OSLO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Equinor Chief Financial Officer Lars Christian Bacher has resigned and will be replaced on Nov. 1 by finance executive Svein Skeie, who will hold the job until a permanent appointment is made, the Norwegian oil and gas company said on Friday.

Bacher was one of four candidates in the running to become Equinor's new chief executive earlier this year, but lost out to another senior manager, Anders Opedal, who will take the helm on Nov. 2.

"After almost 30 years of exciting challenges at Equinor, it is time to look ahead at new opportunities outside the company," Bacher said in a statement.

He will remain with Equinor until the end of May.

Skeie, who will be part of the group's executive committee, was senior vice president for CFO performance management and control.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Sriraj Kalluvila)