Opus Counsel
On-Demand Finance Director
Beyond the numbers — the guidance behind better decisions.
Opus Counsel gives your business the power of a full finance team — delivering expert bookkeeping, accounting, and strategic financial guidance, all managed remotely. Senior finance leadership, when you need it, without the cost of a permanent hire.
What Opus Counsel delivers
With Opus Counsel you get everything an in-house finance function provides — without the overhead, the recruitment risk, or the fixed salary commitment. We embed ourselves in your business and act as your finance team, not just your accountants.
Accurate, timely bookkeeping using Xero or QuickBooks. Every transaction coded correctly, bank feeds reconciled, and your records always up to date — so your numbers can actually be trusted.
Clear, formatted management accounts delivered every month. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow statement — with commentary from your advisor so you understand what the numbers are telling you.
Rolling 13-week and 12-month cash flow forecasts updated regularly. We flag cash pinch-points before they become problems and model the impact of major decisions on your liquidity.
Complete payroll processing, RTI submissions, auto-enrolment management, and P60/P11D preparation. We handle the complexities so your team gets paid correctly and on time, every time.
We design and deliver the reports that matter to your business — whether that’s board packs, investor reporting, departmental P&Ls, or project profitability analysis.
Access to a senior advisor for strategic decisions — pricing, investment, cost management, fundraising. We bring financial intelligence to the conversations that shape your business.
Why outsource rather than hire?
Hiring a Finance Director costs upwards of £80,000 per year. A Financial Controller runs to £50,000 or more. And that's before employer NI, pension contributions, recruitment fees, and the time you'll spend managing them. Then there's the risk — what happens if they leave?
With Opus Counsel, you get the output of a senior finance team from day one. We're not one person who might be off sick or hand in their notice. We're a team of chartered accountants, management accountants, and financial analysts who bring collective expertise to your business — and we scale with you.
You also get continuity. Unlike an employee, we don't leave a gap when someone moves on. The relationship is with Opus Accountancy, and we ensure seamless handovers and consistent quality throughout.
Who it's for
Opus Counsel is designed for SMEs who've outgrown basic bookkeeping but aren't quite ready — or willing — to build an in-house finance team. Typically, this means businesses turning over £500k to £5m that need reliable management information, cash flow forecasting, and financial leadership without the headcount.
It also works exceptionally well for growing businesses going through a step-change: a new funding round, a major contract win, a merger, or rapid headcount growth. At those inflection points, having a capable, responsive finance function isn't a luxury — it's what separates businesses that scale cleanly from those that create chaos for themselves.
Opus Counsel is available as a standalone service or as part of our Opus Virtuoso package for established firms. Talk to us about what level of support is right for your stage.
"Opus Counsel takes away the day-to-day stress of running my business!"
Robin Smith, Director — Apex Commercial Scaffolding
Get a finance team without the headcount
We'll explain exactly how Opus Counsel works for your type of business.
Get in touch