SRM Recruitment, Author at SRM Recruitment

July 15, 2026July 15, 2026

Why Tax Professionals Should Stop Judging In-House Roles by Job Title

By James Rodgers, Head of Tax Recruitment

For tax professionals considering their first move from practice into industry, one of the biggest misconceptions can be surprisingly simple: assuming that a job title tells you everything you need to know about a role.

In practice, titles are largely standardised. Whether you're at a Big Four firm, a mid-tier practice or a law firm, there is a fairly well-understood hierarchy. Analyst, Associate, Senior Associate, Manager, Senior Manager, Director, Partner. Each level carries broadly similar expectations around experience, responsibility and compensation.

However, industry doesn't work that way.

Once you move in-house, job titles become far less reliable as a measure of seniority, scope or earning potential. Every business creates its own organisational structure, and titles often reflect internal conventions rather than any market-wide standard.

As a result, two people with the same title can be doing vastly different jobs, while two completely different titles can represent almost identical levels of responsibility.

I've seen this play out repeatedly across the tax market.

Recently, I worked on a Tax Associate role within an investment management fund. The total package exceeded £110,000 and the ideal candidate profile was a Manager from a recognised accounting firm. The role offered exposure to a sophisticated fund environment, significant responsibility and genuine long-term progression opportunities.

Yet several strong candidates ruled themselves out before even exploring the opportunity because they saw the word "Associate" and assumed it represented a step backwards in their career.

In reality, the role was anything but junior.

This is one of the biggest traps tax professionals can fall into when evaluating opportunities in industry.

Why Titles and Compensation Don't Always Align

The disconnect becomes even more obvious when you look at compensation.

In practice, progression and salary are closely linked. Move up a grade and your remuneration generally follows a predictable path.

In industry, that relationship can look very different.

I've seen Tax Managers at large, listed businesses earning less than Tax Associates at private equity funds. I've seen Heads of Tax at smaller organisations earning less than Senior Managers in practice. Equally, I've seen Analyst-level positions at well-capitalised investment firms offering packages that would surprise many experienced tax professionals.

The reason is simple: businesses don't price roles based primarily on what the title sounds like.

They price them according to the value of the skill set required, the complexity of the work, the level of responsibility involved and the commercial realities of the business itself.

A growth-stage fund with a lean finance function may need one individual to take ownership of a significant portion of the tax agenda. Internally, that person might be called an Associate, a Manager or something entirely different. The title is largely irrelevant. The compensation reflects the importance of the role.

Conversely, a large multinational may have an impressive-looking hierarchy full of Director or Associate Director titles, but with relatively narrow remits and multiple layers of management. In those situations, the title may sound senior, but the scope and remuneration can tell a different story.

What Tax Professionals Should Focus on Instead

When assessing an in-house opportunity, the questions that matter most rarely relate to the job title itself. Instead, focus on:

Total compensation

Look beyond base salary. Consider bonus potential, long-term incentives, carry arrangements, pension contributions and wider benefits. The overall package often tells a more accurate story than the title.

Scope and ownership

What will you actually be responsible for? Will you own key tax processes and decisions, or will you be supporting someone else who does?

Complexity of the tax work

Consider the size of the tax footprint, the jurisdictions involved, transaction exposure and the technical challenges you'll encounter. Complexity often creates career-enhancing opportunities regardless of title.

Career progression

How is the team structured? What does progression look like over the next two to five years? A seemingly modest title today may offer a far stronger long-term trajectory than a more senior-sounding alternative elsewhere.

The business itself

Where is the company heading? Growth, acquisitions, fundraising activity and international expansion can all significantly influence the opportunities available within a role.

Don't Let a Title Make the Decision for You

One of the biggest differences between practice and industry is that job titles lose much of their predictive value.

The title alone rarely tells you how much you'll earn, how much responsibility you'll have or how valuable the experience will be for your long-term career.

Yet many tax professionals still filter opportunities primarily through that lens, particularly when considering their first move in-house.

That can mean overlooking roles with exceptional compensation, greater autonomy, broader exposure and stronger progression prospects simply because the title doesn't match expectations.

The most successful moves into industry tend to come from candidates who look beyond the label and focus on the substance of the opportunity.

Because when it comes to in-house tax roles, what the job is often matters far more than what it's called.

get in touch

Looking to make a move in-house or hire your next in-house tax professional? Contact James Rodgers, SRM's Head of Tax Recruitment, on jamesrodgers@srmrecruitment.com or call +44 (0)7852 322955.

June 19, 2026June 19, 2026

Why Businesses Across the Home Counties Are Turning to Interim Finance Talent

The interim finance market has evolved significantly over recent years. Historically, interim finance professionals were often engaged to cover maternity leave, sickness absence or short-term vacancies. Today, organisations across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Peterborough are increasingly using interim talent as a strategic solution to support transformation, growth, change and business-critical projects.

As businesses continue to navigate economic uncertainty, rising costs, evolving technology and increasing stakeholder expectations, demand for experienced interim finance professionals remains strong throughout the Home Counties.

Why Businesses Are Hiring Interim Finance Professionals

The reasons for engaging interim finance talent have become far broader than simply covering an absence.

Many of the assignments I support involve:

Finance transformation programmes
ERP and systems implementations
Acquisition integration projects
Process improvement initiatives
FP&A and reporting enhancements
Leadership cover during recruitment processes
Preparation for audit, funding or investment events
Managing periods of rapid growth, restructuring or organisational change

In many situations, businesses simply cannot afford to wait three to six months for a permanent hire to be identified, onboarded and become fully effective. An experienced interim can often be adding value within days.

The Rise of Project-Based Finance Recruitment

One of the biggest shifts I have seen throughout 2025 and 2026 is the increase in project-driven interim hiring.

Businesses are increasingly engaging experienced Finance Directors, Financial Controllers, FP&A professionals and Finance Transformation specialists on fixed-term contracts or interim assignments to deliver specific outcomes.

Examples include:

Improving cash flow and working capital management
Building forecasting and planning capability
Implementing Power BI reporting solutions
Preparing finance functions for acquisition activity
Enhancing controls and governance frameworks
Supporting finance teams through organisational change
Delivering ERP implementations and finance systems upgrades

The emphasis is no longer simply on maintaining finance operations. Organisations want interim professionals who can improve them.

What Clients Are Looking For in Today's Market

Technical capability remains important, but clients are increasingly focused on a candidate's ability to deliver results quickly.

The most sought-after interim finance professionals typically demonstrate:

1.Speed of Impact

Businesses want individuals who can assess a situation quickly, identify priorities and begin delivering value almost immediately.

2.Stakeholder Management

Interims are frequently operating within complex environments and must be able to influence senior stakeholders, challenge appropriately and build credibility quickly.

3.Systems and Data Expertise

The increasing use of Power BI, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, OneStream and other reporting platforms means strong systems capability is becoming a significant differentiator.

4.Change and Transformation Experience

Many organisations are seeking individuals who have successfully led change programmes previously and can bring proven experience into a new environment.

5.Commercial Awareness

Today's interim market increasingly favours professionals who combine strong technical skills with commercial thinking and the ability to influence decision-making.

The Current Candidate Market

Interestingly, the candidate market has also evolved.

Many experienced finance professionals who may previously have focused exclusively on permanent opportunities are increasingly open to interim and fixed-term contract assignments. For some, this provides greater flexibility and exposure to a wider range of projects. For others, it offers the opportunity to specialise in transformation, systems implementation or business change.

As a result, organisations are often able to access exceptionally strong talent that may not have been available to them several years ago.

Challenges Within the Current Interim Market

While demand remains strong, the market has become increasingly selective.

Businesses are understandably seeking greater certainty around outcomes and return on investment. As a result, hiring managers are often prioritising:

Relevant sector experience
Proven delivery of similar projects
Strong references and track record
Systems and transformation expertise
Cultural fit alongside technical capability

The most successful interim professionals are therefore those who can clearly articulate not only what they have done, but the measurable impact they have delivered.

Interim vs Permanent: Which Is Right For Your Business?

This is one of the most common questions I receive from clients.

A permanent hire is typically the right solution where long-term stability, succession planning and future leadership development are key objectives.

An interim solution can often be the better option where:

There is an urgent requirement
Specialist expertise is needed quickly
A transformation project requires dedicated resource
A permanent recruitment process is likely to take several months
Additional leadership capacity is required during a period of change
There is uncertainty around future organisational structure

Increasingly, I am seeing organisations utilise both strategies simultaneously, engaging interim talent to provide immediate support whilst conducting a thorough search for a permanent appointment.

The Home Counties Interim Finance Market

Across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Peterborough, demand remains particularly strong across:

Interim Finance Directors
Interim Financial Controllers
Interim FP&A Professionals
Interim Finance Managers
Interim Management Accountants
Finance Transformation Specialists
Project Accountants
Systems and Reporting Professionals

Whilst market conditions continue to evolve, organisations that move decisively and engage the right interim talent are often best positioned to navigate periods of change, maintain momentum and achieve their strategic objectives.

How I Can Help

As Business Director at SRM Recruitment, I specialise in interim and fixed-term finance recruitment across the Home Counties, covering Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Peterborough.

I work with businesses ranging from SMEs through to large international organisations, supporting the appointment of Interim Finance Directors, Financial Controllers, Finance Managers, FP&A professionals, Management Accountants and Finance Transformation specialists.

Whether the requirement is to deliver a critical project, provide leadership during a period of change, support a systems implementation or bridge a gap whilst a permanent appointment is secured, I help organisations access experienced finance professionals capable of making an immediate impact.

Having built an extensive network of qualified finance professionals across the region, I understand both the opportunities and challenges within today's interim market and can provide honest advice on availability, market conditions, day rates, fixed-term contract solutions and hiring strategies.

If you would like to discuss the interim finance market, benchmark a requirement or simply gain insight into current market trends across the Home Counties, please feel free to get in touch.

Liz Hawkins
lizhawkins@srmrecruitment.com
+44 (0)7508 956587

June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

SRM: The First Decade

There is a particular kind of madness that grips people when they decide to leave perfectly good salaries behind and start something from scratch.

It might include a good helping of self-confidence, a light sprinkling of bravado, and a detailed business plan that doesn't survive initial contact with reality. In the case of Andrew Setchell, Stewart Robertson and Rory MacSween, who between them comprise the ‘S’, the ‘R’, and the ‘M’, of SRM - it also entailed the ability to respond rapidly to an unrelenting decade of events, and emerge smiling at the other end.

After 10 years in business, SRM Recruitment has grown from three men and an idea into one of London's most respected specialist recruitment consultancies - placing senior finance, tax, legal and M&A insurance professionals across the UK and internationally, with offices in London, Guildford and Welwyn Garden City, and a team of over 20 specialised professionals.

Easter 2015. Over the top.

The founding story began, as many good ones do, with a question that needed answering. Andrew Setchell had spent four years as an accountant at PWC before moving into recruitment in 1996, eventually running large teams at Michael Page and Robert Walters. By Easter 2015, he was considering the next decade, and wondering ‘why’? Why had the industry where he’d worked for twenty years traded genuine consultancy for the kind of relentless, funnel-driven, phone-bashing culture that made good recruiters miserable and clients feel like they were being processed rather than helped?

"I always wanted to do my own thing, but I'd never do it by myself," Andrew says. "I needed like-minded people." He found two.

Rory MacSween had come to recruitment via a rather more scenic route; the British Army, then Michael Page and Robert Walters, before carving out a niche in the then-nascent world of M&A insurance. Stewart Robertson, a Modern History graduate from Royal Holloway who had also come through the big corporate recruitment machine, had arrived at similar conclusions independently. "We were all having the same conversations," says Rory. "It felt very transactional, like you were turning a wheel. Hard to put your stamp on something."

What gave them the final push? A developing conviction that there was a ‘better way’ - borne of watching floors empty during the financial crisis, observing management endlessly meddling, and noticing the business become, as Andrew puts it, "all about volumes". "The big corporate firms believed the brand was bigger than the person," says Andrew. "But for a medium-sized player, it's far more relationship-driven.” The new way had to be different. More consulting, less funnel. More relationship, less brand.

They handed in their notices in March 2016, collected their bonuses, and launched SRM just as the country was about to vote on Brexit. "We thought: Conservative majority, remain wins, markets go boom, we catch the wave," recalls Stewart, with a rueful laugh. "Yeah."

The First Year: Hard Lessons and Good Hires

The early days had a certain chaotic energy. For a while Stewart worked from his back garden shed. Rory and Andrew sat at a shared WeWork at Fox Court, where the ping pong tables and complimentary evening beer represented either a wonderful startup ecosystem or a terrible productivity environment, depending on the time of day.

The business plan — built partly on the assumption that blue-chip client accounts would follow them from their previous employer — "was out the window within twelve months." More pressingly, litigation arrived in the form of legal letters from past employers, designed, as Andrew notes, "to take up oxygen." It worked, for a while, but was resolved. "It did take a toll," he says. "But it also tempered the risk. You learn a lot about people. And about each other.”

But the wins came. After ten or eleven months of grind, they had back-to-back strong months. The model was working. Rob McKay and Dave Kingston, two early hires who took a genuine leap of faith, are name-checked with real warmth; "they came when we were literally nothing, and remain central figures in the business today.”

The Decade in Brief: Brexit, Covid, and the M&A Freeze

SRM has been tested by just about everything the last decade could throw at it. Brexit, which was timed with spectacular bad luck to coincide with their launch, initially caused a sharp intake of breath before proving broadly manageable. Covid was different.

"Bar one client, all live mandates were cancelled or put on hold indefinitely," says Stewart. "Overnight." That single remaining client — who happened to complete an acquisition at the exact moment lockdown was announced and needed an entire finance function recruited — thankfully kept things ticking over. Then, almost as suddenly as it had stopped, the market came roaring back. 2021 and 2022 were "by far our most successful years." Brexit had thinned the pool of European talent, demand was surging, and SRM leaned hard into genuine consultancy; helping clients navigate everything from sponsorship licences to employment law.

Then came 2023. The M&A market, which had been running hot, cooled sharply as interest rates rose and deal flow dried up. "Summer 2023 was still pretty good," says Andrew. "Then the kids went back in September and it wasn't the same September as the year before."

They navigated it, as they have navigated everything, by staying lean, diversified — and doing what smaller, more agile ‘boutique’ firms can do better than large ones: pivot fast — "it's rare that every part of our business is pulling back at exactly the same time, and that is a strength not a weakness.”

What Makes SRM Different: ‘Relationship Led. Data Driven.’

Ask the founders what sets SRM apart and you get a consistent answer: they recruit experienced people, give them autonomy, and get out of the way. No KPIs. No call-rate targets. No boiler-room atmosphere. Flexible working was already the norm at SRM, before Covid ever arrived. "The least experienced person in our business has seven years of recruitment experience," says Andrew, "we gladly recruit people with grey hair. With no hair…" he adds with a knowing smile.

The approach — which they describe as closer to search than traditional contingent recruitment — is built on a simple observation: the best outcomes come from relationships, not volume. "You just need really good relationships to get the same return without the flannel," says Andrew. "The big firms didn't work that out because they thought the brand was bigger than the person."

The Next Ten Years

"Everything you hear is how quickly AI is going to change our world", says Stewart, sanguine but clear-eyed about the future. The consensus among the founders is that AI will help them work faster, but that the fundamental value of what they do — human judgment, market intelligence, discretion, the ability to sit over lunch and map out someone's career — is not something an algorithm can replicate. "I had lunch with a client last week," says Rory. "We drew up a list of businesses he was interested in. By 5pm I had him an interview at one of them. I can't envisage a world where AI does that. Human interaction can’t be overrated.”

Andrew has a bolder prediction: as AI takes over junior professional work and graduate hiring shrinks at the big firms, newly qualified accountants and lawyers will become rarer and therefore more valuable. "Supply goes down, price goes up.” As for what comes next for SRM itself: growth, yes. New sectors, possibly. Selling? "We've never seriously sat down and discussed it," says Andrew, adding, “we want to create a space for every employee to earn six figures.”

And the most important thing about the next decade? "If we have a business in ten years that still holds the values we set out with," says Rory, "I'd be incredibly proud of that.”

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

Joe Bennetts joins SRM’s Finance Recruitment team in Guildford

We’re pleased to welcome Joe Bennetts as a Business Director to SRM Recruitment’s Guildford finance recruitment team. Joe tells us a bit about himself, the roles he’ll be working on, and why hiring managers and job seekers like working with him.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

A proud Devon boy through and through, I’ve been in recruitment since I left university and I realised I was about 2 foot too short to be a rugby player! I had some friends who had gone into recruitment and thought I’d give it a go, and a few years later I’m still giving it a go so I must be doing something right. Outside of work, when I am not chasing 2 kids around, you can find me still pretending I can play rugby (although the body is slowly giving up on me!) playing golf or more recently, following the trend of playing padel.

Tell us about your career to date?

I started in recruitment back in 2011 after finishing university. I didn’t really know what recruitment was to be honest but the idea of building relationships and not being sat behind a desk all day really appealed to me. I joined a large FTSE 250 where I had some amazing training and guidance and went through the ranks pretty quickly. After relocating to the South East back in 2016, I’ve since focused on recruiting finance vacancies across the area. I love the variety of people and businesses I get to work with from P.E carve outs to leading technology companies meaning no two days are the same – it really does fascinate me!

What was it that appealed to you about working for SRM?

My paths had crossed inadvertently with Stewart Robertson and a few of the other people in the team and I had heard amazing things about them which were only reinforced when I met them for a coffee. Stewart, Andrew and Rory share the same fundamentals as I do which is work hard, deliver a good service and to make the recruitment process as seamless as process for everyone.

Their views and the way they see recruitment really aligned with me and it didn’t take much convincing from them for me to join!

Tell us about your remit at SRM?

Working closely with Sam, George and David in our Guildford office, my remit is to offer a top quality, honest, relationship driven approach to recruitment in the area, focusing predominantly on the qualified finance space.

What do hiring managers and job seekers like about working with you?

You’d have to ask them! I do try to be as honest as possible no matter how difficult that conversation can be sometimes though and equally, I won’t promise anything I can’t deliver on.

However, given the length of time I have spent operating in the market, I like to think I can offer a huge amount of market insight, from salaries to competitor analysis. For me, it isn’t about making a quick placement but how I can go about building relationships that prosper for years to come.

What’s your top piece of advice for hiring managers right now?

Act quickly and partner with SRM! The competition for top tier talent in the market is still as competitive as ever. Have you done your internal due diligence? Has the role been signed off, has the interview process been ironed out, do they need to do a case study, testing etc.? Hiring processes are a two-way street and making it as seamless as possible is going to be a great sales tool if you’re expecting to hire the best talent for your role – especially if they have multiple process on the go.

What’s your top piece of advice for candidates right now?

Always keep your CV up-to-date and never stop expanding your network – in this market it is always best to be on the front foot. Keep the CV updated as you go and spend some time networking and keeping in touch with people whilst keeping your personal brand up-to-date and relevant. You never know when you going to need it.