VP, Finance & Transformation

Fortinet; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 350,000 - 450,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) plan

Paid holidays

Vacation time

Sick time

Leave program

Job summary

Fortinet seeks a finance executive to partner with the CFO and lead transformation across AI, automation and analytics. You will shape an AI-native Finance function, redefine operating model, governance and talent strategy while balancing strategic and hands-on delivery.

Reporting to the CFO, you will drive multi-year roadmaps, ensure scalable data and tools, and extend finance’s influence across IT, Data and the business to improve enterprise decision-making.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive finance leadership experience in large, complex global organizations.
• Significant experience in FP&A, controllership, finance transformation or similar roles.
• Strong financial judgment and credibility with CFOs, CEOs and senior executives.
• Deep understanding of how AI, automation, data and emerging tech reshape Finance work.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or CPA preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define the Future Finance Operating Model and multi-year roadmap with the CFO.
• Evolve finance processes toward agile, capability-based operating model.
• Identify work split between people, AI, automation and combinations.
• Build AI-native finance workflows and governance with data teams.
• Deliver forward-looking, predictive insights and scalable analytics.
• Modernize finance transactions while maintaining controls and discipline.
• Lead finance engineering capabilities and tool ownership models.
• Shape enterprise strategy translating company goals into Finance capabilities.

Skills

Strategic finance leadership

Executive-level partner

Analytics-driven decision making

AI and automation awareness

Financial governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA or CPA preferred

Job description

We are seeking an exceptional finance executive to help shape the future of our global Finance organization.
Reporting directly to the CFO, this role will serve as a strategic partner to the CFO and Finance leadership team, with a mandate to transform how Finance operates through AI, automation, advanced analytics, technology, process redesign and new organizational models.
This executive will help build a Finance organization designed for the future—one that increasingly automates transactional work, delivers predictive and actionable business insights, leverages AI-enabled tools and products, and directs more Finance capacity toward improving enterprise decision-making.
The role will initially operate with a lean structure and significant influence across Finance rather than a large dedicated team. The successful candidate must therefore be comfortable moving between strategy and hands‑on execution, personally driving transformation initiatives while building alignment across Finance, IT, Data, AI and the business.
This is not simply a Finance technology or transformation position. The successful candidate will be a highly credible finance executive with the business judgment, leadership potential and breadth to grow into increasingly significant responsibilities across the CFO agenda over time.

Key Responsibilities

Define the Future Finance Operating Model

• Partner with the CFO to define and execute a multi-year roadmap for the Finance organization of the future.
• Assess Finance’s current capabilities, processes, organizational structure and technology and identify the highest-value opportunities for transformation.
• Help evolve Finance from traditional functional and task-based ways of working toward a more agile, capability-oriented operating model.
• Determine where work should be performed by people, AI, automation or combinations of each.
• Simplify organizational processes and decision-making where unnecessary complexity or layers slow execution.
• Establish clear measures of success for Finance transformation, including productivity, decision speed, forecast accuracy, insight quality and business impact.

Build an AI-Native Finance Function

• Identify and scale high-value applications of AI and automation across Finance.
• Redesign workflows rather than simply automating existing manual processes.
• Develop an approach for incorporating AI agents, automation and advanced analytics into Finance operations and decision support.
• Partner with technology and data teams to strengthen Finance’s data, systems, tools and AI infrastructure.
• Establish appropriate governance, controls and human accountability for AI-enabled Finance processes.
• Build organizational capability and confidence to continuously adopt new technologies as they emerge.

Transform How Finance Delivers Business Insights

• Help shift Finance from primarily reporting historical performance toward providing forward‑looking, predictive and actionable insights.
• Advance the use of enterprise modeling, scenario analysis, simulation and advanced analytics to improve business decisions.
• Develop scalable tools and analytical products that enable business leaders to better understand performance drivers, tradeoffs and potential outcomes.
• Work with FP&A and business Finance leaders to improve the speed and quality of enterprise decision support.
• Identify opportunities to make financial insights increasingly self‑service and technology enabled.

Modernize Finance Transactions & Operations

• Identify opportunities to automate and simplify high-volume, repetitive and transactional Finance activities.
• Help redesign Finance workflows around automation and AI-enabled execution.
• Reduce manual reconciliations, reporting, data manipulation and other low-value activities.
• Partner with Finance functional leaders to improve scalability while maintaining strong financial controls and operational discipline.
• Establish mechanisms for continuously maintaining and improving automated Finance processes.

Build Finance Engineering Capability

• Define the capabilities Finance will need across technology, data, AI, automation and process engineering.
• Partner with IT, Data and AI organizations to build and maintain Finance technology capabilities.
• Evaluate where Finance should develop dedicated expertise in areas such as AI agents, workflow engineering, data engineering, modeling and finance technology.
• Promote a tools‑first approach in which Finance increasingly delivers services through scalable technology rather than manual processes.
• Help establish ownership models that ensure Finance tools and capabilities continue to evolve after initial implementation.

Lead Enterprise Strategy & Transformation

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CFO on enterprise performance, transformation and major business decisions.
• Translate company strategy into Finance capabilities, priorities and transformation initiatives.
• Lead or support high‑priority cross‑functional initiatives requiring strong financial, strategic and transformation leadership.
• Establish disciplined governance, prioritization and accountability for major Finance transformation initiatives.
• Help Finance play a broader role in improving the quality and speed of enterprise decision‑making.

Shape the Finance Workforce of the Future

• Assess how Finance roles and capabilities will need to evolve as automation and AI change the nature of Finance work.
• Increase the emphasis on finance professionals with deep financial, analytical, technology and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Help create a flatter, more agile organization that can rapidly assemble expertise around complex business problems.
• Develop new career experiences and capabilities that prepare Finance talent for increasingly technology‑enabled work.
• Partner with Finance leadership and HR to build the talent strategy required to support the future Finance organization.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive finance leadership experience within large, complex global organizations.
• Significant experience in FP&A, controllership, business finance, finance transformation or similarly broad finance leadership roles.
• Strong financial judgment and credibility with CFOs, CEOs and senior operating executives.
• Solid understanding of the balance of business needs and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated success leading significant transformation across Finance or other complex enterprise functions.
• Deep understanding of how AI, automation, data and emerging technologies can reshape Finance work and operating models.
• Ability to translate technology opportunities into measurable financial and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence without relying on a large direct organization.
• Strong understanding of public‑company financial requirements, controls and operating disciplines.
• Ability to move fluidly between enterprise strategy, organizational design and hands‑on execution.
• Exceptional analytical, communication and change leadership capabilities.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA, CPA or other relevant advanced qualification preferred.

The Profile We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is:

• A future CFO‑caliber executive with the judgment and leadership potential to eventually operate across the entire CFO agenda.
• AI‑native and technology fluent, with a practical understanding of how emerging technology can fundamentally reshape Finance.
• A builder, comfortable creating capabilities and driving results without initially having a large team.
• A transformation leader, willing to challenge longstanding assumptions about how Finance should operate.
• A strong strategic thinker, able to connect financial insights with business strategy and enterprise decision‑making.
• A hands‑on executive, willing to personally examine processes, data and technology rather than delegating transformation.
• An influential and collaborative change leader, capable of creating alignment across senior leaders and functions without direct authority.
• Commercially minded, with a strong understanding of how Finance enables growth, productivity, investment decisions and competitive advantage.
• Data‑driven and intellectually curious, using evidence to challenge assumptions and continuously exploring better ways of working.
• Enterprise‑oriented, focused on improving outcomes for the company rather than protecting traditional functional boundaries.

Fortinet offers employees a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401(k), 11 paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time as well as a comprehensive leave program.

Wage ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, and job level. Earnings for this position are expected to be $350,000 - $450,000 Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's subject knowledge, skill level, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

All roles are eligible to participate in the Fortinet equity program, Bonus eligibility is reviewed at time of hire and annually at the Company’s discretion

About Us

Fortinet makes possible a digital world that we can always trust through its mission to protect people, devices, and data everywhere. This is why the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and government organizations choose Fortinet to securely accelerate their digital journey. The Fortinet Security Fabric platform delivers broad, integrated, and automated protections across the entire digital attack surface, securing critical devices, data, applications, and connections from the data center to the cloud to the home office. Ranking #1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide, more than 615,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses. And the Fortinet NSE Training Institute, an initiative of Fortinet’s Training Advancement Agenda (TAA), provides one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry to make cyber training and new career opportunities available to everyone.