Part-Time FD Services
Finance director input, without the hire.
Most growing SMEs need more than compliance — they need someone reading the numbers and acting on them. A part-time finance director gives you that without the six-figure salary. Fixed fees, led by Niall O'Driscoll FCMA, CGMA, with same-day replies as standard.
- Monthly management accounts and KPI dashboards, ready on time
- Cash-flow forecasts and scenario models before decisions need making
- Strategic finance input when it matters — not just at year-end
- A chartered FD-level view, without a full-time hire on the payroll
No long-term contract required. If it is not working after three months, you leave with clean books, current management accounts and nothing owed.
Get a free quote
Fixed pricing. Same-day reply.
What our clients say
★★★★★
Confident in Our Financial Processes
"It's great to have access to a financial team who can guide us with such confidence and seamlessly integrate with our internal team."
★★★★★
Far More Hands-On Than Previous Accountants
"Niall is far more hands-on, available for advice and able to care for me as an individual, rather than a faceless client."
★★★★★
Goes Above and Beyond, Competitive Prices
"Niall and his team go above and beyond the duties to provide accounting services but also general advices. They are always available if you need anything."
★★★★★
Always on the End of the Phone
"They're always on the end of the phone to advise and assist and provide a top service for our accounting needs."
Sound familiar?
Growing fast, but flying blind on the numbers?
Most SME owners know their revenue. Fewer know their margins, their cash runway, or what a bad quarter actually does to the balance sheet. Without someone reading the management accounts and acting on them, decisions get made on instinct — which works until it does not. A part-time FD is not a luxury reserved for businesses large enough to afford a full-timer.
- No management accounts — decisions made on last month's bank balance
- Cash-flow surprises arriving without warning, usually at the worst moment
- No one translating the numbers into commercial decisions or next steps
What a part-time FD actually changes
The numbers get read, understood and acted on — monthly, not annually. Management accounts land on time. Cash-flow is modelled in advance. And there is a chartered management accountant available to talk through what the figures mean for the business.
- Monthly management accounts with KPI dashboards — decisions based on current data
- Rolling cash-flow forecasts so surprises become visible weeks ahead
- A chartered FD interpreting the numbers and advising on commercial implications
- Fixed monthly fee — no full-time salary, no employment overhead, no guesswork
What clients say about FD-level support
OD Accountants work directly with management teams, integrating with internal staff and providing the kind of financial confidence that a part-time FD engagement is specifically built to deliver.
The service from OD has been excellent, as has their advice. It's great to have access to a financial team who can guide us with such confidence and seamlessly integrate with our internal team. We always feel well-informed and confident about our financial processes and data. Highly recommend.
My other-half introduced me to Niall at OD Accountants and I have to say my finances are so much the better for it. Unlike my previous Accountants, Niall is far more hands-on, available for advice and able to care for me as an individual, rather than a faceless client. His fees are very reasonable and the money he has saved me more than covers them. If you need an Accountant who cares, Niall and OD Chartered Management Accountants are the way to go.
What a part-time FD engagement covers
The engagement is structured around three layers: the numbers, the reporting, and the strategic input — all delivered remotely via cloud accounting software on a fixed monthly fee.
Management Accounts and KPI Reporting
Monthly or quarterly management accounts, delivered on time with KPI dashboards built around the metrics that matter to your business. You see performance against prior periods, budget and forecast — not just a P&L with no context. Boards, banks and funders can be supplied the same output without additional preparation.
Core deliverableCash-Flow Forecasting and Scenario Modelling
A rolling cash-flow forecast built in your cloud accounting platform, updated as actuals come in. Scenario modelling lets you stress-test decisions before they are made — a new hire, a large purchase, a slow month — rather than discovering the impact after the fact. This is the part of the finance function that most SMEs go without until something goes wrong.
Included in FD scopeStrategic Finance Input and Commercial Advice
Founder Niall O'Driscoll FCMA, CGMA brings 10-plus years of freelance restructure and turnaround work — including listed UK and overseas companies — to the engagement. That means the numbers are not just reported; they are interpreted, and the commercial implications are discussed. Questions about pricing, margin, funding and growth are within scope — not referred elsewhere.
FD-level advisoryConsistent feedback across more than a decade
Clients range from hospitality operators and start-ups to established consultancies and internet retailers — many of them with the firm for multiple years.
Years of Service, Always Above and Beyond
“I've been there for years and Niall and his team go above and beyond the duties to provide accounting services but also general advices. They are always available if you need anything while charging very competitive prices. I could not recommend them enough.”
Supportive, Clear, Always on the Phone
“Niall and his team are supportive, clear and directional accountants who have supported our small business staff up. They're always on the end of the phone to advise and assist and provide a top service for our accounting needs. Plus they're just nice people which helps too!!”
Welcoming, Supportive and Always Available
“As a new start up and having never dealt with an accountant, Niall at OD Accountants has been very welcoming and supportive. All our prior queries and issues have been resolved, and he is always available to meet the needs of our team.”
What makes this different from hiring a bookkeeper
A part-time FD engagement from OD Accountants is built around chartered management accounting — the discipline that exists to help businesses make better decisions with their numbers.
Chartered management accounting depth
Niall O'Driscoll is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). That is the qualification specifically designed for commercial finance and strategic decision-making — not just compliance. The output of a part-time FD engagement reflects that: management accounts, KPI analysis, forecasting and commercial advice, not just a set of books.
Real-time data via cloud accounting
The engagement runs on modern cloud accounting software — Xero and best-of-breed app integrations for reporting, expenses and forecasting. That means management accounts and dashboards reflect current data, not last quarter's export. It also means you can see the same numbers the FD sees, at any point, without waiting for a monthly pack to arrive by email.
Available when decisions need making
Verified Google client reviews consistently describe the team as hands-on, always available and quick to respond. That matters in a part-time FD context because the point of the engagement is commercial support — which does not wait for scheduled monthly calls. Questions get answered the day they are asked, which is the way it ought to work.
Up and running in four steps
The onboarding process is designed to be low-effort on your side. Most clients are fully set up within two to three weeks of the discovery call.
Book a discovery call
A short call — typically 30 minutes — to understand the business, what the finance function currently looks like, and what a part-time FD engagement would need to cover. No preparation required. The call is designed to diagnose, not to pitch.
Receive a fixed-fee proposal
A clear proposal setting out what is included, what it costs and what the deliverables are each month. No vague retainer arrangements. The scope covers management accounts, KPI reporting, forecasting and advisory access — adjusted to what the business actually needs.
We handle the onboarding
Access to existing accounting software is requested, current data is reviewed and — where needed — migrated into a cloud platform. If the books are behind, catch-up work is scoped separately. Either way, the starting position is established before the first management accounts are produced.
Management accounts land on time
From month one, management accounts arrive on the agreed date. KPI dashboards reflect the current period. Cash-flow is modelled. And there is a chartered FD available to discuss what the numbers mean for the business — which is what the engagement exists to provide.
“Been with OD Accountants for over a year now. Niall and the team are brilliant. They helped me set up a company and get everything I needed in place to run my business. I'm a tricky client due to my 'digital nomad' status, but their advice…”
Things people ask before getting started
What does a part-time FD from OD Accountants actually do — is it just management accounts?
Management accounts and KPI reporting are the core deliverable, but the engagement goes further than that. Cash-flow forecasting, scenario modelling, funding and lender reporting support, profitability analysis and commercial finance advice are all within scope. The point is to give the business the kind of finance director input normally reserved for companies large enough to hire one full-time — delivered remotely on a fixed monthly fee.
What does it cost, and what is included in the monthly fee?
Fees are fixed and agreed upfront based on the scope — which varies depending on the size and complexity of the business, the frequency of reporting and the level of advisory input required. Clients consistently describe pricing as very reasonable and competitive, with the commercial value of the engagement typically more than covering the cost. Indicative pricing is provided in the proposal following a discovery call, with no obligation to proceed.
Our books are behind and our reporting is a mess — can you still take us on?
Yes, and it is a common starting point. The first step is to establish where the books currently stand and what catch-up work is needed. That is scoped and priced separately from the ongoing engagement so the cost is clear before any work begins. Once the starting position is clean, monthly reporting can run on time. Most clients arrive with some degree of disarray and leave with considerably less to worry about.
Is there a minimum contract or lock-in period?
No long-term contract is required. Engagements run monthly and can be ended with reasonable notice. If the arrangement is not working after the first three months, the parting is straightforward — the books are current, the management accounts are up to date, and nothing is owed beyond the work completed. That is the way it ought to work.
Can the part-time FD work alongside our existing finance team or bookkeeper?
Yes — and this is a common setup. The part-time FD layer sits above the day-to-day bookkeeping function, reviewing and interpreting the output rather than replacing whoever is doing the transactional work. Clients with existing bookkeepers or finance assistants find the arrangement works well: the books are maintained by the internal team, and the management accounts, forecasting and strategic input are handled by OD Accountants.
Will a part-time FD engagement help with tax planning as well as reporting?
The management accounting layer — forecasting, profit analysis, scenario modelling — provides the visibility that makes meaningful tax planning possible. Corporation Tax compliance and planning for limited companies is a separate service, but it runs alongside the FD engagement naturally: when the numbers are current and understood, tax positions become clearer months in advance rather than at year-end. Directors' personal tax is also in scope where required.
Stop running finance on instinct. Start with the numbers.
A part-time FD from OD Accountants gives you management accounts, forecasting and chartered commercial input on a fixed monthly fee — no full-time hire, no long-term contract.