The Director – Finance Shared Service (FSS) Japan is responsible for leading the FSS center in Japan offering best in class transactional hotel accounting and finance services. The position will be a key business partner to the hotel and regional finance leadership teams providing support and guidance on all aspects of systems, processes and projects that directly impact delivery of the accounting and finance services. You will have the opportunity to embed Global Finance initiatives that support Hilton’s values, vision, and culture into local work processes.

As the Director – Finance Shared Service (FSS) Japan, you will be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Team Leadership: Lead, engage and drive FSS managers and team members, ensuring consistently high levels of performance from the team. Support the team’s ongoing professional growth and development. Self-motivated in driving your own professional growth and development to demonstrate a lead by example approach.
• Operational Oversight: Manage daily operations of FSS, ensuring high quality service levels and adequate resources are available and knowledgeable to perform their duties across revenue audit, order to cash, procure to pay and other hotel transactional activities. Proactive in maintaining optimum levels of productivity from the team and finding opportunities in utilizing new ways of working including optimizing processes, technology tools and being innovative.
• Strategic Leadership: Provide financial and operational insights to support corporate decision-making and strategic planning. Collaborate on the short- and long-term strategic direction for the Japan FSS and deliver on these commitments.
• Effective Business Partner and Communicator: Effectively engage with hotel and regional leadership to establish a valuable partnership that supports the growth and delivery of the FSS value proposition. Ensure regular proactive communication with these partners to build trust and respect.
• Cost Management: Identify cost-saving opportunities and implement strategic initiatives that will deliver on the value proposition of FSS. Continue to strive for the most efficient FSS operations.
• Project Management: Initiate and direct projects ranging from transformation and automation initiatives to systems and technology implementation right from planning stages through to completion and training. This will include and not limited to business case development, business partnering with various stakeholders and change management.
• Financial Closing, Planning and Analysis: Involved in budgeting, forecasting and financial close preparation as well as reporting activities for FSS Japan. Comfortable with modelling and analysis utilizing latest tools and resources to provide financial insights that assist with sound and factual decision making.
• Controls and Compliance: Ensure FSS processes align and comply to Hilton policies, SOX controls and control requirements consistently. Proactively review adherence to these guidelines and take steps to remedy any gaps or issues identified. Ensures compliance with legal and taxation legislation. Assists in developing best practices financial accounting and control procedures. This to be an area of continuous review and development.
• Technology and Automation: Work closely with various teams and vendors to identify, implement and enhance best in class technology and automation tools which deliver efficiency gains and enable the FSS processes to evolve to deliver tangible gains to the business and teams.
• Team Member Experience and Engagement: Drive team member engagement with a can-do positive attitude. Create a process improvement culture that calls for regular review of systems and ways of working seeking automation with a human touch for efficiency as often as possible.
• Team Member Recruitment and Retention: Oversee recruitment/retention processes and strategies. Create a framework that has inbuilt moments to take time out for TM engagement and discussions on meaningful metrics and data such as GTMS to continue to evolve the Team Member experience and the way we work. Minimizes turnover, through quality recruitment, training, development and regular effective communication.
• Training and Talent Management: Support the development and succession planning of FSS team members by driving regular growth/career conversations and cross exposures. Build strategies for talent pipeline to support the future growth and evolution of FSS and hotels. Oversees and drives, where required, thorough training of team members, including induction and ongoing training, nominates departmental trainers and ensures their ongoing effectiveness.

A passionate people person articulate in delivering high-quality business outcomes that support Hilton achieving its people goals and bringing our vision to life.

To ensure your success, you should have the following skills and experience:

• A relevant University Degree or at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• A professional Accounting or Finance qualification eg CPA, CA is preferable.
• Experience in managing a medium-large sized team (>10)
• Ability to work in a non-routine, fluid, and at times chaotic environment whilst making sure the work is delivered to the highest professional standards.
• A willingness to travel for work purposes within Japan as required.
• Excellent proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills in Japanese (above business level) and English with the ability to use these across different management levels to influence.
• Strong initiative with the ability to anticipate, and not simply react to business needs.
• Ability to manage a range of competing priorities and demands through strong time management skills.
• Experience in working in a diverse cultural environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders, and Team Members of all levels (including leadership).
• Experience and knowledge using Finance systems and understand complex technology set up.
• A background in the Hotel/Hospitality industry is advantageous.