Finance Director

Finance Director

Who are we?
Our client is a B2B SaaS company and part of bigger group of companies who are all active in the same market domain but are more product driven businesses. As a group they build and create a company in which they can supply a solution which covers the whole domain from a to z, where most of their competitors only cover a part of the process.  

Within the company their role is to build the underlying technology, tools and platforms that their operating companies can then use to build best in class solutuons, content and commercial propositions to remain or become the leaders in their markets and create the largest possible impact on the domains in which they operate.

Their SaaS solution is an important cornerstone in the further growth and further development of the company.  Currently the SaaS products are mainly used for their own clients and an very import part of their offering, but they are now going to market and will switch to becoming a B2B SaaS company that will make their platform also available for thirds parties.

Next to this they are part of an Private Equite firm who wants to grow the market share further and has an M&A agenda for the coming years to next to organic growth also to grow the company through acquisitions.

Our client operates from several countries within Europe with his HQ in Utrecht.

What do you do?
As Finance Director you will be responsible for the financial planning, operation and reporting for the whole company as a company within the group. 
You will be fully accountable for the finance function, working alongside your colleagues who are line responsible for the three customer facing different departments, and the cross-cutting capabilities of Engineering and Design who support them with design and engineering resources and expertise:

You and your peers make up the Management Team (MT) of the company.  You will report directly to the MD of the company – who is also the CTO of the group - who is then part of the Executive team reporting to the CEO.

What will be your tasks and responsibilities?

• Manage the finance team (1 FTE + shared services from group finance)
• Internal and external reporting on the financial situation
• Co-developing the strategy for the organization with the rest of the MT
• Manage the preparation of the Business Plan and responsible for financial forecasting (short term and long term budgeting)
• Implementation and financial control of the strategic initiatives
• Assures to Group CFO that internal control, in-/external reporting, planning & control cycle comply with Group standards
• Responsible for the development of financial policies, administrative organization and regulations to be aligned with company guidelines & policies
• Designs and implements a professional management reporting environment
• Oversees the effective supply of financial-economical information, including the systems and processes as well as the monthly, quarterly and annual reporting
• Ensures an effective and efficient implementation of the financial-economical plans
• Ensures that financial staff meets the qualitative and quantitative requirements
• Responsible for accounting and management information systems
• Control all governance requirements

Requirements & Qualifications

• Educated to university standard (RC / RA are preferd).
• Minimum ten years’ experience in accounting / finance (e.g. group control and/or senior business finance position). International mindset and experience.
• Experience in a private equity owned and/or publicly listed international companies within a Group structure desirable
• Experienced manager, part of the MT, used to working effectively in a complex and ever changing environment. Strong stable personality balancing control and growth with a strong drive for financial optimization of the business in terms of value, profit and cash flow.
• Has a keen business sense and is able to interpret and challenge business information with management in a professional and positive manner.
• Accounting knowledge and knows how to translate the strategy in the corporate business planning.
• Knowledge of IFRS, Tax issues (CIT & VAT) and treasury.
• Experience in managing M&A projects and with valuation, acquisitions and integration of different reporting requirements.
• Experience / familiarity with modeling / data & analytics in digital businesses.
• Ambitious, excellent communication skills and excellent command of the English language.
• Coaching leadership style, somebody who is a true leader of the Finance team and gets the best out of each team member. Knows how to create a ‘one team one goal attitude’.

What type of background are you likely to have?

• experience in large scale product and technology organisations, working across multiple departments, countries and functions and understand the financial operations of a technology or software business.
• experience in being a strong counterpart for MD and ability to lead/support change/business transformation from a financial perspective.
• experience managing investment and operational budgets in excess of €25M is highly desirable.
• already operating at a director or executive level in a similar scale of organisation
• specific experience in B2B Software as a Service in an international setting would be highly desirable.
• ability to speak English is essential, other languages as for example Dutch are nice to have.

Our ideal applicant will have the following traits:

• Confident in their own abilities – we work towards a generative culture where our leaders are supportive and available, but confident enough in themselves to lead from the future.
• Strong storyteller - able to engage with people from a variety of backgrounds
• Mission driven - you want to make an impact on society and know that the work you do makes a difference that is tangible and not just economic.
• Solution oriented and strong executing skills – you are able to actively engage and leverage the expertise of those in your team and your colleagues to find the best possible path.
• Quantitative and Qualitative in equal measure – you want to really get into the details and understand the reasons behind what drives the engagement and needs of your users.