Find the finance leader for the decisions ahead.

Permanent recruitment for Financial Controllers, Heads of Finance, Finance Directors and Chief Financial Officers at UK startups and scaleups.

Start with the work

Control, insight and fundraising call for different kinds of finance leadership.

A growing company may need cleaner reporting, dependable controls, commercial planning, investor confidence or all four. The title alone will not tell the market which problem matters most. We define the mandate and the level of financial leadership required before looking for familiar credentials.

Typical mandates

Titles change. The work decides the level.

Financial Controller

Head of Finance

Finance Director

Chief Financial Officer

Evidence we test

What needs to survive a proper conversation.

Control you can trust

Evidence of strengthening reporting, cash visibility, compliance and the routines behind accurate decisions.

Commercial judgement

The ability to move beyond reporting and help leaders understand trade offs, investment choices and likely outcomes.

Stage fit

Experience with the level of ambiguity, resource and governance the company will face over the next two years.

Credible communication

Confidence with founders, boards, investors and teams without hiding the important point behind finance language.

When the role is ready

Signals that the brief is worth writing.

The founder no longer has a dependable view of cash, performance or risk.
The business needs stronger planning before fundraising or a major investment decision.
Financial control has not kept pace with headcount, revenue or international growth.
The board needs finance to shape decisions rather than report them afterwards.

Our initial target

Three to five people worth meeting.

We target an initial shortlist of three to five screened and interested candidates within seven working days of an agreed brief and signed terms.

See the full shortlist standard

Useful answers

Before you brief the search.

Do we need a Head of Finance, Finance Director or Chief Financial Officer?

The answer depends on the mandate, not simply company size. We define the decisions, controls, board exposure and capital requirements first, then agree the credible level.

Which finance leadership roles does Search Studio recruit?

We recruit permanent Financial Controllers, Heads of Finance, Finance Directors and Chief Financial Officers for UK startups and scaleups.

Does the fee include bonus or equity?

No. The 12.5% success fee is calculated on base salary only.

Other functions

Search across the leadership team.

Permanent finance leadership search for UK startups and scaleups.

Bring us the role. Leave with a clearer brief.

Book a discovery call