The Director of Continuous Improvement and Innovation will lead transformative initiatives to optimise finance operations, drive innovation, and enhance service delivery within the Finance Shared Service Centre. With expertise in process improvement, automation, and technology integration, the Director will work closely with senior leadership to align strategies with business objectives. Additionally, the role oversees offshore BPO management, ensuring seamless operations and high-quality service. This strategic leader will drive continuous improvement, embed best practices, and deliver long-term value through enhanced operational efficiency and innovative solutions.

Leadership and Strategy Development:

• Develop and lead the continuous improvement strategy for the Finance Shared Service Centre, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and financial targets.
• Lead a team of improvement and innovation specialists, providing guidance, coaching, and performance management.
• Work with senior stakeholders to identify and prioritise opportunities for process optimisation and innovation within finance operations.

Process Optimisation and Continuous Improvement:

• Champion and lead large-scale process redesign initiatives to optimise finance operations, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance productivity using Lean, Six Sigma, or other best-practice methodologies.
• Drive the end-to-end implementation of continuous improvement projects, ensuring measurable results and sustainable change across finance functions.
• Establish a robust process governance framework, ensuring that improvements are consistently applied, monitored, and scaled across the organisation.
• Oversee the establishment of best practice benchmarks and ensure that all process improvements align with organisational goals and compliance standards.

Innovation and Technology Integration

• Lead the exploration and integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as RPA, AI, and advanced data analytics, to enhance finance operations and drive long-term innovation.
• Work in close collaboration with IT, finance, and other business functions to evaluate, pilot, and scale new technologies that provide tangible value.
• Build a roadmap for innovation within the finance shared service centre, driving forward-thinking solutions that position the organisation as an industry leader.
• Champion the use of data-driven insights to improve decision-making, enhance data quality, and drive actionable business intelligence, ensuring that financial processes are supported by reliable, accurate data.

Stakeholder Engagement and Change Management

• Act as a change agent, managing the people-side of process transformations and driving buy-in from key stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively with senior leadership and stakeholders across the business to ensure alignment on continuous improvement initiatives and innovations.
• Develop and deliver training and support materials to empower teams in adopting new tools, systems, and methodologies.
• Establish and promote a single governance model to ensure consistent and streamlined decision-making, accountability, and performance monitoring across all stakeholders and processes.

Service Management:

• Oversee the management and performance of outsourced finance services to offshore Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers, ensuring alignment with quality standards and operational targets.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with BPO partners, monitoring service levels, resolving issues, and ensuring that agreed service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) are met or exceeded.
• Collaborate with BPO teams to ensure seamless integration of offshore processes with onshore operations, driving continuous improvement in both onshore and offshore service delivery.
• Implement governance frameworks and establish regular performance reviews to track operational performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and mitigate any risks associated with outsourcing arrangements.

• University Degree in Finance, Accounting or other relevant area
• ACCA/CIMA or equivalent
• Previous Director of Continuous improvement in a global company
• Experience in managing complex operations & projects incl BPO shared services
• Continuous improvement track record
• End to end finance process understanding