A finance director before you can afford one
By
Thomas Ferris
29 May 2026
4 min read
Monthly figures that arrive late, a bank asking for forecasts, a board with questions. When a part-time finance director makes sense, and what one does in the first quarter.
There is a stage when bookkeeping is no longer enough but a full-time finance director is still too much. It usually shows in three ways: monthly figures that arrive weeks late, a bank or an investor asking for forecasts, and decisions taken without knowing the margin.
What a part-time finance director does
Two to four days a month: management accounts with a short commentary, a twelve-month cash forecast, a budget the team can use, and someone to sit with the bank, the auditors and the board.
The first quarter
In the first month we close the books on time and agree the few figures that matter. In the second, the forecast and the budget. In the third, a reporting pack the board reads in ten minutes.
When to hire full time
When the role takes more than three days a week for several months, or when the company prepares a sale or a large financing. By then the systems are in place and the handover is simple.
Our finance directors work for companies in Spain, the UK or both, on a fixed monthly fee.
General information, correct at the date of publication. It is not advice for your situation; talk to us before you act on it.
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