Director, Finance Operations - Europe

Job Summary:

Director, Finance Operations, Europe acts as the single senior point of coordination between European markets and central/offshored finance operations (Accounting, Purchase‑to‑Pay, Treasury and Tax). Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, Europe, the role ensures that core finance operations across the region function reliably, consistently and efficiently, so that local market finance teams can focus on planning, forecasting, performance management, cash flow optimisation and business partnering rather than operational follow‑ups. The role will oversee and co-manage corporate and centralized shared services functions serving the European region.

Key Job Functions:

The role owns day‑to‑day operational oversight, acts as the first escalation point for finance execution issues, drives process discipline and standardisation, and improves cash and working capital outcomes across the region.This position does not replace local accountability, but enables it — by removing friction, resolving structural issues, and strengthening execution through shared services.

1. Finance Operations Oversight & Escalation Management

• Act as the primary escalation point for European markets on accounting, purchase-to-pay, billing, collections, treasury and tax execution issues.

• Proactively diagnose root causes of recurring operational breakdowns rather than managing symptoms.

• Coordinate resolution with offshored teams and central finance functions, ensuring issues are closed end-to-end.

• Support the European CFO and market Finance Managers while keeping them informed of material risks. Partner with Shared Services (Accounting, AP, Tax, Treasury) to resolve process breakdowns.

• Ensure timely and effective resolution.

2. Purchase-to-Pay, Accounting & Tax Process Effectiveness

• Ensure purchase-to-pay processes operate smoothly across markets, with timely vendor payments, clean accruals and minimal manual intervention.

• Monitor the quality and timeliness of general accounting close activities performed by shared services.

• Partner with central tax teams to ensure consistent tax compliance, local statutory requirements and issue resolution across entities.

• Support markets in identifying and implementing local tax efficiency opportunities in coordination with specialists.

3. Process Standardisation & Operational Efficiency

• Identify inconsistencies in finance process execution across the 8 markets.

• Drive standardisation of best practices in collaboration with Shared Services and Corporate Finance.

• Identify automation, tooling and simplification opportunities to reduce manual work and follow-ups.

• Work with PTI IT function to implement automation initiatives.

• Ensure markets are correctly adopting and using approved finance systems and reporting tools.

4. Systems, Controls & Governance

• Ensure compliance with approved finance systems, controls and governance standards across all markets.

• Identify control weaknesses or compliance risks arising from operational execution.

• Partner with Corporate Finance on system enhancements, control improvements and process optimisation initiatives.

• Escalate material risks with clear remediation proposals.

5. Performance Transparency & Management Reporting

• Develop and maintain regional operational dashboards covering billing, collections, and key operational KPIs.

• Highlight trends, systemic issues and improvement opportunities across markets and shared services.

6. Change Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Lead cross-market finance operations improvement initiatives.

• Constructively challenge existing processes and ways of working.

• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership and operational excellence across markets.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:

Working in an office environment; hybrid working model with a minimum of three days per week in the office. Job may include travel.

Key Skills:

• 10 years in Finance

• Experience in both Market / country finance & Shared services or regional finance operations

• Strong exposure to Purchase to Pay process, working capital, and cash flow management

• Multi-country / matrix environment experience

• Process improvement or transformation exposure

• Operationally deep but strategically aware

• Strong influencing skills

• Excellent problem diagnosis capability

• Comfortable challenging senior stakeholders

• Data-driven decision maker

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