Lead the company's financial strategy and governance agenda, ensuring long-term financial sustainability, robust controls, and disciplined capital management.
The role partners closely with the Board and executive leadership to support operational excellence, scalable growth, and value creation within an international manufacturing environment.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Strategy & Business Partnership
- Define and execute medium- to long-term financial strategies aligned with the company's global manufacturing and growth objectives.
- Act as a strategic business partner to the Board and CEO on capital allocation, investment appraisal, pricing strategy, and expansion initiatives.
Planning, Budgeting & Performance Management
- Lead the annual operating plan (AOP), rolling forecasts, and multi-year financial planning.
- Drive performance management through KPIs across manufacturing operations, including cost efficiency, margins, productivity, and return on capital.
Manufacturing Finance & Cost Control
- Oversee plant-level financial performance, including standard costing, variance analysis, inventory valuation, and cost optimization.
- Support operational excellence initiatives (Lean, continuous improvement, capacity optimization) through strong financial analytics.
- Ensure accurate product costing to support pricing, profitability analysis, and customer negotiations.
Cash Flow, Capital & Treasury
- Ensure strong liquidity and disciplined working capital management (inventory, receivables, payables).
- Optimize capital structure and cost of capital to support capital-intensive manufacturing investments.
- Lead relationships with banks, investors, and financial institutions, including debt financing, fundraising, M&A, and post-merger integration where applicable.
Financial Reporting, Compliance & Audit
- Oversee timely and accurate financial reporting and closing processes in accordance with VAS and IFRS.
- Ensure compliance with international accounting standards, internal control frameworks, and audit requirements.
- Manage internal controls, internal audits, and external audit engagements across manufacturing entities.
Risk Management & Governance
- Identify and manage financial and operational risks, including FX exposure, commodity price volatility, credit risk, and interest rate risk.
- Ensure compliance with tax, legal, and regulatory requirements, including transfer pricing and cross-border transactions where applicable.
Finance Transformation & Digitalization
- Lead or co-lead finance transformation initiatives, including ERP rollouts, manufacturing finance modules, BI dashboards, and process automation.
- Drive data transparency and real-time reporting to support operational and strategic decision-making.
People Leadership
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Finance & Accounting organization across plants and corporate functions.
- Embed a culture of integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement within the finance function.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Auditing; ACCA, CPA, or CFA strongly preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive finance experience, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role (Finance Director / CFO) within a manufacturing environment.
- Strong working knowledge of IFRS, VAS, taxation, and corporate governance, ideally in an international or multi-entity structure.
- Proven expertise in manufacturing finance, including standard costing, inventory management, CAPEX evaluation, and working capital optimization.
- Experience in industrial, automotive, electronics, packaging, FMCG manufacturing, or other capital-intensive sectors is highly desirable.
- Track record of working with international stakeholders, auditors, banks, and potentially private equity or multinational shareholders.
- Fluent in English, with the ability to communicate effectively at Board and executive levels.
Skills & Attributes
- Strategic and commercially minded, with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Deep understanding of manufacturing operations and value chains.
- Confident, influential leader with the ability to challenge, partner, and drive change across functions.
- High integrity, strong governance mindset, and attention to detail.
- Comfortable operating in fast-paced, international, and transformation-driven environments.
- Advanced proficiency in ERP and BI systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, MS Dynamics, Power BI) and advanced Excel.
