CFO

Salary: ……..c£125k base plus c60% bonus plus car allowance and private healthcare

Location: Hampshire

Type: Full-Time

Reference: JA-NAAFI

Our client is The Royal Navy, Army, and Airforce Institutes. The British Government established NAAFI in December 1920 by combining the Expeditionary Force Canteens (EFC) and the Navy and Army Canteen Board (NACB).

In 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon NAAFI a Royal title in recognition for 100 years of outstanding service to the Armed Forces, enabling them to be officially called The Royal NAAFI. The organisation is an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the MOD’s in-house provider of retail, catering, leisure, facilities management, and many other services throughout the world. They operate on rolling 10-year agreements with the MOD with current agreements in place until 2030. The organisation recycles all surpluses generated into supporting the UK’s Armed Forces in a variety of ways, from welfare payments, investments, contribution to costs and through a charitable welfare vehicle, The NAAFI Fund. The Royal NAAFI currently operate in the UK, Germany, Gibraltar, Brunei, Poland, Estonia, the South Atlantic Islands, onboard HM Ships, and on deployment through exercise and operational support. Recently the Royal NAAFI has launched an on-line commerce and a chain of coffee shops sited on the UK high street through a 100% owned subsidiary, NAAFI UK. The target is to establish a significant UK business over the next 7 years that will grow to over 70 coffee shops as well as supplying military museums and supporting veteran businesses. The Royal NAAFI is currently working with the MOD to provide services in additional overseas locations and remain ready to operate further afield where and when it is needed. The Royal NAAFI is a modern, agile, and dynamic organisation, but the ethos has not changed, and it is still committed to ‘serving the services’ by providing convenience and a ‘taste of home’ to the UK’s Forces and their families overseas.

The Royal NAAFI Board is now looking to hire a CFO with the passion and the capacity to drive the Royal NAAFI to deliver its current Strategic Plan. Through this, the organisation will continue to demonstrate value for money across all services, deliver against all KPIs and generate surpluses. As part of the Ministry of Defence, there are a substantial number of key stakeholders, ranging across multiple government departments as well as armed forces and military communities across the world. The organisation is looking to identify a CFO who has the gravitas, credibility and skill to develop the way the organisation is run taking advantage of recent technological investments and making it simpler for the team to deliver. Given the quality and commitment of the executive and senior management team, the Board is confident that the Royal NAAFI can continue to deliver on its promise and commitments to customers and stakeholders alike.

Key responsibilities:

  • Oversee all financial activities across the organisation and ensure that robust financial practice, systems, processes and controls are upheld throughout
  • Add strategic value at Board level, in particular re risk, governance and commercial direction
  • Partner the CEO driving the organisation forward on the growth journey and ensuring NAAFI is achieving its strategic objectives
  • Establish relationships with key stakeholders and external parties such as banks and auditors
  • Develop tax and appropriate financial strategies to ensure NAAFI remains compliant across international locations
  • Represent NAAFI externally when required
  • Provide a wide and up to date view of external factors and events that may affect NAAFI and its operations worldwide
  • Most importantly demonstrate a strong and visible passion and commitment to our Armed Forces

This role is a high profile and visible position of responsibility and leadership, and the ideal candidate will have a clear track record of achievement and success in their career to date. Ideal candidates should be excited by the growth and expansion that NAAFI has planned for the coming years and should be fully committed to the ethos, mission, and clear purpose of the organisation. Experience of retail, hospitality and leisure or other multi-site organisations would be very helpful for this role.

EquityFD are exclusively retained to partner the Royal NAAFI to source their new CFO. All CVS should be sent to candidates@equityfd.com. Please do not submit CVS directly to the organisation. Any CVS sent directly will be forwarded to EquityFD.



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