So, you’re in need of a new Finance Director. Whether you’re replacing a retiring employee or hiring for a new position, it’s time to think about the recruitment process. And the best place to start is by creating an outstanding job advertisement.
Regardless of what recruitment method you’re using, chances are you need to create a job ad, so make it a good one. Quality job ads are informative and enticing, whilst being eye-catching and easy to read. That means keeping your adverts as short as possible without leaving out any vital information.
Of course, Director-level job ads are quite a bit different to junior-level ones. You need to put a lot more care into how you structure and present your advertisement in order to appeal to top Finance Directors.
High-quality Finance Directors are rare, and often aren’t actively looking for new opportunities or hold a very high standard in what roles they consider. You need to create a job ad that will immediately grab the attention of every good Finance Director.
These Finance Director job description sample features will guide you on what to include in order to attract the best candidates for your opportunity, and bag you the perfect Finance Director for your business.
What Makes A Finance Director Job Description?
There’s a number of things you should consider including in your job description in order to attract the best candidates. Here’s an overview of the key elements of a stand-out Finance Director job description.
Language & Tone
Before you start writing, consider the type of language you're going to use. What tone are you conveying?
Remember that the language you use reflects your business. You should be considerate of your wording.
Be sure that everything is clear and concise. You want to make your ad as easy to read as possible, whilst encompassing all the necessary information about the role and your business.
Location of the Role
One of the first things your job advertisement should include is the location of the role.
This ensures that candidates understand exactly where they will be working most of the time. It helps filter out candidates who aren’t willing to commute or relocate. The location should also include any other locations the candidate would be expected to travel to. You should make it clear if frequent travelling is expected, as is often the case for Finance Director roles.
Roles based in large cities, in particular London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow, will receive a larger number of Finance Director applicants than more rural areas.
Not only are these cities more attractive work locations than most (thus increasing the likelihood of candidates relocating), but they also have a larger number of local finance candidates and businesses based there.
Overview of your Business
When possible, you should always include information about your business. Cultural fit is important, and you should ensure that your candidates have a good understanding of the business they’re applying for.
For many senior candidates, the business advertising the role is the most important aspect.
This, of course, doesn’t apply if you want your business to remain anonymous in the job advertisement.
Overview of the Role
The role overview is one of the most important parts of the job ad. It gives the candidate an overall impression of what the position you’re offering involves. It should be as short as possible but include the main appeal of the role.
This is a chance to give a brief summary of the key responsibilities and requirements of the role. Essentially, outside of standard Finance Director responsibilities, what will your hire be doing day-to-day? What is the overall target or goal? What will the hired FD be working towards, and what defines success in this role?
The Appeal of the Opportunity
Especially for senior roles, job ads shouldn’t just be technical responsibilities and requirements. You need to create appeal for Director level roles. You need to tell your candidates why your position and business, above all others, is ideal for them. You can’t just offer any Finance Director role. Tell candidates why it’s special.
Candidates for roles of such a high level aren’t impressed by generic opportunities. You’ve got to provide them with a reason to leave their current role for yours.
This is your opportunity to grab candidates’ attention and tell them why this opportunity is desirable. Be sure to include the main benefits of the role, for example, autonomy, development, travel, etc. Explain not only benefits of the role specifically, but also appeal and benefits of your business as a whole.
Consider appealing aspects of your business or role. Does your business have a dynamic environment? What advancement opportunities are there? Do you go out of your way to encourage diversity? Do you promote meaningful and fulfilling work? Aspects such as these can be great for attracting quality Finance Directors to your opportunity.
The appeal of your FD opportunity should be outlined clearly as early as possible to catch the reader’s attention and make your opportunity stand out.
Responsibilities of the Role
Your specific Finance Director responsibilities should be clearly outlined. This should include the standard responsibilities as well as those that are specific to your business. This is another opportunity to show candidates how your FD role is special, and how it differs from other FD roles.
Of course, your Finance Director will have a lot of responsibilities, so don’t feel the need to list them all. To keep your job ad concise, you can always omit the responsibilities that may be assumed.
These standard Finance Director responsibilities may include;
- Managing accounting functions
- Leading and nurturing finance teams
- Presenting account reports to investors/shareholders
- Developing a business-wide financial strategy to maximise net income
- Controlling money distribution across the business’s endeavours
- Taking control of budgeting functions
Candidate Requirements
Listing accurate job responsibilities is the best way of filtering your applicants to ensure that you only receive the most relevant candidates.
It’s important to be specific with your requirements, but try not to exclude any potential outliers. For example, it’s common for job ads to make required industry experience too specific.
As we discussed in a previous insight, many senior FD skills are transferable, and quality candidates pick up industry skills easily. So being too rigid in your industry experience requirements might end up losing you the ideal candidate.
Your requirements should be clear and easy to read and understand. You should also include soft requirements. This includes features that are desirable and that will give candidates an advantage, but aren’t strictly necessary. This leaves a bit of room for excellent candidates who might not meet every single requirement but are still a great fit for the role.
Think about what qualifications are necessary for your role. It’s common for Finance Director roles to require qualifications such as NVQs and CIMA.
Essential Skills Required
To succeed as a quality Finance Director, you need to have an excellent set of skills. Think about what key skills you need your candidates to have. Pay particular attention to skills that might be unique to your role over general Finance Director skills. For example, what specialised skills do candidates need to possess to succeed in your business in relation to your long-term plans?
Take a look at one of our latest insights for a more detailed rundown of what skills are essential for top Finance Director candidates (LINK).
Experience Required
Experience is often the most important aspect of a successful Finance Director candidate. That’s why you need to outline exactly what experience is necessary to succeed in your role.
Nobody likes dealing with seas of candidates that lack the right experience. For Finance Director positions, you should be looking at candidates with significant experience in the role, preferably in a similar business model or sector. They need to have enough experience to have implemented strategies and achieved long-term success for their business at a high level.
Candidates with 10 or more years’ experience in finance and related roles are preferable, with relevant achievements to back it up. They should have experience leading and managing teams, as well as analysing data and devising long-term plans.
Look for candidates with strong experience in senior finance. In particular, depending on your industry you should look for experience in areas such as;
- Insurance
- Financial Planning
- Private Equity
- Hedge Funds
- Commercial/Investment Banking
- Corporate Finance
Preferred Candidate Personality
Many job ads don’t include requirements for candidate personality, but narrowing down candidates by personality or work ethic can be very useful. As mentioned, culture fit is very important for Director-level roles, and the personality and mindset of your candidates directly tie into this. There’s nothing wrong with only wanting candidates with a positive, outgoing demeanour, for example.
You may consider listing personality traits that are common requirements for Finance Directors and similar senior positions. For example, positivity, growth orientated, empathy, adaptability, and persistence. Think about which personality traits fit your business and management best.
Many desired personality traits can be inferred, but you might still want to list the main requirements in your Finance Director job description.
Offered Salary Range
The topic of putting a salary on job ads is a heavily debated one. Ultimately the choice is yours. Many candidates look at the salary above all else, and won’t consider jobs outside of their salary range no matter what. This also applies to job ads with no displayed salary, as many candidates will see the role as a ‘risk’.
The issue with displaying salary is that it can be quite restrictive. Though it can help attract candidates in the right salary range, it can also turn many away.
Offering a flexible salary can be advantageous in attracting outliers and expanding your scope.
When possible it’s always good to list the criteria for the salary range so that candidates know what to expect as a result of their skills and experience.
