Chief Financial Officer (CFO), PackUK


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£86,000 to £117,800 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Cardiff
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	21 Sept 2026
Closing date:	12 Oct 2026

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Summary

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chief Financial Officer for PackUK, the Scheme Administrator for the UK Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape and lead the financial stewardship of a new national organisation at the heart of one of the UK’s most significant environmental reforms. As a senior leader in PackUK, you will play a pivotal role in building an organisation that supports the UK’s net zero ambitions while enabling sustainable economic growth.

pEPR is central to the UK’s transition to a circular economy. It places a legal obligation on packaging producers to pay the full net costs of collecting and disposing of the packaging they place on the market. In doing so, it will encourage the reduction of unnecessary packaging, support the use of more recyclable materials, and increase reuse and refill. It will also provide significant investment in the UK’s collection and recycling infrastructure, improving services for householders across the UK.

The pEPR scheme came into effect in January 2025, and PackUK is responsible for delivering the services and systems that underpin its operation. The Chief Financial Officer will play a critical role in ensuring the scheme is financially robust, well governed, and able to deliver effectively at scale.

PackUK brings together people with a strong commitment to recycling and environmental improvement. We are seeking an outstanding senior leader who can build and lead a high-performing, collaborative, and user-focused team, while providing visible, credible leadership across a complex and evolving stakeholder landscape. The successful candidate will bring a strong track record of strategic leadership, the ability to oversee effective financial operations and supporting systems, and a clear commitment to high-quality delivery and continuous improvement across the wider packaging reform programme.

You will need the strategic insight to shape and strengthen the operational arrangements that support the scheme, while bringing stakeholders across the packaging value chain with you.

Success in this role will depend as much on your personal qualities as on your professional background. As part of a newly established scheme, you will need strong networking and collaboration skills, alongside the ability to deliver operational excellence in a complex and evolving environment. You will need to:

Build relationships with people from all backgrounds.
Act as a key adviser and partner, using your skills to help shape a positive, inclusive, and authentic organisational culture.
Bring people with you, both within the organisation and across the wider stakeholder landscape.
Inspire and empower people at all levels.
Adapt and apply best-practice methods and techniques in EPR design and operation from around the world.

This is a permanent appointment to support the long-term operation of PackUK. The Chief Financial Officer will report to the Chief Executive of the pEPR Scheme Administrator and work closely with senior leaders across the four nations of the UK. They will lead on financial strategy, governance, and commercial oversight to support the effective delivery of the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme across the four UK nations. The role provides assurance over financial stewardship, producer fee income, local authority payments, delivery partner arrangements, and the control environment, while also enabling high-quality decision-making, managing risk, and building a high-performing finance and commercial function related to:

Finance strategy, planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting
Financial governance, assurance, audit, and internal controls
Producer fee invoicing, income collection, debt management, and local authority payments
Commercial oversight of key delivery partners and delegated arrangements, including the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO)
Financial systems, data, management information, and performance insight
Risk management relating to affordability, scheme delivery, and financial control
Leadership of PackUK’s finance and commercial function, capability, and continuous improvement

Strategic financial leadership

Provide strategic financial leadership for PackUK, shaping financial strategy to support the effective operation of the UK packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme across the four UK nations.

Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and control arrangements for a scheme that collects fees from obligated producers and distributes payments to local authorities, ensuring strong stewardship of public and industry funds.

Act as a trusted strategic adviser to the Chief Executive Officer, Ministers, the Board, and senior Defra stakeholders on affordability, scheme risk, value for money, and the long-term sustainability of PackUK’s operating model.

Financial governance and assurance

Ensure robust financial governance, assurance, audit, and internal control across PackUK, aligned with Defra and HM Treasury requirements and capable of supporting four nations oversight and confidence in scheme delivery.

Oversee statutory and non-statutory reporting on PackUK’s financial position, including transparent reporting on fee income, payments, liabilities, and overall scheme performance.

Maintain effective fraud, error, and debt management frameworks.

Commercial and contract management

Lead commercial oversight of PackUK’s delivery partners and delegated arrangements, including the Producer Responsibility Organisation, ensuring strong supplier performance, effective controls, and value for money.

Provide strategic advice on commercial strategy, procurement, contract performance, and delegation arrangements as scheme functions evolve.

Work with Defra Group Commercial to manage risk and support delivery outcomes.

Delivery and operational excellence

Ensure effective end-to-end financial operations, including producer invoicing, fee collection, debt management, local authority payments, and associated controls.

Drive continuous improvement across PackUK’s financial operations, strengthening efficiency, service quality, resilience, and readiness for future policy or delivery change.

Translate financial and operational data into insight to support performance and improvement.

Stakeholder engagement and influence

Build influential relationships across Defra, HM Treasury, the four nation governments, regulators, local authorities, and industry stakeholders to sustain confidence in PackUK’s financial management and support delivery of pEPR.

Represent PackUK with senior stakeholders on financial and commercial matters across government, regulation, and industry.

Provide clear strategic advice to Ministers and senior officials on financial and commercial matters.

Risk and decision-making

Enable high-quality decision-making through clear financial insight, constructive challenge, and evidence-based advice on producer fees, local authority payments, delivery trade-offs, and scheme affordability.

Identify and manage financial risks across the scheme, including fee income, payment accuracy, debt recovery, delivery partner performance, and regulatory or reputational exposure, ensuring timely mitigation and escalation.

Support strategic decisions and policy development by advising on financial, commercial, and delivery implications.

Leadership and culture

Lead and develop a high-performing finance and commercial function.

Build capability, embed an inclusive high-performance culture, and drive continuous improvement across systems, processes, and ways of working.

Provide visible and credible leadership in a complex and evolving operating environment.

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