Position Overview
The Head of FP&A is a strategic finance leader responsible for driving enterprise-wide financial planning, performance management, forecasting, business partnering, and management reporting.
This role will lead the evolution of FP&A from a traditional reporting and budgeting function into a forward-looking, data-driven strategic business partner. A key priority is to lead and embed large-scale Finance Transformation initiatives, leveraging strong experience gained from a leading management or finance consulting firm.
The successful candidate will combine strong commercial and financial acumen with transformation expertise, technology orientation, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across a complex, large-scale organization.
Key Responsibilities
1. FP&A Strategy & Leadership
- Define and implement the overall FP&A strategy, operating model, governance, and roadmap aligned with the company's business strategy.
- Lead the annual budgeting, long-range planning, rolling forecast, and monthly/quarterly performance management processes.
- Establish consistent planning methodologies, financial standards, assumptions, and performance management practices across business units.
- Lead the FP&A organization and build a high-performing team with strong analytical, commercial, and business partnering capabilities.
- Provide forward-looking insights and recommendations to the CFO and Executive Leadership Team to support strategic decision-making.
2. Finance Transformation
- Lead large-scale Finance Transformation programs to modernize and improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of FP&A.
- Design and implement future-state FP&A operating models, including organization structure, roles & responsibilities, processes, governance, and service delivery models.
- Drive transformation across areas such as:
- Planning and forecasting
- Management reporting
- Performance management
- Cost and profitability management
- Financial data and analytics
- Finance processes and controls
- Business partnering
- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and digitize finance processes.
- Lead transformation initiatives from strategy and business case through implementation, change management, and benefits realization.
- Partner with Finance, Technology, Data, and Business leaders to embed sustainable transformation into the organization.
3. Performance Management & Business Insights
- Develop a robust performance management framework covering financial and operational KPIs.
- Translate financial and operational data into actionable business insights and recommendations.
- Identify key business drivers, risks, opportunities, and performance gaps.
- Establish driver-based planning and forecasting methodologies to improve forecast accuracy and business visibility.
- Develop scenario analysis and financial models to support strategic decisions, investment cases, and business growth initiatives.
- Challenge business assumptions and provide constructive financial perspectives to senior leadership.
4. Management Reporting & Analytics
- Transform management reporting into a concise, insightful, and decision-oriented process.
- Develop executive dashboards and performance reports that provide clear visibility of business performance.
- Improve reporting efficiency through automation, data visualization, and digital finance solutions.
- Establish a single source of truth for financial and operational performance data.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting of actuals, forecasts, budgets, and business performance.
5. Strategic Business Partnering
- Act as a trusted finance partner to the CEO, CFO, Executive Committee, and Business Unit leaders.
- Work closely with commercial and operational leaders to understand business drivers and translate them into financial outcomes.
- Support strategic initiatives including business expansion, transformation, restructuring, cost optimization, investment decisions, and M&A.
- Challenge business decisions through fact-based financial analysis while maintaining a strong commercial mindset.
- Develop a culture where Finance is viewed as a strategic value creator rather than primarily a reporting function.
6. Financial Planning & Forecasting Excellence
- Lead the development of annual budgets, strategic plans, and rolling forecasts.
- Improve forecast accuracy through driver-based forecasting, advanced analytics, and scenario planning.
- Establish appropriate planning assumptions and financial models across revenue, margin, OPEX, CAPEX, working capital, and cash flow.
- Continuously evaluate planning processes and identify opportunities to improve speed, accuracy, and business relevance.
7. Cost & Profitability Management
- Drive enterprise-wide cost management and profitability improvement initiatives.
- Develop transparency of cost drivers and profitability by business unit, product, channel, customer, or market where appropriate.
- Partner with business leaders to identify cost optimization opportunities while protecting business growth.
- Establish financial governance around major investments and strategic initiatives.
8. Team & Capability Development
- Build and lead a high-performing FP&A organization with strong technical, analytical, strategic, and commercial capabilities.
- Develop finance talent through coaching, succession planning, and structured capability development.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and accountability.
- Develop FP&A capabilities required for the future Finance organization, including digital analytics, automation, and strategic business partnering.
Required Experience
- 15+ years of progressive experience in Finance, FP&A, Financial Transformation, Management Consulting, or related fields.
- Strong experience leading FP&A within a large, complex, multi-business, or multinational organization.
- Significant experience in Finance Transformation from a leading management/strategy/finance consulting firm such as Big 4, MBB, or other top-tier consulting organizations.
- Demonstrated experience leading large-scale Finance Transformation programs from strategy through implementation and benefits realization.
- Experience working directly with C-suite and senior executive stakeholders.
- Experience managing large teams and/or complex transformation programs across multiple functions or markets.
- Experience in a high-growth, highly complex, matrix, or multinational environment is strongly preferred.
