6-month interim role starting in February 2026 Job title: Interim Commercial Finance Manager – German Speaking Contract: 6 months initially (February 2026 start) Context: SME scale-up, PE-backed / PE-ready Bristol-based role (Hybrid / flexible working available) – with occasional travel abroad Role purposeThe Interim Commercial Finance Manager will support the leadership team through a critical scale-up phase, improving financial visibility, forecasting accuracy and commercial decision-making. The role is hands-on and delivery-focused, ensuring the business has robust, investor-grade financial insight and is well-prepared for future PE or exit activity.  This is a short-term, high-impact role focused on clarity, control and value creation.

Essential skills & experience Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent) Proven experience in SME scale-ups, PE-backed or fast-growth environments Strong commercial finance / business partnering background Comfortable operating hands-on with limited structure or resource Able to simplify complexity and move quickly without over-engineering Strong stakeholder management skills at leadership level German language skills (written & verbal)

Key responsibilities Commercial partnering & insight Act as the primary finance partner to senior operational and commercial leaders Provide clear, actionable insight into revenue, margins, costs and profitability drivers Support pricing, investment and resource decisions with robust financial analysis Forecasting, budgeting & planning Own and improve short-term and medium-term forecasting (monthly, quarterly, annual) Reduce forecast volatility and improve confidence in numbers Build or refine simple, scalable models suitable for a growing SME Management reporting & KPIs Design and deliver concise management reporting packs focused on key value drivers Define and standardise KPIs across revenue, margin, cash and operational performance Ensure consistency between management accounts, forecasts and board reporting EBITDA quality & cash focus Improve understanding and transparency of EBITDA performance and movements Identify and implement margin improvement and cost control opportunities Support working capital optimisation and cash flow forecasting Exit readiness / PE hygiene Ensure financial information is well-structured, explainable and diligence-ready Support preparation of financial narratives and data for investors or advisors Improve documentation, assumptions and controls to reduce key-person risk Interim delivery & handover Deliver tangible improvements within the 6-month period Upskill internal teams where appropriate and leave clear tools, processes and documentation Ensure a smooth handover to permanent or extended finance leadership What success looks like after 6 months Forecasts are reliable, explainable and trusted Management reporting is concise, consistent and decision-useful Clear visibility of EBITDA drivers and cash performance Leadership is better equipped to make commercial decisions. The business is materially more “investor-ready” than at day one What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, available in the coming weeks & feel you meet the criteria, reach out to Charles Maidment from Hays Bristol senior finance contracts team. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. # 4766150