Commercial Finance Director - Consulting

Commercial Finance Director Consulting We re looking for to appoint a talented, high-energy, commercial finance leader to drive business performance within one of our Global Specialisms Consulting. This role will report into the Group CFO as part of the Global Finance team and will play an essential part in the delivery of the M&C Saatchi Group strategy to drive high-margin, cash generative growth. This role is based in London on a hybrid working basis. ABOUT THE ROLE The Commercial Finance Director role applies vision, exemplary leadership and influence whilst interpreting data into valuable advice and guidance to drive business performance for this £35m revenue business, as a key partner to the Consulting Global Business Leader and regional leadership teams. Key stakeholders are the Consulting senior management team as well as the regional heads in the UK, US, Europe, Middle East, and Australia. Success for this role will include: Providing financial insights and guidance on business performance and decisions, through interpretation of the monthly results and development of commentaries. Developing and reviewing financial plans, budgets and forecasts aligned to overall Group strategy, based on key business drivers, to deliver planned growth and profitability. Undertaking pricing and contract analysis, including setting of rate cards, discount and rebate strategies and client / deal profitability. Coaching and supporting individual business teams to improve profitability and cashflow, whilst supporting achievement of objectives. Helping drive organisation change across Consulting as it evolves into a new operating model. More specifically, this role will focus on the following key activities: Financial Strategy and Planning (45%): Leverage and improve existing reporting cycles to report results, improve focus on evolving trends, and drive better financial outcomes. Drive cost optimisation and profitability improvements, through working closely with project managers and client services teams, to analyse budgets, estimated costs and areas for efficiency. Improve cashflow, by driving actions to improve trade working capital optimisation. Review and sign off client contract revenue recognition, to ensure compliance with Group policy. Assess commercial contract risks and deploy mitigation strategies. Responsible for the implementation and adherence to Group and local statutory, policies, procedures and control environment improvements throughout the specialism. Profitability Enhancement (45%): Work with Project and Account Management on new business opportunities, including major contract reviews and contract negotiation. Act as an external eye, bringing market and competitor intelligence to improve decision-making. Develop improved sales pipeline analysis (using Hubspot) to enhance profitability, resource utilisation and efficiency. Review and develop utilization and rate card models. Develop project and client profitability reporting. Help prepare and evaluate investment opportunities, both M&A and organic growth investment. Identify areas for end-to-end business process improvement, improving efficiency and creating a growth platform. Leadership & Mentorship (10%) Strong leadership of the Consulting Finance business partner team. Provide mentoring and coaching, including professional development and performance management. ABOUT YOU This role is a fantastic opportunity for a results-driven qualified accountant, who will bring energy and technical expertise to this dynamic, diverse, and highly creative company and to our finance and business teams. Given the impact this role will have, we re looking for someone with a stellar mix of relevant experience and skills. Ideally, the successful candidate will have the following experiences and strengths: Bachelor (or higher) qualification in a relevant field of study. Professional Accounting qualification. Extensive experience in a similar global P&L leadership role, with significant exposure to consulting, project-based businesses. Experience and appetite for managing change, including suggesting pragmatic workable solutions for simplifying organisations. Positive and proactive, with a passion for excellence and willing to go over and above. Strong communication, influencing, collaboration and relationship-building skills. Strong stakeholder management skills. Must be a team player but capable of working alone. Demonstrate being curious, robust, and self-motivated, driving improved financial insights within a business. A financial storyteller. A problem solver with a creative approach. Strategic thinker. Fluent English language skills. Other languages an advantage. Experience using NetSuite an advantage. You will be a highly analytical leader, with an ability to solve complex problems applying a high level of commercial acumen. Excellent communication, interpersonal and influencing skills will help you thrive in this role that drives strategic decision making and execution. WHAT WE OFFER For the right candidate, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes 27 days annual holiday, private healthcare, employer contributory pension, life assurance and income protection. We also offer a host of benefits that support wellbeing including subsided gym membership, whilst our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sees us offer learning opportunities around DE&I, targeted mentoring programmes and the opportunity to participate in a number of active Employee Led Networks and associated events. Finally, this role will be supported with all the necessary personal development required to set someone up for success. As part of this, M&C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics. All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Sunday 14 July.NO RECRUITERS. ABOUT US M&C Saatchi Consulting is a division of the M&C Saatchi Group that partners with clients to deliver services in brand, experience and innovation. There s currently six trading brands: Clear ( ), MCD partners ( ), Re ( ), Fluency ( ), The Yes agency ( ), Source ( ). Together, these agencies represent c.£35m revenue, offer up a team of 250 consultants and trade primarily across the US, UK and Australia. Consulting also has a small operation in SE Asia (Singapore and Manila). M&C Saatchi Group is a creative group of companies who navigate, create, and lead meaningful change for clients. Across five specialist divisions connected through people, culture, data, technology and creativity, M&C Saatchi Group aims to unlock new value for clients and leave a positive impact on the world. M&C Saatchi Group s work is informed by two core principles - Brutal Simplicity of Thought and Diversity of Thought. Together they guide how problems are solved and integrated specialist teams are built. Headquartered in London, M&C Saatchi Group have circa 2,500 employees globally of which 720 employees are UK based. Our operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia. Having floated in 2004, M&C Saatchi plc is a constituent of the FTSE AIM. It has a market capitalisation of £200 million and ambitious growth plans. M&C Saatchi Group is entering a new era with a new strategic priority - to work in a more connected way. We have gone through exciting and significant change since 2018 and the Finance team has played a leading role in this turnaround. The business has ambitious growth plans, and partnering with our business leadership this role is an ideal platform from which to influence our commercial direction, significantly contributing to both growth and profitability. This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced commercial finance leader to make a mark across our wider business teams, whilst becoming a trusted advisor to business leadership. #LI-JM1 #J-18808-Ljbffr