Finance director CV

At finance director level, your CV is read by chairs, CEOs, investors and executive search firms. They want to see judgement and impact at board level, not a list of finance processes. The technical foundation is assumed. What sets you apart is what you've done with it: growth funded, value created, risks managed, teams built.

What employers look for

• Strategic contribution. Shaping strategy, not just reporting on it.
• Funding and transactions. Bank refinancing, equity raises, acquisitions, disposals, due diligence.
• Investor and board relationships. Private equity reporting, board packs, audit committees, lender covenants.
• Commercial impact. Margin improvement, pricing, cost transformation, cash generation.
• Leadership. Building and developing finance teams, often beyond finance into IT, legal or HR.
• Sector and ownership fit. PE-backed, family-owned, listed, public sector and charity FD roles differ greatly. Make your experience of each type clear.

Keywords from finance director adverts

• Board member, executive team, strategy, business plan
• Private equity, investor reporting, value creation plan, exit
• Refinancing, debt facilities, covenants, banking relationships
• M&A, acquisitions, integration, due diligence
• Cash generation, working capital, EBITDA growth, margin improvement
• Financial governance, risk management, audit committee
• Finance transformation, systems, team leadership
• Fundraising, Series A/B (growth companies); funding bodies and trustees (charities)

A typical advert, decoded

A paraphrased example of what finance director adverts usually say, and what each line is really asking for.

The advert says	What it really means
"Sit on the board"	You're expected to shape strategy, not just report on it.
"PE-backed, buy-and-build strategy"	Acquisitions and investor reporting are central. Lead with deals and value creation.
"Lead banking and investor relationships"	Refinancing or covenant management is likely. Show you've done it.
"Scale the finance function"	The team and systems need building. Show what you've built before.
"Responsibility for IT and HR"	The role goes beyond finance. Mention any wider areas you've led.

Example CV profile

Chartered accountant (ACA) and finance director of a private-equity-backed services business, growing EBITDA from £6m to £14m over four years ahead of a successful secondary buyout. I sit on the board, lead investor and lender relationships, and have completed four acquisitions and a £40m refinancing. I build lean, commercially minded finance teams and take on IT and legal where the business needs it.

At this level, a single headline outcome (growth, exit, turnaround) does a lot of work. Put it in the first two lines.

Example achievements

Use your own figures and only include what you can talk about openly.

• Grew EBITDA from £6m to £14m in four years through pricing, mix and cost programmes, supporting a secondary buyout at a higher multiple.
• Led four bolt-on acquisitions, from due diligence through integration onto a single finance system within six months of each deal.
• Negotiated a £40m refinancing with a new lender group, extending maturity by three years and loosening leverage covenants.
• Released £5m of cash from working capital by tightening credit control and renegotiating supplier terms.
• Rebuilt the finance function after an acquisition, hiring a financial controller and FP&A lead and halving the close timetable.
• Took on responsibility for IT, leading a cloud migration that cut annual infrastructure costs by £300k.

Common mistakes

• Too much operational detail. Month-end processes belong at the controller level. Focus on outcomes the board cared about.
• Confidential figures you can't discuss. Use percentages or ranges if you need to.
• Not stating ownership context. "PE-backed", "family-owned" and "AIM-listed" each signal something specific to a search firm.
• Running to four pages. Two pages, three at most, with your most recent role given the most room.

Interview questions to prepare for

• What has been your biggest contribution to strategy in your current role?
• Tell me about a time you disagreed with the CEO. How was it resolved?
• How have you managed investor or lender relationships when performance was behind plan?

See all 12 finance director interview questions, with why interviewers ask each one and what a strong answer covers.