The appointment owns
The interim CFO owns the finance calendar, reviews the assumptions and reports the position to the board.
interim executive recruitment
Hire Interim CFO
Hire Interim CFO: specify the finance decisions that need an owner during the transition, the authority to make them, and the evidence the next CFO will inherit.
Brief us on this role →CFO briefChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Cash
Name who owns cash information, forecasts and escalation decisions.
Part 02 / 04
Reporting
Define board, lender and statutory reporting responsibilities.
Part 03 / 04
Control
Set who can approve spending and change financial controls.
Part 04 / 04
Handover
Identify the permanent owner of forecasts, controls and open decisions after the assignment.
Hire Interim CFO: what must the role own?
Name who owns cash information, forecasts and escalation decisions.
CashName who owns cash information, forecasts and escalation decisions.
ReportingDefine board, lender and statutory reporting responsibilities.
ControlSet who can approve spending and change financial controls.
HandoverIdentify the permanent owner of forecasts, controls and open decisions after the assignment.
Role reference: ICAEW on the CFO role in strategy. ICAEW describes the CFO’s strategic role as well as the finance responsibilities that a transition brief must cover.
What changes when the CFO is interim?
An interim CFO holds the finance seat for a defined assignment. The term should follow the business event or leadership gap, with an explicit handover.
interimChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Outcome
Write the transition or programme outcome before searching.
Part 02 / 04
Term
Agree the expected end, a review point and what could extend the assignment.
Part 03 / 04
Authority
Give the interim the authority needed to hold the seat during the assignment.
Part 04 / 04
Handover
Name the person or team who takes ownership when the interim leaves.
How would this work in a real brief?
The hiring decision becomes clearer when the work and its boundary are written down together.
Illustrative brief · a finance leadership vacancy
The CFO seat is vacant while a permanent search runs. The board still needs forecasts, reporting and approval decisions it can rely on.
The interim CFO owns the finance calendar, reviews the assumptions and reports the position to the board.
Another owner retains
The board appoints the permanent CFO; the interim records open risks and decisions for the successor.
How should you assess CFO candidates?
Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.
The evidenceChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Comparable mandate
Ask for a transition where the candidate held the finance seat themselves.
Part 02 / 04
Forecast
Give each candidate the same forecasting problem and test their assumptions.
Part 03 / 04
Governance
Ask how they kept the board informed when the numbers changed.
Part 04 / 04
Exit
Ask how the permanent finance leader received controls and open work.
Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.
Does this hiring pattern fit the work?
Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.
The working pattern · interim
An interim CFOAn executive holds a defined assignment or transition. Agree the outcome, authority and handover before the start.
What must happen before the CFO starts?
Write the assignment outcome, review point and decision authority.
A clear startChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Mandate
Write the assignment outcome, review point and decision authority.
Part 02 / 04
Records
Provide accounts, forecasts, covenants, audit issues and reporting dates.
Part 03 / 04
People
Introduce the finance team, CEO, board contact and external advisers.
Part 04 / 04
Handover
Set the successor handover record before the first reporting cycle.
- 1
Mandate
Write the assignment outcome, review point and decision authority.
- 2
Records
Provide accounts, forecasts, covenants, audit issues and reporting dates.
- 3
People
Introduce the finance team, CEO, board contact and external advisers.
- 4
Handover
Set the successor handover record before the first reporting cycle.
A useful CFO brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.
What should the brief say?
Hire Interim CFO begins with cash, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
15 minutes · video or phone
Brief us on a CFO
Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.
- 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
- 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
Pick a day that suits · live availability
