, industrial carbon and ceramics company Morgan Crucible, packaging firm Viskase, The Land Registry and Welsh Water.
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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.
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