Job description
POSITION: Finance Director - Operations & Transformation
LOCATION: Gaydon / Hybrid (UK)
REPORTING TO: Chief Financial Officer
POSTING START DATE: 31st May 2023
POSTING END DATE: 14th June 2023
SALARY: Competitive
Our Reimagine programme, announced in February 2021, will see us transition to being an electric-first business. The purity of electric is the next natural step. At the heart of Reimagine will be the electrification of both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.
By the middle of the decade, Jaguar will have undergone a renaissance to emerge as a pure electric luxury brand with a dramatically beautiful new portfolio of emotionally engaging designs and pioneering next-generation technologies. In the next five years, Land Rover will welcome six pure electric variants as it continues to be the world leader of luxury SUVs through its three families of Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. The first all-electric variant will arrive in 2024.
The company is looking to strengthen its finance team and has created a new position within its Finance leadership team, that of Finance Director – Operations and Transformation. This role will lead all of the Corporate Finance activities, namely: Accounting, Assurance and Global Finance Services, Jaguar Land Rover’s Finance Shared Service.
Reporting into the CFO, this role has accountability for leading the Corporate Finance agenda for the business, ensuring the appropriate structures and controls are in place in order to ensure Jaguar Land Rover remains compliant with external regulations/standards, that internal management information is provided in a timely and appropriate manner to support decision making at a senior level.
The role will be a key position in the first line of the Finance Leadership team. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development of a team of Finance professionals and specialists from junior analysts to Finance Director level in the key areas of competence, namely Accounting, Assurance and Global Finance Services
THE ROLE
Key Responsibilities
Accountability for robust financial reporting (monthly, quarterly and year end).- Provision of a robust financial controls framework throughout the business, transforming the financial control eco-system in response to JLR de-listing from US stock exchange. The transformation will include the design and embedding of Continuous Controls monitoring regime.
- Evolution of our shared service activity, centralising standardising and automating more complex activities.
- Accountable for management and delivery of programmes which transform and digitalise the Finance organisation.
- Will create a transformation programme plan which looks for opportunities to continuously improve current end to end processes, data and reporting driving improvements in digitalisation, and cost effectiveness to add value to the business.
- Part of the Finance function’s leadership team, developing and implanting the long-term strategy for the Finance function for the business internationally.
- Leading and developing a team of Finance professionals, building a high performing environment and ensuring depth in succession planning.
- Enabling alignment and clarity of direction to the Finance team through leadership and collaboration with the Finance first line.
- Overseeing all financial control activities, including the review and analysis of monthly and quarterly numbers and disclosures.
- Providing executive management with accurate and comprehensive financial information to guide effective policy making and financial strategising.
- Ownership of the Group External Audit relationship and working with the Chair of the Audit Committee to transform the relationship. Design and embed new ways of working with external auditors.
- Demonstrate expertise and in-depth technical capabilities in the areas of Finance operations and processes; Finance operating models; Global Business Services and Finance technologies.
Key Interactions
Chief Financial Officer- CEO and other Board of Management colleagues (Commercial, Corporate and Strategy, Engineering, HR, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, etc.)
- Finance leadership team
- Tata Motors Finance leadership team, up to and including CFO
- External audit partners (KPMG currently)
- Chair of Audit Committee
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential:
Qualified accountant with recent deep technical expertise in one or more of the key areas of Finance competence required (i.e. Accounting, Assurance and/or Shared Service)- Prior experience of having worked in Corporate Finance environments and leading the corporate agenda.
- A highly accomplished commercial leader, concurrently adept at understanding the complex reporting and regulatory framework to which companies must adhere.
- The successful candidate would be expected to quickly establish knowledge of and credibility within JLR. Strong overall understanding of the business in order to challenge and improve strategic/operational decisions.
- Proven ability to use knowledge to challenge solutions, find ways around barriers, to allow timetables to be challenged and to identify business benefits and weigh those against other potential projects.
- Ability to partner with senior stakeholders and effectively manage these relationships to deliver results.
- A desire and ability to add value whilst also challenging colleagues in an effective and appropriate way to facilitate good decision making. Proven track record of delivering changes through people process and technology.
- Strong communication skills – expertise to translate detail into clear, concise and accessible messaging.
Personal Profile
- Inspirational leader, demonstrated by a low-ego approach, with a positive and up-beat style with a track record of developing talent and inspiring others, driving the organisation to world-class performance.
- Demonstrates our Creators' Code behaviours of Customer Love, Unity, Integrity, Growth and Impact. Continually working hard to deliver a modern luxury experience to earn and keep our customers’ trust and loyalty.
- Embracing differences, being empathetic, welcoming challenges together empowering each other to deliver.
- Building trust by speaking openly and honestly, listening attentively, and treating others respectfully.
- An individual who is able to ensure operational plans deliver Jaguar Land Rover’s strategy and combine a short term, pragmatic focus with strategic vision.
- An ability to work in an inclusive multi-culture and multi-partnership environment.
- A resilient individual who has strong influencing and engagement skills, is comfortable challenging all stakeholders and can build credibility and trust through experience and personal style.
- Unquestionable integrity and values driven – earns unwavering trust, meets commitments, and has courageous conversations.
- Able to play an active role in leading the broader Finance function, on items such as Functional strategy and delivery.
- Able to influence peers and senior leadership teams in other functions in order to ensure the right decisions are being made for the future success of the business.
- High level of resilience in dealing with ambiguous or fast-paced, evolving situations.
- Strong influencing skills and ability to build relationships easily – understands the intricacies of managing complex relationships across the global organisation. High level of emotional intelligence, with the ability to influence and persuade.
#WEAREJLR
At Jaguar Land Rover, we are passionate about our people. They are at the heart of our business. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive culture that is representative of our global customers and the society in which we live; a culture in which every one of our employees can bring their authentic self to work and reach their full potential.
You will find the opportunities to further your career with a world-class team, access to select two of our luxury premium vehicles to lease at an extremely favourable cost compared to traditional company car lease schemes, membership of a competitive pension plan, private medical cover (which includes travel insurance) and performance related bonus scheme. All this and more makes Jaguar Land Rover the perfect place to continue your journey.
This role may offer the opportunity for hybrid working where you can split your time between working from home and in the office. At Jaguar Land Rover, hybrid working is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement providing employees with more choice and flexibility around how, when and where they work, if suitable for their role. Further details can be discussed with the Hiring Manager at interview stage.
Please be aware that we may close this vacancy for applications before the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of interest. We strongly advise you to submit your application as early as possible.