Finance Transformation Lead

Four Seasons Hotels Limited; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading luxury hotel management company seeks a Finance Transformation Lead (Director) to drive finance innovation and process improvements. This role involves strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, and team management within a hybrid work model. Candidates should have significant experience in finance transformation and strong leadership skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience leading process improvement and change initiatives.
• Experience in finance transformation with a focus on achieving results.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to motivate and guide teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment of transformation initiatives across the Finance department.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across various business verticals.
• Implement change management strategies to facilitate smooth transitions.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Strategic Thinking

Process Improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance, business, or IT

MBA or specialized training in project management

Job description

Four Seasons is powered by our people. We are a collective of individuals who crave to become better, to push ourselves to new heights and to treat each other as we wish to be treated in return. Our team members around the world create amazing experiences for our guests, residents, and partners through a commitment to luxury with genuine heart. We know that the best way to enable our people to deliver these exceptional guest experiences is through a world-class employee experience and company culture.

At Four Seasons, we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us.

About the location :

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a global, luxury hotel management company. We manage over 120 hotels and resorts and 50 private residences in 47 countries around the world and growing. Central to Four Seasons employee experience and social impact programming is the company's commitment to supporting cancer research, and the advancement of diversity, inclusion, equality and belonging at Four Seasons corporate offices and properties worldwide. At Four Seasons, we are powered by people and our culture enables everything we do.

Finance Transformation Lead (Director)

Reporting to the Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis, the Transformation Lead will help shape the future of our finance team, leading important changes and making Finance more data-driven. This role is highly visible and involves working with various teams, both inside and outside the company, using the latest technology. You will support Four Seasons in achieving our long-term goals by working closely with senior leaders. Your role will include driving sustainable finance innovation, improving processes, building capabilities, and inspiring others to embrace change. This new position reports directly to the SVP, FP&A and will partner with the CFO and Global Finance Leadership.

• The chosen candidate will be expected to collaborate with stakeholders from many different business verticals and should have the ability to align the stakeholders on the decisions that are best aligned with the company and program vision.
• The chosen candidate will be expected to lead, monitor, report and drive Value Realization and Department KPIs to ensure that Four Seasons Strategic Plan and Performance Transformation objectives are achieved.

The core activities in this role are split into two phases, one for the first 12-18 months supporting the project, and thereafter returning to the core functions.

Phase 1 : 12-18 months Corporate Lead on deployment and responsible for operationalizing the value realization metrics

Deployment Lead for corporate, bringing together an execution plan that goes through all areas including testing, training, integration, cutover, and operationalization. You will lead the corporate finance team through deployment, coordinating efforts with several Project Managers, System Integrators, and the entire Four Seasons team to ensure strong collaboration and success. In addition to the deployment plan, collaborate with the OCM team to introduce new ways of working and change management strategies that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the deployment plan. The Deployment Team will be comprised of functional leads in Accounting, Planning, Tax, and ERP.

Leverage your experience to help us double down on a wide range of capabilities. Help various teams plan and coordinate their activities, allowing them to focus on their goals and outcomes as we work collectively to bring this all together. Prioritization will be governed by our value realization framework that will be embedded in all decisions. Value realization is defined by various pillars including those listed below :

• Measure how well the Operating Model, processes and technology come together to ensure that adoption of new ways of working sticks
• Value Added Objectives, assess whether the project will deliver its intended objectives.
• Performance metrics, track KPI's
• Change Management, evaluate the effectiveness of change management efforts

Phase 2 : 18 months or sooner (onwards)

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities :

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the deployment of transformation initiatives across the Finance department, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive execution plan that encompasses all aspects of deployment, including testing, training, integration, cutover, and operationalization.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to shape the future of the Finance team, focusing on data-driven decision-making and sustainable finance innovation.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with stakeholders across various business verticals to align on decisions that support the program vision.
• Communicate effectively with all levels of the organization, providing updates on progress and addressing any concerns.
• Leverage experience to guide the team in prioritizing initiatives based on value realization metrics.

Team Management

• Oversee a cross-functional team, including leads from Planning, Treasury, ERP, Mission Teams, Training, Process Documentation, Data, Reporting / Dashboard, and Tax.
• Provide guidance and support to team leaders, ensuring they meet project timelines and deliverables.
• Foster a collaborative environment, encouraging positive team dynamics and effective communication among stakeholders.

Change Management

• Together with the OCM team, implement change management strategies to facilitate smooth transitions and user adoption of new processes and technologies.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of change management efforts and make necessary adjustments to enhance outcomes.
• Engage stakeholders at all levels to ensure buy-in and minimize resistance, fostering a positive transformation experience.
• Ensure that all team members are aligned with the value realization framework and prioritize initiatives accordingly.

What You Bring :

• Education : Bachelor's degree in finance, business, or IT. MBA or specialized training in project management, change management will be an asset.
• Experience : 10+ years of experience leading process improvement and change initiatives. Experience in finance transformation with a focus on achieving results through behavioral changes.
• Leadership : Proven leadership skills with the ability to motivate and guide teams through change.
• Communication : Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely.
• Strategic Thinking : Ability to think strategically and align finance transformation initiatives with broader business goals.
• Collaboration : Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Process Improvement : Knowledge of process improvement, project management, and change management.
• Stakeholder Management : Excellent relationship-building skills; able to work effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Facilitation and Coaching : Strong facilitation, presentation, and coaching skills.
• Project Management : Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Adaptability : Ability to quickly switch priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Agile Methodologies : Experience with Agile and iterative project management.
• High Energy and Innovation : High energy and ability to challenge the norm while building support for new ways of working.

This role will be a Hybrid working model, which will require 3 days per week in the Four Seasons Corporate Office located at 1165 Leslie Street, Toronto, Ontario #LI-Hybrid

Four Seasons is committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If contacted for an employment opportunity, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.

Create a job alert for this search