About Principal Consulting Group
Principal Consulting Group is a growing professional services firm helping organisations solve complex accounting, finance, data and operational challenges.
Through a combination of experienced professionals, specialist consulting services, managed solutions and technology-enabled capabilities, we work alongside clients to deliver practical, high-quality outcomes and lasting business value.
As Principal Consulting Group enters its next phase of development, we are seeking a commercially minded Chief Financial Officer to help shape and execute our strategic growth plans.
The Opportunity
The Chief Financial Officer will be a key member of the executive leadership team, responsible for the financial strategy, commercial performance and long-term financial health of Principal Consulting Group.
This is broader than a traditional finance leadership position. The CFO will act as a strategic partner to the CEO and senior leadership team, helping the business make informed decisions about growth, investment, pricing, service development, geographic expansion and potential acquisitions.
The successful candidate will bring strong financial discipline while maintaining the agility and entrepreneurial approach required in a growing professional services organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to define and deliver the company’s long-term growth strategy.
- Translate strategic ambitions into clear financial plans, investment priorities and measurable performance targets.
- Provide commercial and financial insight to support decisions regarding new services, markets, partnerships and growth opportunities.
- Evaluate organic and inorganic growth opportunities, including acquisitions, strategic partnerships and potential new business units.
- Act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, leadership team, shareholders and other key stakeholders.
- Bring constructive challenge and financial rigour to executive decision-making.
Financial Planning and Performance
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting and long-range financial planning.
- Develop financial models that support growth scenarios, investment decisions and resource planning.
- Establish clear performance reporting across the company, including revenue, profitability, utilisation, pipeline, cash flow and operational efficiency.
- Provide timely, accurate and forward-looking management information to the executive team.
- Identify emerging risks, performance gaps and commercial opportunities.
- Strengthen the organisation’s ability to forecast revenue and capacity across consulting, managed services and other recurring or project-based income streams.
Commercial and Growth Management
- Develop a detailed understanding of the economics of each service line, client segment and engagement model.
- Improve pricing, margin management and commercial governance across the business.
- Partner with business development and service leaders to assess pipeline quality, revenue conversion and client profitability.
- Support the development of scalable and recurring revenue models.
- Establish effective processes for reviewing proposals, contracts and significant commercial commitments.
- Help leadership balance revenue growth with sustainable margins, delivery quality and cash generation.
- Identify opportunities to increase cross-selling, client retention and customer lifetime value.
Operational Finance
- Take overall responsibility for accounting, financial reporting, treasury, tax, audit, insurance and financial compliance.
- Ensure the accuracy, integrity and timeliness of the company’s financial information.
- Maintain strong financial controls while ensuring processes remain proportionate and commercially practical.
- Lead cash-flow management, working-capital optimisation, billing and collections.
- Oversee the financial aspects of workforce planning, contractor management and professional-services utilisation.
- Ensure the business has appropriate systems, processes and controls to support future scale.
- Manage relationships with auditors, banks, insurers, tax advisers and other external financial partners.
Data, Systems and Automation
- Build a finance function that uses data, automation and technology to improve decision-making and operational efficiency.
- Develop a clear finance systems roadmap aligned with the company’s wider growth plans.
- Improve the integration of financial, operational, sales and resource-management data.
- Introduce scalable dashboards and reporting that provide leadership with a consistent view of business performance.
- Champion automation and process improvement within finance and across the wider organisation.
- Ensure the company’s internal financial operations reflect the same high standards of insight and innovation delivered to clients.
Leadership and Organisational Development
- Build, lead and develop a high-performing finance team capable of supporting a growing organisation.
- Clarify responsibilities, strengthen succession planning and develop future finance leaders.
- Work collaboratively with consulting, sales, talent, technology and operational teams.
- Contribute to the development of the company’s broader leadership structure and operating model.
- Promote a culture of accountability, commercial awareness and evidence-based decision-making.
- Communicate financial information clearly to both financial and non-financial audiences.
Governance and Risk
- Maintain an effective framework for financial, commercial and operational risk management.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations.
- Support the development of appropriate governance for a growing professional services business.
- Provide the leadership team with clear visibility of material risks and recommended mitigating actions.
- Support shareholder, board or investor reporting as required.
- Lead financial due diligence and integration planning for any future acquisitions.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a strategic, commercially astute finance leader who is comfortable operating at both executive and operational levels.
They will combine strong technical finance credentials with the ability to understand clients, people, services and the commercial dynamics of a professional services organisation.
Essential Experience
- Significant experience in a senior finance leadership position, ideally as a CFO, Finance Director or divisional finance leader.
- Experience working within professional services, consulting, accounting, technology services, staffing, managed services or a related people-led business.
- A strong record of supporting profitable growth within a founder-led, privately owned or entrepreneurial organisation.
- Demonstrable experience of strategic planning, forecasting and commercial decision support.
- Strong understanding of project-based and professional-services financial models, including utilisation, billable capacity, pricing and engagement profitability.
- Experience improving management information, reporting and financial visibility.
- Proven ability to build scalable financial processes, systems and controls.
- Experience working closely with CEOs, founders, boards or shareholders.
- Strong leadership and team-development capabilities.
Desirable Experience
- Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, investments or business integration.
- Exposure to technology-enabled services, data analytics, automation or software-based revenue models.
- Experience managing a mix of consulting, staffing, managed-service and recurring revenue.
- Familiarity with expanding into new markets, service lines or geographic regions.
- Experience preparing a business for external investment, a transaction or another significant liquidity event.
- Previous experience within a rapidly scaling organisation.
Qualifications
- A recognised professional accounting qualification or equivalent senior-level financial experience.
- Strong knowledge of financial reporting, planning, controls, tax, treasury and commercial finance.
- An MBA or equivalent commercial leadership experience would be advantageous but is not essential.
Personal Attributes
- Strategic and forward-looking, with the ability to turn ambition into executable plans.
- Commercially curious and motivated by growth.
- Comfortable challenging assumptions and influencing senior stakeholders.
- Hands-on and willing to work through detail when required.
- Pragmatic, decisive and solutions-oriented.
- Able to introduce discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Collaborative and credible across financial and non-financial teams.
- An excellent communicator who can make complex financial information clear and actionable.
- High personal integrity and sound professional judgement.
- Comfortable operating in an evolving environment where priorities may change quickly.
Measures of Success
During the first 12 to 24 months, success in the role is likely to include:
- A clear, financially robust long-term growth plan agreed with the executive leadership team.
- Improved visibility and predictability of revenue, profitability, cash flow and capacity.
- Stronger understanding of service-line, client and engagement profitability.
- Improved forecasting accuracy and management reporting.
- Clear pricing and commercial-governance frameworks.
- Scalable financial systems, processes and controls.
- Improved working-capital performance and cash conversion.
- A high-performing finance team with clear roles and responsibilities.
- A structured framework for assessing investments, partnerships and acquisitions.
- Meaningful contribution to profitable, sustainable company growth.
Reporting Line
The Chief Financial Officer will report to the Chief Executive Officer and work closely with the founders, executive leadership team and senior service-line leaders.
Why Join Principal Consulting Group?
This is an opportunity to play a defining role in the next chapter of an ambitious professional services business.
The CFO will have significant influence over the company’s strategic direction, commercial model and growth journey. They will join an experienced leadership team and help build the financial and operational platform required for Principal Consulting Group to scale successfully while preserving the quality, relationships and entrepreneurial culture on which the company has been built.
Principal Consulting Group is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
