Director - Financial Planning & Analysis - Retail/manufacturing Firm

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

This is a critical in-house leadership position for an inspirational, passionate, and growth oriented future executive who understands how to create value for our shareholders and consumer while advancing a winning culture. Will co-pilot the creation of our GBS in Chennai.

it will deliver high quality services for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Retail Accounting, eCommerce Accounting, Controlling & Reporting and other Finance processes for companies located in Europe and Americas.

The purpose is to build, lead, manage and coordinate the GBS Controlling team that is responsible for conducting the budgeting, forecasting and cost monitoring process for the company. As the single point of contact (SPOC) for subsidiaries, it's expected to support and steer the business to achieve (financial) targets as well as the strategy based on the analysis of number indicators. This is supported by the creation of transparency about business performance through cost (-center) controlling, business controlling and eventually performance management. Reporting is collecting data and providing ad hoc analysis as well as standard reports. Therefore, reporting is also defining requirements of respective reports and drives classification, harmonization and standardization of data sets while driving best in class delivery in terms of timelines and data quality through plausibility and cross-checks.

Key Responsibilities:

- Build up and operate

- Lead, manage and coordinate the GBS Controlling & Reporting team in Chennai.

- Build up the GBS Controlling & Reporting team, and integrate new positions and activities

- Ensure smooth operation of the business by taking on ownership for related actions

- Support the team in the discussion with business partners and senior management

- Planning & Forecasting

- Enable the budgeting, forecasting and cost monitoring processes by acting as an expert and contact person (SPOC) for specific planning topics

- Enable fact-based decision by creating transparency on budgeting, forecasting and cost monitoring processes

- Develop new processes, standards or operational plans and deliver results with direct impact on the department and overall targets

- Reporting

- Manage & execute standardized reporting and ad hoc analysis

- Develop and implement adequate communication packages to present derived results, recommendations, and solutions

- Others

- Lead medium- large sized projects, implement findings and ensure sustainability of achievements

- Create new and improved working methods for entire processes and systems

- Design, develop and implement state of the art analytic tools

- Identify significant improvement potential through variance analysis, derive solutions and facilitate related decisions

- Provide comprehensive expertise for assigned functional areas/systems and processes towards team

- Create environment which enables team members to perform

- Develop functional, technical, and social skills within the team (esp. provide guidance and leadership to direct reports, interns, trainees, etc.)

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

- Deep understanding of FP&A/Controlling processes (ideally both HQ and markets) and strong HQ Finance network

- Experience in building up new services or new functions, (ideally in a GBS environment)

- Comprehensive business understanding of processes and structures

- High degree of customer orientation

- Ability to maneuver in consistently changing environment

- Ability to operate cross-functionally and understanding of external business drivers

- Thorough understanding of the complexity, interactions, and dynamics within an international company

- Experience in Project Management

- Excellent communication skills for influencing others

- Business fluency in English (written and spoken)

- Ability to think and act strategically and develop operational plans

- Ability to coach, guide, manage, and develop a large-size team

- Able to work effectively in a multi-functional, multi-cultural environment

- Excellent analytical skills, managing large data quantities from multiple sources

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

- University degree in Business Administration/Finance/ Controlling

- 10+ years of broad-based operational finance experience with progressive responsibility

- Minimum of five years successfully leading, managing, and developing a team

- Retail Industry specific experience preferred

- Advanced English language and communication skills a must