Highest paying finance jobs in the UK for 2025 according to recruiters

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Are you looking for a more lucrative finance role for 2025? Pushing for a promotion or sidestepping into a new role could mean a significant pay rise, providing you move with strategy.

Our finance recruitment experts share the highest paying finance jobs for 2025, the regions with the highest salaries in those roles, and the skills and experience you’ll need to command a figure at the top end of the pay scale.

The UK hiring market is suffering from finance talent shortages, prompting demand for skilled professionals across all sectors. According to new data collected for the Robert Half 2025 Salary Guide, over half (52%) of finance and accounting hiring managers plan to expand permanent headcount in 2025, and a further 40% plan to hire on a project basis.

Although 45% of finance and accounting employees anticipate a pay increase for 2025, finance leaders are planning to focus on benefit-related retention strategies rather than trying to stretch tight budgets. Agree bonuses (19%), flexible benefits (19%), and dental insurance (15%) are some of the top benefits and perks being offered to finance professionals.

Chief Financial Officer

Unsurprisingly, as one of the top roles in corporate accounting, the chief financial officer (CFO) is currently the highest-earning position. According to our data, a CFO can start on a salary of £126,500 and could reach an average of £171,750 at a mid-weight level.

Experienced senior talent can command anything up to £202,000, reflecting the diverse skillset and role remit needed for success. Regionally, the highest CFO salaries are being awarded to professionals in London (£154,000 - £246,500), Scotland (£137,500 - £220,250) and East England (£133,750 - £214,000). You can increase your CFO salary by demonstrating in-demand skills like private equity and venture capital experience. Employers are also looking for executives with experience in capital raising (IPO, sale, carve-out, debt restructuring etc.). You could also increase your earning potential by side-stepping into financial services, FTSE100 and PEVC-backed companies. For example, a CFO in financial services could start at £132,500 and go up to £225,500 at the highest end of the pay scale.

Group Finance Director

The average group finance director salary for 2025 is predicted to sit within a range of £110,750 – £141,500. The figure increases for London-based roles, which offer a maximum salary of £172,750 because of its finance capital status and the natural high demand for quality talent in the area. A group finance director could also command a higher top-end salary in the South-East of the UK (£155,750) and Scotland (£154,250).

Our recruitment experts have revealed that Group FDs with multiple entity/country consolidation experience, international experience, and industry expertise have a higher earning potential. The Group FD is responsible for driving change, so skills or experience in business transformation, standardisation, and automation are highly sought after.

Finance Director

Finance director duties revolve around smooth day-to-day operations and the ability to drive business success via solid insights and commercial acumen, and the salary reflects this. A finance director career could help you lock down an average salary range between £91,000 – £123,250. Professionals will find they have a higher earning potential for this role in London, where the top-end salary is £150,250.

Finance directors can boost their earning potential by demonstrating current in-demand skills for the industry, such as a blend of traditional accounting and finance. This includes strategy, budget, forecasting, and planning.

Group Financial Controller

This role is among the most in-demand for 2025, especially when paired with experience in data analytics, automation, and business intelligence tools. A group financial controller salary averages £101,000. If you're new to the role, you can expect to start on an average of £80,750, and if you have prior experience, it's not unacceptable to expect a figure of around £121,250. This can increase in high-demand areas, such as London and Scotland.

Group financial controllers can push their salary to the higher end of the pay scale by demonstrating experience with multiple entity or multiple country consolidation. Employers are also looking for professionals with international EMEA exposure and traditional accounting skills, such as month-end reporting.

Financial Planning & Analysis Manager

An FP&A position in a commercial accounting setting could earn you an average of £65,750 – £85,75. This differs slightly for the same role in a financial services setting, in which the starting pay is higher (£66,500), but the top-end salary is marginally lower (£84,250). You could boost your financial planning & analysis manager salary with proven AI and automation experience, especially regarding forecasting and modelling.

FP&A professionals can increase their earning potential even further by adding in-demand skills like advanced Excel, financial modelling, macros, Power BI/Power Query and experience with planning tools (like Hyperion or Anaplan) to their CV.

What factors contribute to high salaries in finance jobs?

Several factors impact the salary you can command in a finance role. The first is industry experience, including time spent in the role and the number of projects or technical tasks achieved in that time. The second is skill set — do you have in-demand skills on your CV? The third factor is your ability to negotiate! If you can enter a meeting with proof that you have the skills and experience to excel in the role, you may be able to command a higher salary.

How can I transition into a higher-paying finance job?

Your first port of call is to isolate which position you'd like to aim for using a trusted industry report like the Salary Guide. You may need to sidestep into an adjacent but better-paid position, a new role created by the rise of AI, or the position above your own. Once you've identified your target role, we recommend researching the skills and experience required to secure it. After this, you'll have the information to begin upskilling and gaining experience in all the necessary areas to prepare for your pivot.

Read: ACCA vs CIMA – how to choose an accountancy qualification

What are the challenges and drawbacks of high-paying finance jobs?

The highest paying finance and accounting jobs come with challenges, the most obvious being a highly competitive and stressful environment, complete with ambitious targets in an ever-evolving financial landscape. Economic uncertainty, new regulations, and the rise of AI have added new challenges to many role remits, and those in the upper echelons of the industry are expected to stay on top of it all.

High earners in finance are also typically tasked with keeping on top of the evolving regulatory landscape and adapting to new corporate reporting reforms and UK SOX requirements while also mastering ESG reporting standards. Moreover, they are responsible for managing automation implementation and standardisation initiatives, even as new reporting tools and add-ons emerge. However, this does give quick learners and hungry professionals the perfect environment to rise to the challenge.

To learn more about salaries and high-paying finance roles, browse the 2025 Salary Guide or explore our salary calculator. If you’re ready to move into a higher-paying finance role, browse open roles now or get in touch with our recruitment experts.

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