Senior Director, Finance & Corporate Systems

Fortrea; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A global firm in Thatcham is seeking a Senior Director for IT Finance to manage financial systems and align them with business objectives. This strategic leadership role involves developing a high-performing team, overseeing financial processes, and integrating advanced technology to enhance efficiency. Ideal candidates should have 10-15 years of experience in finance systems management, proficiency in ERP systems like Workday, and excellent leadership skills. Competitive salary and benefits are offered in this full-time role.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of experience in finance, accounting, or finance systems management.
• Experience in a leadership or project management role.
• Proficiency in ERP systems and BI tools.

Responsibilities

• Partner with finance team for financial planning and reporting.
• Oversee implementation of core financial systems and process innovation.
• Lead and develop a high-performing finance team.
• Establish internal controls to safeguard company assets.
• Define strategic roadmap for financial systems.

Skills

Financial modeling

Forecasting

Data analysis

GAAP

Excel

Leadership

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance

MBA

CPA (Certified Public Accountant)

CMA (Certified Management Accountant)

Tools

Workday

Anaplan

Blackline

PowerBI

Tableau

Job description

Job Overview

The Senior Director IT Finance is a strategic leadership role responsible for managing and optimizing the entire financial systems landscape and ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and regulatory requirements. This role manages the product backlog for Finance Treasury Procurement AP Payroll Audit Investor Relations Legal and Revenue Recognition. This position balances core financial responsibilities with the strategic implementation and management of technology solutions for efficiency and growth. This role will ensure the systems are compliant with all of the auditable regulations and segregation of duties. This role works closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure the successful deployment and ongoing management of Workday solutions helping to drive the effectiveness of our organizations project and services operations.

Responsibilities

• Finance Strategic IT Partner: Partner with the finance team to provide systems to support the company’s financial planning budgeting forecasting and long‑range planning processes. Ensure systems are available for accurate timely and compliant internal and external financial reporting in accordance with U.S. GAAP SOX and other regulatory requirements.
• Systems & Process Innovation: Oversee the strategy implementation and optimization of the core financial systems (e.g. Workday Anaplan subscription billing and revenue recognition tools like Anaplan Workday Adaptive). Lead finance transformation projects including process automation standardization and the adoption of new technologies like AI‑driven analytics to streamline operations and enhance productivity.
• Leadership & Team Management: Lead mentor and develop a high‑performing team of finance and systems professionals fostering a culture of collaboration accountability and continuous improvement. Build strong collaborative relationships with cross‑functional teams across IT Sales Operations and other departments.
• Risk Management & Internal Controls: Owner of the narratives for the auditable IT processes for the Financial IT systems. Identify potential financial risks and develop mitigation strategies. Establish and maintain a robust system of internal controls and policies to safeguard company assets and ensure data integrity across all financial applications.
• Strategic Leadership and Planning: Define and execute the strategic roadmap for all the financial systems including Workday Anaplan Blackline ACEND and more aligning Finance teams goals with technical capabilities and overall business objectives.
• Solution Architecture and Implementation: Lead the design development and optimization of scalable technology solutions and models ensuring model integrity scalability and performance. This includes managing full implementation and enhancement projects including timelines and budgets.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Management: Serve as a primary liaison between senior business stakeholders (e.g. Finance IT) and model builders to translate strategic business requirements into effective Anaplan solutions.
• Data Management and Integration: Oversee the management and analysis of master data across Workday Anaplan Blackline ACEND and other integrated systems ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
• Process Optimization and Reporting: Optimize existing planning budgeting forecasting and reporting processes using existing technologies leveraging existing tools utilizing analytics to provide actionable insights to executive leadership.

Qualifications (Minimum Required)

• Education: A Bachelors degree in Finance Accounting Management Information Systems or a related field is required or equivalent experience. An MBA CPA (Certified Public Accountant) or CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certification is highly preferred.
• Experience: Typically requires a minimum of 10‑15 years of progressive experience in finance accounting or finance systems management with significant experience in a leadership or project management role. Experience in a growth‑oriented or SaaS environment is often a plus.
• Technical Skills: Deep expertise in financial modeling forecasting and data analysis is essential. Proficiency with major ERP systems (e.g. Workday Anaplan Blackline) BI tools (e.g. PowerBI Tableau) and advanced Excel is expected.
• Soft Skills: Must possess strong leadership communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to translate complex financial and technical data into actionable insights for non‑financial stakeholders. Excellent problem‑solving strategic thinking and project management skills are also crucial.

Experience (Minimum Required)

• Proficiency in Workday modules (or other ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems)
• Deep expertise in Anaplan architecture including model design data integration and performance optimization is a plus.
• Experience with other enterprise systems (ERP) related systems like Blackline and ACEND.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex system issues.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal with the ability to interact with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate business requirements into system configurations and improvements.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast‑paced environment.
<>Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to think strategically and design innovative product solutions.
• Fortrea may consider relevant and equivalent experience in lieu of educational requirements.

Preferred Qualifications Include

• Masters degree in computer science information technology data science or a related field.
• Experience in a Clinical Research Organization.

Key Skills

• Accounting Software
• Forecasting
• Ellucian
• Financial Report Writing
• GAAP
• Accounting
• Corporate Finance
• Financial Analysis
• Financial Modeling
• Budgeting
• Financial Management
• Financial Planning

Employment Type: Full‑Time

Vacancy: 1

Location: Senior Director Finance Corporate Systems • Maidenhead, England, UK

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