Head of Finance
Occupying a position below the board but with a huge amount of responsibility, the head of finance for a company is mainly responsible for gathering financial information from the business and reporting the data to the board. They might also be involved with decision making where finances are concerned, but they will usually have to defer to the CEO, COO or CFO, and might therefore be employed in an advisory role.
The head of finance will also be involved with forecasting, both in the company’s own activities and with regard to the region or wider world. While forecasts are not always strictly scientific, they must be informed and educated enough to make a case for the board to make spending and investment decisions on their basis.
In some head of finance jobs, there is, however, a good deal of autonomy to make decisions without daily reference to the board, within certain budgetary and projected constraints. It depends on the size and structure of the business.
Head of finance skills
As head of finance, you’ll have to be extremely adept at all manner of accountancy, bookkeeping, forecasting and reporting. Experience at a senior level within the financial department of a large business will stand you in good stead, although everyone has to start somewhere, so a specific head of finance title is not always requested, as long as you have a proven track record of financial management.
As far as qualifications are concerned, a BSc/BA in accounting or finance will often be a minimum requirement, but other related qualifications and experience will also be considered in many cases.
Head of Finance Jobs in St Helens
As towns go, St Helens is relatively new, only being formally declared a town in the middle of the 1800s as a result of the rapid growth and joining together of a number of small villages and hamlets. It’s fair to say that St Helens had a good Industrial Revolution, with good coal mining, chemical works, salt mining, lime and alkali extraction and copper smelting going on in the area. But all this was overshadowed by St Helens’s reputation as a glassmaking town, with several huge factories contributing to the success.
Glassmaking and coal mining survived as a large employers up until the 1980s and early 1990s, but it these associations have more or less left the town now, except for Pilkington, which remains in the town.
St Helens now exists as a mainly residential town, with retail and entertainment playing a large part. As well as a thriving town centre there are several retail outlets and supermarkets for big-name brands. It’s also in the commuter belt for both Liverpool and Manchester, and is well served by road and rail. The blend of industry and residential trade does create the opportunity for Head of Finance vacancies to appear in St Helens, and we have found several of these or related placements in recent years.
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Head of finance recruitment at Cast UK
When looking for the right person to fill such a key role in a business, you need as relevant a shortlist as possible so you can decide on the perfect one. That’s where Cast UK comes in. We only work with recruits at senior levels, so you can be sure that any candidates who have been through our filter will be relevant and ready to make a difference. Call 0333 121 3345 to speak to one of our experts.
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