Cfo jobs

Organisations need more than just accountants and financial controllers to handle all money-related matters, which is is where the role of the chief financial officer (CFO) becomes crucial. Much more than just a ‘numbers person’, the CFO uses analysis of historic data and forward-looking forecasting to define financial strategies and manage performance. 

Expected job role tasks
As a CFO, you will typically find yourself heading up your organisation’s finance function. Depending on the size of the organisation, you may be the only person within the finance department; or you may be leading a small team of accountants; or a substantial department of accountants, financial modellers, a financial controller, and other members. As such, people management may be a key part of the CFO’s role. Beyond this, you will be tasked with providing strategic guidance to the CEO and other members of senior leadership, which will require you to form strong relationships with key management figures, and potentially also with external stakeholders. To offer effective, impactful advice, you must be able to look beyond the numbers to consider real-world outcomes, which requires strong business acumen. 

You will implement and manage processes related to budgeting and forecasting, and oversee the timely completion of financial reports. Furthermore, you will analyse your organisation’s liabilities and investments to mitigate risks and define future financial strategies. You will also need to look beyond your own organisation, researching market conditions and trends to identify potential opportunities for revenue generation, while also scrutinising internal processes to drive efficiencies and deliver cost savings.

Primary function
Often considered to be the second-most important person within an organisation, behind only the CEO or managing director, the CFO is primarily responsible for planning, implementing, managing, and running all of an organisation’s financial activities. This covers everything from budgeting and planning to forecasting and negotiating.

Necessary hard/soft skills
Given that the CFO is the most senior finance person within an organisation, you will need strong knowledge of advanced accounting practices, tax planning, and regulatory issues. To offer effective, impactful advice and support to other members of senior leadership, you will require a deep understanding of your organisation’s industry, objectives and business model, plus the ability to constructively challenge strategic plans to ensure all decisions are made in line with financial principles in mind. In this way, you will play an essential role in the development of future strategic direction, as well as enabling its execution, such as by ensuring planned approaches can be financed. Furthermore, to get your view across effectively, you must have strong communication and leadership skills, recognising the need to adopt different tones, use different language, and phrase your points in different ways to have maximum impact with different stakeholders. You will need to be up to date with all relevant regulatory and legal requirements, as it often falls on the CFO to identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could affect your organisation.

Qualifications required
To become a CFO, you will almost certainly need a Master’s degree in a relevant subject, such as accounting, business accounting, or finance. Because the role is so senior, you will require extensive experience, not just in finance or accounting-based roles, but also potentially in executive leadership positions. 

Related jobs
If you prefer an alternative role in the same field, then there are a range of related jobs to choose from. These include:

• Finance director