Head of finance · interview questions

Head of finance interview questions

The short answer · updated 3 October 2026

A good head of finance interview tests command of the month-end, management accounts, cash and controls, the audit and statutory accounts, leading a finance team, and reporting to the managing director or finance director. Ask every candidate the same core questions, press for the last real example, and check qualifications with the awarding body.

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Questions about running the finance function

A head of finance runs the finance function day to day. In a smaller company the role is often the most senior in finance; in a larger one it sits beneath a finance director or CFO, which the ICAEW describes as the most senior role in the function. Pitch the questions at the level the role really sits.

Write the questions from the head of finance job description and the problem the role must solve. Acas advises preparing a set of questions, asking each applicant the same ones where possible, and interviewing with more than one person.

“What would you look at in your first two weeks, and in what order?” Diagnosis first: cash, the close, the controls, the team and what the managing director relies on.
“Tell us about a finance function you inherited that was not working. What did you change first?” A clear priority, a reason for it, and a result that lasted.
“Which finance processes would you automate, and which would you leave alone?” Judgement on systems, cost and risk, not enthusiasm for new software.
“How do you decide what the business needs from finance, as opposed to what finance likes to produce?” Reporting built around decisions, and the habit of asking budget holders what they use.
“Tell us about a decision you changed because of what the numbers showed.” Finance influencing the business, with a specific decision and outcome.

Questions about the numbers, cash and controls

This is the core of the job. Ask for the last real example, not a general method, and listen for numbers the candidate knows without notes.

“Talk us through the last month-end you ran. Where did it slow down, and what did you change?” Command of the close, and a practical fix.
“How do you build a cash forecast, and what do you do when it turns out to be wrong?” A short-term weekly view, working-capital levers, and early word to the managing director and the bank.
“How do you build a budget that budget holders actually own?” Driver-based, agreed with the people accountable for it, and reviewed against actuals every month.
“Which controls would you test first here, and how?” Reconciliations, payment approvals, segregation of duties and fraud risk, tested rather than assumed.
“Tell us about a fraud or error you found. How did you find it, and what did you change?” Vigilance, a calm response and a control that closed the gap.
“How do you explain the numbers to managers who are not accountants?” Plain language and a focus on what the numbers mean for their decisions.

Questions about the audit, statutory accounts and tax

A head of finance usually prepares the year-end. GOV.UK sets out what statutory accounts must contain: a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, notes and, unless the company is a micro-entity, a director’s report, prepared under IFRS or UK GAAP and signed by a director. In larger companies HMRC’s Senior Accounting Officer rules also apply; only qualifying companies are caught, and each must tell HMRC who its senior accounting officer is for every financial year.

“Describe the last year-end and audit you ran. What did the auditor raise, and how did you close it?” Ownership of the file, the relationship with the auditor and a lasting fix.
“Which accounting standard do you report under now, and what judgements does it ask you to make?” Working knowledge of FRS 102 or IFRS, and the areas of judgement in their own accounts.
“Who owns VAT, payroll and corporation tax compliance in your current role, and how do you know it is right?” Clear ownership, sensible use of advisers, and checks they actually run.
“Does the Senior Accounting Officer duty apply to your current company? How do you support it?” A correct answer for their own company, and evidence of the tax controls behind it.
“Tell us about a deadline you nearly missed. What happened?” Honesty, early warning and a change to the timetable that stopped it happening again.

Questions about leading the team and reporting upward

A head of finance leads the finance team and reports to the managing director, or to a finance director or CFO where there is one. Ask how they have done both.

“Tell us about the team you lead now. What have you changed in it, and why?” A view of the function’s gaps and a record of closing them.
“How have you handled someone in the team who was not performing?” Fairness, speed, a clear record and support offered first.
“How do you develop a finance manager or accountant into a future head of finance?” Delegation, stretch, and a plan that has produced promotions.
“What goes into your monthly pack for the managing director or board, and what do you leave out?” Decision-focused reporting with a short, honest commentary.
“Tell us about a time you had to give bad news about the numbers.” Early, plain, with the options set out.
“Are you looking to become a finance director? What would you need to learn first?” Ambition matched by a realistic view of the gap: strategy, funding and the board.

Questions for a fractional, part-time or interim head of finance

A fractional head of finance works a set number of days a week or month for one or more companies; a part-time head of finance works fixed days for one employer; an interim works full-time for a fixed period, often to cover a gap or fix the close. The interview should test how they will use limited time and how they will leave.

A head of finance working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, not on the contract’s label, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

“How many days would this role need, and what would you do with them?” They size the job from the brief rather than accepting the number offered.
“What would you deliver in the first 90 days?” Specific outcomes: a reliable close, a cash forecast, an audit closed, a system chosen.
“What would you own, and what stays with the bookkeeper or finance team?” A clear split, so the routine work runs on the days they are not in.
“How would you hand over at the end?” Documentation, a trained team, and nothing left only in their head.
“How would the engagement run day to day, and how do you expect IR35 status to be assessed?” A realistic account of the working arrangements, without a promised outcome.

Questions a candidate should ask

Acas advises ending each interview by asking the applicant if they have any questions. A head of finance candidate should use that time to find out what they are walking into. If the role reports to a finance director, compare the finance director interview questions to see where the two jobs divide.

“Who does the head of finance report to, and is a finance director or CFO hire planned?”
“What did the last audit and the auditor’s management letter raise?”
“How big is the finance team, which systems does it use, and what is not working?”
“How long does the month-end take now, and who relies on the numbers?”
“What is the cash position, and how is the business funded?”
“For a fractional or interim role: how many days, which outcomes, and how will IR35 status be decided?”

How we assess candidates

We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors. For a head of finance brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting. To start a search, see how to hire a head of finance; to see the roles open now, visit head of finance jobs.

Whoever runs the process, check the qualification with the body that awarded it. The ICAEW’s online member directory is a free way to verify ICAEW membership, and ACCA lets you search its member directory by name.

Questions people ask

What questions should you ask a head of finance in an interview?

Ask about the month-end and management accounts, cash and controls, the audit, statutory accounts and tax, leading a finance team, and reporting to the managing director or board. Ask every candidate the same core questions and press for real examples.

What questions should you not ask in a head of finance interview?

Nothing about a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, such as age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, religion or sexual orientation, and nothing about children or plans to have them. Health and disability questions are allowed only where an exception applies, such as reasonable adjustments. See Acas on discrimination law in recruitment and GOV.UK on questions you cannot ask.

Who should interview a head of finance?

The person the role reports to, usually the managing director or a finance director, with a second interviewer such as a non-executive director or the person who chairs the audit. Acas advises that more than one person interviews, to reduce the risk of discrimination. See Acas on interviewing.

How should a candidate prepare for a head of finance interview?

Read the filed accounts, work out the finance problem the role must solve, and prepare specific examples of fixing a close, a forecast or a control elsewhere. Prepare your own questions about the team, the systems and the last audit. See what a head of finance does.

Are head of finance and finance director interview questions different?

They overlap. A head of finance interview tests running the function well: the close, the controls, the audit and the team. A finance director interview leans further towards strategy, funding and the board. See the finance director interview questions.

How is interviewing a fractional head of finance different?

Test how they would use limited days, what they would deliver in the first 90 days, what stays with the in-house team, and how they would hand over. See our page on the fractional head of finance.

How do I hire a head of finance?

Define the finance problem, choose between permanent, interim, part-time and fractional, write the job description around that problem, interview every candidate against it, and check qualifications and references. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out. See how to hire a head of finance.