Syndicated · explicitly fractionalFractional Finance DirectorUnited Kingdom
Fractional Finance Director, PHIX
FRACTIONAL FD JOB · RETAIL APPAREL AND FASHION SECTOR · UNITED KINGDOM
PHIX is seeking an experienced Finance Director for a fractional three-day-per-week engagement, initially three months with potential to extend to six months. This is a hands-on leadership role building financial discipline, systems and team capability for a growing British menswear brand with UK/US operations, multiple warehouses and complex supply chains. The scope is substantial—establishing reporting, controls, budgeting, commercial analysis and operational efficiency—alongside an incoming Finance Manager who will own day-to-day work.
Fractional Finance Director — the balanced verdict
Why this role stands out
- Explicitly fractional (3 days/week) with clear contract terms (3–6 months)
- Substantial and varied scope — function build, financial reporting, strategy, commercial analysis, inventory/multi-location oversight, FX and international trading
- Direct founder engagement; hands-on leadership with meaningful autonomy to implement change
- Growing business with clear investment in finance capability; genuine need for experienced guidance
Worth checking before you apply
- Qualified accountant required (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent); posting cuts off mid-sentence—confirm full requirements
- No day rate stated; three-day fractional Finance Director roles in UK typically £500–£800/day depending on candidate seniority and complexity
- Complex multi-location, multi-currency, multi-channel business may expand beyond stated three days if crises or deadlines demand it
Our automated read of the posting text, not the employer's own assessment. Check each point with them before you apply.
How well the role as written suits a fractional or interim arrangement, scored 0–100 by our automated read of the posting text before it went on the board. It rates the posting, not you — we do not score or match candidates.
Fractional Finance Director — the posting in full
~/original-posting · verbatimsource: fantastic-jobs
Our estimate — based on typical UK fractional Finance Director range for mid-market retail/ecommerce with international operations and team-building remit
What the posting asks · quoted from the listing
- Certification
A qualified accountant—ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial Finance Director, Head of Finance or comparable senior leadership experience.
- Must-have
A qualified accountant—ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial Finance Director, Head of Finance or comparable senior leadership experience.
- Must-have
A strong track record within fashion, retail, ecommerce or another inventory-led consumer business.
- Must-have
Evidence of personally building or improving a finance function and supporting a business through significant growth.
- Must-have
Strong technical grounding in management reporting, balance-sheet control, cash forecasting, inventory accounting and financial controls.
- Must-have
Relevant experience with US operations, international trading, multiple warehouses and multi-currency financial management.
- Must-have
Commercial confidence in supplier negotiations, cost analysis, working capital and operational decision-making.
- Must-have
Experience working directly with founders or senior leadership in a business where priorities evolve quickly.
- Must-have
Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and confidence working with Shopify, accounting platforms and connected operational systems.
- Must-have
Clear communication, sound judgement and the ability to explain financial issues to colleagues outside finance.
PHIX | Manchester headquarters
- Initial three-month contract, with potential to extend to six months
- Approximately three days per week, with scope for ongoing fractional involvement
About PHIX
PHIX is an independent British menswear brand bringing together distinctive design, music heritage and an international outlook. From tailoring and leather to statement shirting and outerwear, we create clothing with a strong identity and a clear point of view.
Our newly launched PHIX x The Beatles collaboration marks an important chapter for the brand, building on the relationship between fashion and music that sits at the heart of PHIX.
With an international customer base, operations across the UK and US, multiple warehouses and a global supplier network, the business offers considerable scope for an experienced finance leader to make an impact. We’re now investing in our in-house finance team and the systems, reporting and processes to support our next stage of growth.
The Opportunity
We’re looking for an experienced, commercially minded Finance Director to work directly with the founder and help build an excellent finance function.
This is a hands-on leadership assignment for someone who enjoys being close to the detail while contributing to wider commercial decisions. You will help establish financial discipline, improve visibility of performance and identify opportunities to strengthen margins, cash flow and operational efficiency.
Working alongside our incoming Finance Manager, you will set the direction and standards for the function, support implementation and develop the team’s capability. The Finance Manager will take ownership of day-to-day finance, while you lead the wider improvement programme and ensure the processes being established can support continued growth.
The business is evolving, giving you meaningful scope to introduce structure, challenge existing arrangements and implement improvements while preserving the pace and agility of an independent brand.
Key ResponsibilitiesFinance Leadership and Function Development
Assess the current finance function and establish a prioritised improvement plan covering people, processes, systems, reporting and controls.
Define clear responsibilities across the Finance Manager, bookkeeping support, external accountants and other advisers.
Lead, support and develop the finance team, ensuring effective ownership of routine matters and appropriate escalation of significant issues.
Document key processes and embed ways of working that the permanent team can confidently maintain beyond the assignment.
Financial Reporting and Control
Establish an accurate, timely monthly reporting process covering the P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and meaningful commentary on business performance.
Oversee the quality of month-end reporting, journals and reconciliations, resolving weaknesses in data or process.
Strengthen controls across accounts payable, receivables, banking, expenses, payroll, supplier payments and approval processes.
Improve reconciliation between ecommerce platforms, payment providers, bank accounts, inventory records and the accounting system.
Coordinate year-end preparation, audit requirements where applicable, and routine tax and compliance work with the relevant external advisers.
Strategy, Budgeting and Forecasting
Build practical budgets and rolling forecasts that connect sales expectations, margins, operating costs, stock purchases and cash requirements.
Establish a reliable short-term cash-flow forecast and a longer-term view of working-capital and investment needs.
Challenge assumptions, analyse variances and develop scenarios that help the founder assess opportunities and risks.
Evaluate the financial implications of new initiatives, market expansion, supplier commitments and operational investment.
Introduce a regular performance review process that translates financial information into clear decisions and actions.
Commercial Performance and Profitability
Improve visibility of profitability by product, category, channel and market, using consistent and clearly defined measures.
Develop a fuller understanding of contribution after discounts, returns, payment fees, freight, duties, fulfilment and marketing costs.
Work with the founder and relevant teams to identify margin opportunities, control expenditure and improve resource allocation.
Assess the commercial impact of pricing, promotions, purchasing decisions and changes to the operating model.
Track agreed improvements against a clear baseline, distinguishing projected benefits from results achieved.
Inventory, Purchasing and Multiple Warehouses
Strengthen stock reporting, reconciliation and valuation across multiple warehouse locations, including inventory in transit.
Improve understanding of stock ageing, slow-moving inventory, returns and discrepancies between operational and financial records.
Work with purchasing and operations colleagues to improve visibility of production commitments, deposits, outstanding balances and inbound stock.
Assess the cash and margin implications of stock allocation, replenishment and movements between locations.
Establish practical controls around purchasing commitments and inventory investment.
US Operations, International Trading and FX
Support effective financial management across UK and US operations, including reporting across entities and intercompany transactions.
Improve visibility of market-specific costs and profitability, including international freight, duties, local fulfilment and returns.
Review foreign-exchange exposure, currency balances, conversion costs and international payment arrangements.
Establish an appropriate framework for managing currency risk and planning payments against supplier and operational commitments.
Coordinate with specialist advisers on relevant cross-border accounting, tax and compliance matters.
Supplier Negotiations and Operational Efficiency
Review supplier pricing, payment terms, deposit requirements and purchasing arrangements with the founder and relevant teams.
Help negotiate commercially sound improvements while maintaining productive supplier relationships.
Analyse warehousing, storage, pick-and-pack, shipping and returns costs across locations.
Assess service-provider proposals and contract structures, considering the full cost and operational implications.
Take agreed improvements through negotiation, implementation and performance review.
Systems, Data and Process Improvement
Review the suitability and integration of finance, ecommerce, inventory and reporting systems.
Identify opportunities to improve automation, data accuracy and the consistency of information across the business.
Reduce unnecessary manual work and strengthen controls around important data flows.
Ensure systems recommendations are proportionate to the business and can be effectively maintained by the team.
What We’re Looking For
A qualified accountant—ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial Finance Director, Head of Finance or comparable senior leadership experience.
A strong track record within fashion, retail, ecommerce or another inventory-led consumer business.
Evidence of personally building or improving a finance function and supporting a business through significant growth.
Strong technical grounding in management reporting, balance-sheet control, cash forecasting, inventory accounting and financial controls.
Relevant experience with US operations, international trading, multiple warehouses and multi-currency financial management.
Commercial confidence in supplier negotiations, cost analysis, working capital and operational decision-making.
Experience working directly with founders or senior leadership in a business where priorities evolve quickly.
Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and confidence working with Shopify, accounting platforms and connected operational systems.
Clear communication, sound judgement and the ability to explain financial issues to colleagues outside finance.
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The roleWhat it asksA certificationYears askedSkills the listing names
- A qualified accountant—ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial Finance Director, Head of Finance or comparable senior leadership experience.
- A qualified accountant—ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with substantial Finance Director, Head of Finance or comparable senior leadership experience.
- A strong track record within fashion, retail, ecommerce or another inventory-led consumer business.
- Evidence of personally building or improving a finance function and supporting a business through significant growth.
- Strong technical grounding in management reporting, balance-sheet control, cash forecasting, inventory accounting and financial controls.
- Relevant experience with US operations, international trading, multiple warehouses and multi-currency financial management.
- Commercial confidence in supplier negotiations, cost analysis, working capital and operational decision-making.
- Experience working directly with founders or senior leadership in a business where priorities evolve quickly.
- Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and confidence working with Shopify, accounting platforms and connected operational systems.
- Clear communication, sound judgement and the ability to explain financial issues to colleagues outside finance.
- Finance Leadership
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Controls
- Budgeting And Forecasting
- Cash-Flow Forecasting
- Inventory Accounting
- Profitability Analysis
- Working-Capital Management
- Supplier Negotiations
- International Trading
- Foreign-Exchange Management
- Multi-Warehouse Operations
Same location
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