Part-Time CFO Services In Oxford

Funding, pricing and a clear route to value for owner-managed businesses in Oxfordshire

For owner-managed businesses in Oxford and Oxfordshire, Secantor provides part-time CFOs who bring chief financial officer judgement to funding, pricing and growth, without a full-time salary. Your CFO joins the management team, takes ownership of the plan and works with the directors to turn what the business does well into profit and value.

Our national guide to the Fractional CFO role covers the model, and our Oxford support page shows the other board-level roles.

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What Does A Part-Time CFO Do For An Oxford Business?

A Secantor part-time CFO helps an Oxford business turn good work into good profit, setting the plan, pricing for margin, securing the funding and building value as a member of the management team. The areas of support typically include:

  • Pricing and margin: costing, margin targets and a pricing method that protects profit.
  • The plan: a profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow forecast over three to five years, joined up so that every choice can be tested against cash before the business commits.
  • Funding: the right finance, and the case that secures it.
  • Growth and deals: leadership through acquisitions, new sites or a sale.
  • Value: a business that runs without its owner and is worth more to a buyer.

Where control, reporting and cash come first, our Part-Time Finance Director page is the better start, and a Part-Time Management Accountant is also available in Oxford. Fractional CFO, outsourced CFO and virtual CFO are other names for the same part-time role.

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When Does An Oxford Business Need A Part-Time CFO?

Secantor's part-time CFO service suits an Oxford business whose profit has stalled or whose decisions on funding, pricing or a sale are bigger than its team can make with confidence. Typical triggers include flat profit despite a full order book, a bank asking for a plan, an acquisition opportunity, or an owner thinking about an exit. Our guide to when an SME needs a CFO lists the signs.

How A Secantor CFO Helped An Engineering Services Business Break Through A Profit Ceiling

An engineering services business had turned over around £3m for years. It delivered good work and had loyal customers, but profit was stuck at around £300,000. Everything in the back office, from workflow to pricing, was built around the founder, who was involved in everything. Quotes were assembled by hand from a paper price list and a calculator, filed in folders, and priced item by item with no reference to gross margin.

Secantor began with a costing study of labour, equipment, vehicles and overheads, so the business knew for the first time what each service really cost. It then built a pricing calculator, first as a spreadsheet, that worked out gross margin for every item and every job and graded each quote red, amber or green against a margin target. The sales administrator was told not to send a quote unless it was green. Quotes now went out within half an hour of the surveyor leaving site, much faster than before, which helped win more work.

No customer pushed back on the higher prices. They were commercially reasonable, the service was excellent and the speed and professionalism of the quotes built confidence. Gross margin on the core service rose from 25% to over 35%, and the business could finally run without depending on its founder.

Turnover grew from £3m to £9m and profit from £300,000 to £2m. The business was later sold to a larger engineering group, whose new owners asked Secantor to help replicate the improvements across the group. Read the full case study.

A part-time CFO discussing strategy with a business owner

How A Part-Time CFO Works With You

A Secantor part-time CFO starts in an Oxford business with a diagnostic phase. The CFO takes stock of where profit is leaking, gets to know the directors and managers, and looks closely at systems, processes, reporting, organisation structure and how the business operates, pricing included. The directors and the CFO then agree an action plan for improvement, and the CFO helps carry it out.

We recommend the advisor whose experience fits what you want the business to achieve, or more than one if you would like to choose. All of our advisors have held senior board roles themselves, and each is accredited by our directors. Your CFO sits inside the management team, takes ownership of delivery and has a senior Secantor director in support.

What Does A Part-Time CFO Cost In Oxford?

A Secantor part-time CFO costs £1,200 a day plus VAT and expenses in Oxford. The days are agreed in advance and you have full flexibility to increase or decrease them to suit your business needs, with extra days around a pricing review, a funding round or a transaction. Our cost guide sets out the figures in full.

A part-time CFO leading a meeting with an SME management team
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Choosing The Right Route To Senior Financial Leadership

An Oxford business has four routes into senior financial and board-level support, and the first question that needs answering usually settles which one fits.

  • Part-time CFO for pricing, funding, growth or a sale, working inside the management team.
  • Part-Time Finance Director for the owner who first needs dependable reporting and cash control.
  • Non-Executive Director for a board that wants an outside voice and independent challenge.
  • Interim CFO when a role has fallen vacant or a transaction lands and senior cover is needed quickly, for a defined period.

The differences are laid out in Fractional vs Part-Time vs Interim CFO.

Working Alongside Your Finance Team And Bank

In an Oxford business, Secantor's part-time CFOs work alongside the finance team, accountants, bank and board, and they take no one's place. Their job is the strategic layer above the finance function. Bookkeeping and outsourced accounts are not part of our service. Owners preparing for a sale can read about our Exit Planning service.

Starting With A Free Business Review

Secantor's Free Business Review gives Oxford owners thinking about growth, pricing or a sale a free first step with no obligation. We start by talking, then come to you to hear the plans and the pressures, and you are left with an independent view and a recommendation. See the Free Business Review.

Our 5-Point Commitment to You

✅ Expert Advice You Can Rely On: You’ll work with qualified, experienced advisors who are focused on results.

✅ A Trusted Working Relationship: We select advisors who fit your culture, team and goals.

✅ Tailored Support for Your Business: No templates, just relevant, practical, hands-on input.

✅ Dependable, Consistent Delivery: We meet deadlines, keep promises and deliver lasting impact.

✅ Clear, Proactive Communication: No jargon. Just senior-level expertise, clearly delivered.

Next Steps

The practical next step for an Oxford business is a Free Business Review, or a discovery call with a Secantor Director if you would rather speak first and decide afterwards.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Part-Time CFOs In Oxford

When does an Oxford business need a CFO instead of a Finance Director?

A Finance Director keeps reporting, forecasting and cash dependable. A CFO is the right choice when the questions are about pricing, funding, strategy or a sale.

Is a part-time CFO a consultant?

No. A part-time CFO does not hand over a report and leave. Your Secantor CFO sits in the management team, is accountable for delivering the financial plan, helps the directors take decisions as a director would, and stays until the work is done.

Can a part-time CFO help us improve our margins?

Yes. A CFO can cost each service properly, set margin targets and build a pricing method that protects profit. In one Secantor case, gross margin on a core service rose from 25% to over 35%.

How many days a month does a part-time CFO work?

That depends on the work in hand, with extra days for a deal or a funding round. You set the level and can change it as plans change.

Can a part-time CFO help us prepare for a sale?

Yes. Buyers ask for a track record, reliable forecasts and due diligence information, and a CFO builds all three while preparing the business so that its value does not rest on the owner alone.

Do you work with businesses outside Oxford, in Kidlington, Abingdon, Witney and Bicester?

Yes. Our part-time CFOs work with businesses in Kidlington, Abingdon, Witney, Bicester and Banbury, and across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Not quite found the answer you need? Contact our team and we will get back to you personally.

For a different kind of question, our Part-Time Finance Director and Non-Executive Director services in Oxford may fit better, as may our wider board-level support for Oxford businesses.

How Can a Fractional CFO Transform Your Bottom Line? goes deeper, on our blog.

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Paul Gibbins

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  • Identify what’s holding back your profit and growth
  • Gain clearer direction on your business priorities
  • Understand how to improve cashflow and performance
  • Explore practical steps to move your business forward

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