Financial Director

Finance Director Coronado Research  |  Leadership team  |  Reports to the Chief Executive Officer The opportunity Coronado Research is a consultancy-led pharma services business supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device clients across clinical development, regulatory, market access and medical affairs. Conditor Capital, its London-based private equity investor, works closely with management teams to build specialist businesses over the long term. We are seeking a Finance Director to lead Coronado's finance function and join the leadership team, reporting to the CEO and the board. The person appointed will establish dependable financial systems, KPIs, information, and controls; turn performance data into dashboards & decisions; and act as a constructive thought partner to management. They will attend board meetings and reinforce the confidence of the board and investors through clear and insightful analysis and strong execution.  Role expectations · Own the monthly close and management accounts, ensuring accurate results, timely reporting, clear variance explanations and appropriate financial controls. · Lead budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario analysis; give the CEO and business unit heads an informed view of revenue, profit, cash and the main drivers of performance. · Build useful, consistent KPIs for reporting by business unit, client and project where appropriate, including forward-looking metrics like pipeline conversion, revenue visibility, utilisation, project margins, working capital and cash collection. · Partner with the CEO and senior team on pricing, resourcing, investment choices and growth plans. Offer practical challenge, explain trade-offs and follow through on agreed actions. · Prepare high-quality board and investor reporting; participate in board discussions, explain results and risks plainly, and respond promptly and transparently to questions. Help the CEO and management team take corrective actions · Take accountability for statutory accounts, audit, tax compliance, treasury and cash management, and the effective operation of accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing and credit control. · Lead and develop the finance team; clarify responsibilities, strengthen processes and systems, and scale the function as the business grows. · Support M&A discussions. Lead financial and accounting due diligence for M&A targets. Build financial models to assess EBITDA targets.  Capabilities · Strong technical accounting and financial reporting, with sound judgement on revenue recognition, project accounting, balance sheet integrity and compliance. · Excellent financial planning and analysis: confident building forecasts and models, testing assumptions, identifying the causes of variances and converting data into actionable insight. · Commercial understanding of a people-based services business, including pricing, staff capacity and utilisation, project profitability, cash conversion and client concentration. · Ability to communicate financial matters succinctly to non-finance colleagues, the board and investors, supported by accurate and well-structured written materials.   Competencies and ways of working · Credible and collaborative with the CEO, business unit heads and senior colleagues; able to influence without relying on hierarchy and to challenge professionally when needed. · Hands-on, organised and accountable: equally willing to resolve a detailed reporting issue and contribute to a strategic discussion. · Calm and resilient, with high standards of integrity and the judgement to escalate issues early. · A supportive leader who develops people, encourages teamwork and builds a finance function trusted across the business. · Ambitious to grow with Coronado and take on broader responsibility as the scale and complexity of the business increase.  Prior experience needed · Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with substantial post-qualification experience and a track record of owning both financial control and commercial finance. · Senior finance leadership experience in a services company; experience in pharma services, a contract research organisation, healthcare consulting or a similar project-led business would be particularly valuable. · Evidence of producing management and statutory accounts, leading audit and tax processes, managing cash and working capital, and improving the underlying finance operation. · Experience working directly with a CEO and senior operational leaders, preparing board materials and presenting financial performance to senior stakeholders. · Experience in a private equity-backed or growing business is welcome, particularly where the candidate has strengthened reporting and processes during change.  Remuneration

• Competitive salary plus a bonus, subject to Remuneration Committee approval. The Finance Director will also participate in a share option scheme.