Finance Director

Our client, SeeByte, is the global market leader in the development of smart software for uncrewed maritime systems. We are advising them on the recruitment of a Finance Director to join their team in the Edinburgh Office. This permanent position could be either part or full time and SeeByte would like to consider in particular those candidates who may currently need to work on a part time basis but anticipate in the future increasing their workload as the business and the role develop. The business promotes a highly flexible and family-orientated environment and is keen to consider the best possible talent.

The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to play a significant role in a dynamic and world respected technology company within the exciting field of robotics, with clear development, training and career progression opportunities provided. This is a fantastic opportunity to work for an innovative and forward-thinking company with an international client base.

Originally spun out of Heriot-Watt University, the company has evolved into a trusted partner to governments, defence organisations, and industry leaders. With a core focus on software, they develop advanced autonomy and mission planning systems for underwater and maritime robotics, supporting complex operations in energy, defence, and research. The company was acquired by Battelle in 2013 and is operated as a stand-alone business within the group.

What makes SeeByte distinctive isn’t just its technical excellence, but its culture. The business is built around trust, autonomy, and collaboration. Engineers are empowered, the leadership is freeing and teams are encouraged to think creatively and own their work. Attrition is low and engagement is high; this is a company where people join and stay because of the quality of the work and the freedom to do it well.

With around 100 people currently and offices in Edinburgh, Bristol and San Diego, SeeByte continues to grow steadily, underpinned by a healthy financial position, long-term contracts, and a strong reputation in global markets. The business is financially very successful and has a strategy to invest significantly to deliver sustainable growth.

In accounting terms SeeByte is a Services style business. It has some SeeByte owned software products accounting for 20% of revenue and this income is put back into the products. Most of our revenue comes from military customers and the Finance Director must be comfortable with that.

These products usually form the backbone of their customer proposals and are fundamental to the growth of the business. SeeByte does some training and support activities, but the mainstay of the business is producing relatively bespoke software in their niche market for their customers. SeeByte often has exploitation rights to this bespoke software.

SeeByte is profitable and cash generative. There is no requirement for raising capital and cashflow planning is not required for any practical purpose. All product development is expensed and there are no materials or stock on the balance sheet. Revenue recognition is a key focus for the accounts team and the Balance Sheet. A key accounting task is providing systems and reporting for Governments that all have their own systems and detailed rules and requirements. We are seeking a proactive and strategic Finance Director to lead the financial management of this small but growing business which currently has a 4-person finance team. This role is hands-on and ideal for a detail-oriented professional who can oversee budgeting, financial planning and compliance, while contributing to overall business strategy. The role will join the senior leadership team and be a key role in driving forward this growing organisation.

Because of the nature of the work associated with this post it is subject to special nationality rules and is open only to the following citizens: British.

All offers of employment will be conditional to a Security Clearance (SC) process. As part of this process, SeeByte collects Personal Data as defined under UK GDPR including proof of identity, nationality and immigration status, right to work in the UK, employment and/or academic references and Basic Disclosure information for unspent criminal convictions. Please see details pertaining to your personal data in our Privacy Notice which can be found at https://careers.seebyte.com/job-application-privacy-notice/