Chief Financial Officer (Cambridge Enterprise) – Finance – Seed Fund

Open Vacancies
  • Date posted: 22nd June 2022
Job Description

Full-time, although part-time / flexibility around hours and working pattern will be considered

Background:

Sitting at the heart of Europe’s most successful technology cluster, Cambridge Enterprise is the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge. Our mission is to help University of Cambridge innovators, experts and entrepreneurs make their ideas and concepts more commercially successful for the benefit of society, the UK economy and the University – and we have an excellent track record in doing so.

To achieve this we operate a multi-faceted business that includes managing the intellectual property portfolio for the university (which spends ~ £600m on research annually), licensing technology to industry, investing in new company formation from our seed fund investment unit and managing third party consultancy arrangements on the behalf of the University faculty.

The role:

We are seeking a highly capable and values-driven CFO for a new, pivotal role in our organisation. Reporting to the CEO, this role will be leading a dynamic finance function and will work on the development and implementation of ambitious strategies for revenue growth and increased impact. The role will include financial modelling, multi-annual budgeting, financial risk management and Board-level responsibilities. It will also include financial modelling and strategic financial advice for the seed funds investment unit which manages a £40m ever green venture fund for the university and has > £100m assets under management.

Cambridge Enterprise has strong organisational values, a supportive and empowering culture and high employee engagement (recently recognised by a 2021 Platinum Award in the Best Employers Eastern Region). This role offers a rare opportunity to take a lead financial role in a global leading organisation in technology transfer and will provide a fascinating insight into university commercialisation and its significant impact on the Cambridge cluster.

Your skills:

We are seeking a qualified accountant with extensive experience of leading a finance team (at Head of Finance or CFO level), who also has experience in developing strategic proposals, making decisions that drive business forward, and proactively developing business cases that tackle business challenges. Experience of managing the processes for financial forecasting and budgets is also essential.

Responsible for a team of 8, the role requires excellent leadership and interpersonal skills to both ensure the finance team has a clear direction, and to establish and develop relations with senior management and external partners and stakeholders.

Cambridge Enterprise employees are bright, highly qualified, and questioning individuals, confident to query advice and judgements for clarity, so self-assurance and eloquence will help.in this role. These inspiring colleagues, alongside a strong organisational mission towards societal benefit, make this job highly rewarding.

Read the full job profile here.

Benefits:

Cambridge Enterprise’s benefits package includes 30 days holiday per year and a University of Cambridge pension. We are based in a modern office space on the West Cambridge site, home to a thriving academic and research and development community, and have an organisational-wide commitment to employee personal development.

The University of Cambridge and Cambridge Enterprise value diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity.

Location:

Our office is based at the Hauser Forum, on the West Cambridge Site. We offer hybrid working: this role will be office-based for at least two days a week (or more if preferred), with the option of working from home around this.

Interview process:

Closing date: Sunday 3 July 2022

We will hold a two-stage interview process:  the first interview will be held online on Tuesday 12 July 2022, and the second interview will be in person at our Cambridge offices on Thursday 21 July 2022

Apply now:

Please complete the short application form available under the following link: www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/job_listing/cfo/. You will be asked to attach a copy of your CV and a cover letter explaining your reasons for applying and your fit for the role.