Specialist recruitment for in-demand finance roles

In a tight employment market, one sector bucking the trend is finance and accountancy. Recent surveys by Remote, Robert Half, Randstat and Hays all point to a global shortage of finance and accountancy talent.

According to Remote's survey: ‘Finance managers are the most difficult-to-hire corporate role', currently.

An ageing workforce, the adoption of international accountancy standards and the leveraging of new technologies are all driving demand.

ACCA reports that 52% of UK hiring managers intend to expand their permanent finance and accountancy headcount over the next 12 months, while Hays puts the figure even higher, at 69%.

As you would expect, candidates on top of the latest AI, data analytics and cloud computing technologies are in highest demand.

The challenge

Against this backdrop and part of a wider business restructure, our client was looking to futureproof its group finance function. Their requirement for, not just one, but two, finance managers was proving a challenge.

With technology at the heart of the company’s transformation plans, the requirement for in-demand DDaT-literate talent – to help lead business-wide change – added an extra level of complexity to the search. As a local, finance recruitment specialist, we were commissioned on an exclusive, retained basis.

The Context

A growing farming group, headquartered in Herefordshire, Velcourt was set up by farmers for farmers, to deliver farm management and advisory services.

As part of a wider transformation, the business was looking to re-purpose and upskill its group finance function. This included the leveraging of new technologies to standardise, simplify and automate their financial and wider business processes.

A key aim was to improve reporting, insight, and analysis, to enable better decision making to drive performance improvements for its individual business partners, the group as a whole and, ultimately, its shareholders.

The Solution

Working closely with the Finance Director to gain an in-depth understanding of the company’s strategic objectives, vision, values, and culture, we developed a detailed specification of the ideal candidate.

We have over 25 years’ sector specialist and regionally focused experience. As such, we understand the market and have built extensive senior finance talent networks. So, as well as using carefully targeted advertising, we were able to headhunt from a deep pool of known, passive talent.

The result

As a finance specialist recruiter, we know what great looks like. Confident in our own sifting processes, we only forwarded two candidates for interview, both of whom were successfully appointed.

“We engaged Emma’s services to search for two new Finance Managers for our Head Office team. Emma understood our brief and worked diligently to propose only suitable candidates to fulfil our requirements. We appointed the two interviewees put forward by Emma, who have both added to our team. Emma was professional and supportive during and after the process and I would be happy to use her services in the future.” 

• Recruitment
• Finance