Introduction
The UK recruitment market has been through a very tough period during the pandemic as the UK locked down on three occasions, all of which caused significant disruption to business and the lives all concerned around the UK. The market is now recovering and is now close to being back to normal, all the indications are that by Q1 2022, things should have settled back down at least as far as the London recruitment market is concerned.
CFO Recruitment
The lower-level recruitment market is once again busy, talking with colleagues in other recruitment companies, Finance Manager and Financial Controller level roles are close to the same level as in 2019, pre the pandemic. We are seeing that Finance Director (FD) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) roles are beginning to pick up, and this is a standard pattern in the industry with the most senior roles lagging between three and six months behind the more junior positions for activity levels. People are becoming more confident about moving on to a new role and this then creates opportunities in the market for replacement recruitment.
PE House and VC backed businesses
The are opportunities at present in the PE and VC funding spaces, London is an excellent location for businesses to start-up due to the depth of the Equity markets, which are incredibly open to support entrepreneurs with innovative ideas particularly in the technology niche. Because of the large population living in or close to London, there is a pool of twelve million people who live in a commutable distance, which means whatever skill sets are required they are likely to be readily available.
Salaries and the cost of living in London is however high, so that means a business needs to be viable and profitable to be able to support the high staff costs involved.
Progressing to a CFO role
To progress up to the role of CFO, it is important to be a qualified accountant, have experience as a Finance Director, and to cultivate contacts within the Private Equity and Venture Capital markets. Once you have this experience on your CV, then it is viable to apply for CFO roles.
FD Capital Recruitment
Our business is a niche FD and CFO recruitment boutique we specialise in the most senior roles and ones where the business is Private Equity or Venture Capital backed. These PE house supported roles are a great niche in themselves as the they are often in Technology or other high growth areas and the roles offer significant rewards both in terms of job satisfaction and financial remuneration. We often see roles paying a base salary of £140K-£170K with a bonus of up to 30% plus share incentives.
Clearly these roles are very much in demand, and we get high-quality candidates applying and maintain a database of some of the best candidates available.
We also recruit for roles nationally through our network of FDs and CFOs who are spread all around the UK.
Conclusion
The UK senior FD and CFO recruitment market is beginning to recover, and all indicators suggest that by Q1 2022 it will be a more normal market. If you are a business looking to recruit an FD or CFO particularly in London or in the Technology sectors make sure to reach out to the FD Capital Recruitment team today.
