About

At Cirql, we don’t focus on industry specifics, our core specialisation is partnering with middle-market organisations that are experiencing change. This client is the perfect example of that: a growing business proactively setting up for its future expansion.

We are working with a disruptive, high-growth challenger in the non-bank lending sector. With an established reputation built over 25 years, the business is backed by significant private capital and is embarking on a career-defining journey of scale and corporatisation. The mission is to build the robust foundations, systems, and processes required to support a billion-dollar loan book and beyond. The business is focused on it’s people with strong investment in office fit-outs, on-site gym facilities and an in-house barista. While going through a growth era, they still focus on work-life balance including initiatives such as monthly “life admin” days where the team can take a Friday off each month to destress and take care of things in your personal life. They are also strong supporters of local communities, charities and football clubs - a rare opportunity of professionalism and growth stories while still feeling great about giving back!

This is a business defined by its unique combination of history, ambition, and confidence. A recent investment in the leadership team is creating a new and positive cultural shift, and they are looking for an equally impressive finance leader to join them on this exciting trajectory.

The Opportunity

This is a career-defining opportunity for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to create a genuine legacy. Reporting directly to the CEO and forming a key part of the leadership team, this is not a "business as usual" role. Rather, it is a chance to set your own strategy, building upon the strong foundations of stability and integrity that have been in place for decades. The business has been running effectively and now requires a true right-hand person to join the ELT, assess the current state, and build a best-in-class finance function capable of supporting the next growth cycle.

Your primary opportunity will be to build the financial architecture required to scale their securitised warehouse funding facilities. You will be the CEO's trusted advisor on all things finance, providing the commercial insights and financial rigour needed to make critical business decisions. You will be hands-on, in detail, and responsible for everything from process implementation to board reporting, all while leading and mentoring a growing team.

What You'll Do

As a key member of the Executive team, your remit is broad, strategic, and integral to the company's success. You will have full ownership of the finance, risk, and compliance functions, with core responsibilities including:

Partner with the CEO and executive team to set the Group's strategic direction, developing the financial and tax strategies required to support ambitious growth plans.

Take full ownership of the finance function, delivering reliable financial statements and insightful board reporting, while managing the Group's commercial, budgeting and forecasting processes.

Work in close partnership with the Head of Treasury to manage funding programs, banking relationships, debt, and Group cash flow, ensuring the business is effectively capitalised for growth.

Provide executive oversight for the Group’s risk, compliance, and tax functions, ensuring robust governance and adherence to all regulatory obligations.

Lead, mentor, and develop the finance and risk teams, fostering a high-performance culture that is aligned with the company's values.

This is an opportunity with strong breadth across strategic finance, managing and improving operational finance processes and systems and incremental uplift and change.

What You'll Bring

We're looking for a commercially focused finance leader has been a CFO before, or is ready to take that first step into a growth CFO opportunity. With a track record of finance leadership gained within the financial services sector, you are a results-oriented professional who thrives in a state of positive transformation, capable of not just overseeing a function but of building and refining it for the next phase of growth. You possess the strategic mindset to partner with the executive team, combined with the hands-on approach required to ensure financial rigour and control.

To be successful in this role, you will likely have:

A CA or CPA qualification, supported by a relevant finance-related tertiary degree.

Demonstrable experience with some financial services industry exposure, ideally loan origination or within a non-bank lending finance environment.

Proven experience leading, coaching, and mentoring a finance team to achieve high performance.

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to join an established and respected business at a pivotal moment in its history. You will play a crucial role in its transformation, with a genuine remit to create a legacy and build a best-in-class finance function. The culture is strong, the business invests in its people and their work environment with beautifully fit out offices and a positive balance of work and life. It's a chance to shape the future of a company that has the stability of a 25-year history and the ambition of an equity-backed scale-up.

Reporting directly to the CEO and as a key voice on a newly invigorated executive team, you will have the autonomy to shape strategy and the resources to execute it. This is a role for someone who has the aptitude to grow into their first C suite position, or someone who has demonstrated it in the past as a CFO.

Not sure if you meet these requirements? Please apply - we are happy to discuss your individual circumstances.