Interim VP Finance | VC-Backed Deep-Tech Scale-Up | London (4 days in office)

Harmonic are partnering with a VC-backed deep-tech business in their search for an Interim to lead the finance function. The business uses optimisation and machine learning to rethink how urban transportation networks operate.

Our client is engineering-led, has grown its revenue run rate more than fivefold in the last 12 months and is well funded for its next phase of growth.

The Role

As the business continues to scale, they're looking for an interim finance lead who can come in and make an immediate impact. The focus is cashflow forecasting, structural improvements to working capital across a base of large enterprise customers, and tightening the controls, governance and reporting around both. This is a hands-on, player-coach brief to bring control, visibility and commercial insight to the function.

Working directly with the founders and leadership team, you will take ownership of cash, forecasting and commercial reporting, take over and fix the core processes, and lead the existing finance team day to day.

Key Responsibilities

• Build a reliable short and medium-term cashflow forecast and give leadership clear, regular visibility of cash.
• Get control of working capital, improving collections from enterprise customers, invoice financing costs and days to cash.
• Set clear cash targets, break them down by customer and stakeholder, and track the initiatives that deliver them.
• Tighten financial controls and put the right governance and reporting processes in place.
• Build the commercial insight leadership needs, with clear reporting on unit economics, margin and customer profitability.
• Streamline the core finance processes, starting with month-end close and management reporting, and review whether the current systems and ERP set-up support them.
• Lead and develop the existing finance team of around seven.
• Support board and investor reporting.

What We Need to See (Essential)

• Senior finance leadership experience (FD, VP Finance or CFO) in a VC-backed or PE-backed, high-growth business.
• Hands-on experience optimising working capital with enterprise customers, including invoice financing or factoring.
• A track record of building cashflow forecasts and improving reporting and visibility for a non-financial leadership team.
• Previous interim assignments, or permanent roles where you were brought in specifically to fix cash and controls.

What We'd Like to See (Bonus)

• Exposure to operationally intensive or infrastructure-led business models.

Day Rate: £1,000-£1,500 per day (IR35 status to be confirmed)

Contract: 6 to 9 months, with potential to convert to permanent

Location: London, minimum four days a week in the office

Start Date: ASAP (within 4 weeks)

If you are interested, please forward your CV

At Harmonic, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We actively welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and assure you that every candidate will be thoughtfully considered for the roles we represent, without regard to race, religion, gender expression, disability, or sexual orientation.