Operational Finance Lead

Haleon plc.; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Haleon plc. is seeking an Operational Finance Lead to provide strategic financial leadership across the CTO organisation. You will partner with Technology and Finance leaders to optimise tech investments, manage budgets, and support data-driven decisions.

You will lead a team of Operational Finance Analysts, delivering budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and governance with a focus on Opex and investments. The role requires extensive FP&A experience, strong stakeholder management, and a track

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent.
• Minimum 15+ years of experience in Finance or a related analytical function.
• Experience in FP&A, Technology Finance, or Business Finance environments.
• Proven track record of managing large and complex operating budgets and forecasting processes.
• Experience leading and developing finance teams.
• Strong business partnering skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary finance partner to senior Technology leaders, supporting strategic planning and investments.
• Lead annual planning, quarterly forecasts, and in-year financial management for the portfolio.
• Ensure governance and accuracy of budgets, forecasts, and financial risks.
• Oversee month-end close, accruals, cross-charges, and reporting in partnership with Tech Finance.
• Coach and develop the Operations Finance team for high performance.
• Deliver management reporting, financial analysis, and executive-level presentations.
• Drive process improvements, automation, and cost optimization opportunities.

Skills

FP&A

Budgeting

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Financial governance

Education

Master's Degree in Finance or MBA

CA / CMA / ICWA / ACCA or equivalent

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

About the role

The Operational Finance Lead is responsible for providing strategic financial leadership, governance, and decision support across the CTO organisation. The role partners closely with senior Technology and Finance leadership to drive financial discipline, optimise technology investments, ensure effective budget management, and support strategic decision-making across a complex and evolving technology landscape.

The role leads a team of Operational Finance Analysts, providing coaching, direction and oversight to ensure the delivery of high-quality financial planning, forecasting, reporting and governance activities. The position acts as a trusted advisor to Technology Leadership Teams, enabling data-driven decisions and ensuring effective management of Technology Opex and investment budgets.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Finance Business Partnering

• Act as the primary finance partner to senior Technology leaders, supporting strategic planning, investment decisions, and portfolio prioritisation.
• Provide insight and challenge to stakeholders to drive accountability, cost optimisation, and effective utilisation of technology budgets.
• Support Technology and Finance leadership with financial analysis and recommendations for emerging risks, opportunities, and funding decisions.
• Influence decision-making through timely, data-driven financial insights and scenario modelling.

Budget Management, Planning & Forecasting

• Lead the annual planning process, quarterly forecast updates, and in-year financial management activities across the Enterprise Platforms portfolio.
• Own the consolidation, governance, and management of technology operating budgets, ensuring alignment to business priorities and financial targets.
• Provide proactive oversight of budget consumption, forecast accuracy, financial risks, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Facilitate financial reviews with leadership teams, ensuring clear visibility of performance against plan and agreed actions.

Financial Governance & Controls

• Ensure robust financial governance and compliance with company policies, controls, and delegated authority frameworks.
• Oversee month-end financial activities, including accruals, prepayments, cross-charges, and forecasting accuracy in partnership with Tech Finance teams.
• Ensure all financial commitments are appropriately governed through contracts, purchase orders, and approved funding mechanisms.
• Maintain transparency and integrity of financial reporting across towers.

Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Operational Finance Analysts, ensuring effective prioritization, delivery, and capability development.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on collaboration, continuous improvement, and stakeholder service.
• Build strong relationships across Technology, Finance and procurement to support effective financial management and governance.
• Act as an escalation and decision point for complex financial matters and stakeholder requirements.

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee delivery of management reporting, financial performance analysis, and executive-level presentations.
• Lead financial modelling and business case analysis to support technology investments and operational decisions.
• Drive process simplification, automation, and reporting enhancements to improve efficiency, control, and insight generation.
• Support finance transformation initiatives, system enhancements, and adoption of best practices across the function.

Qualifications and skills

Essential

• Master's Degree in Commerce, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent professional qualification (CA, CMA/ICWA, ACCA, etc.).
• Minimum 15+ years' experience in Finance or a related analytical function.
• Strong experience in Finance, FP&A, Technology Finance, or Business Finance environments.
• Proven track record of managing large and complex operating budgets and forecasting processes.
• Experience leading and developing finance teams.
• Strong business partnering skills with the ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders.
• Extensive experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, variance analysis, and performance management.
• Strong understanding of financial governance, accounting processes, and internal controls.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership teams.

Key Success Measures

• Effective management of Technology Opex and financial performance against targets.
• Delivery of accurate forecasts, budgets, and financial insights.
• Strong stakeholder satisfaction and business partnership outcomes.
• Identification and delivery of cost optimisation opportunities.
• Effective management and development of the Operations Finance team.
• Continuous improvement of reporting, governance, and financial processes.

Job Posting End Date 2026-09-15

Equal Opportunities

Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.

During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees.

The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.

Adjustment or Accommodations Request

If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence.

Note to candidates

The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.