FP&A Director - Corporate Functions.

Role Overview

The FP&A Director, Corporate Functions is the finance partner to the executive board members who run Finance, IT, HR, Facilities, ESG and the CEO Office. The role exists to challenge and shape the corporate cost base: turning insight into decisions that improve efficiency, operating leverage and EBITDAC.

Key Responsibilities

Executive business partnering

• Act as the trusted finance advisor to the board members for Finance, IT, HR, Facilities, ESG and the CEO Office, shaping decisions before they are made, not explaining them afterward.
• Hold the line on budgets and forecasts. Challenge assumptions, headcount plans, vendor spend and investment cases with data, and escalate when commitments are not met.
• Prepare executive-ready commentary for the CFO and ELT that explains drivers, risks and actions rather than variances alone.

Cost efficiency and savings delivery

• Identify, size and prioritize savings opportunities across people, vendors, software, property and discretionary spend through benchmarking and root-cause analysis.
• Build and own a savings pipeline with named owners, phasing and realization tracking, from idea to run-rate P&L and cash impact.
• Link cost decisions to EBITDAC margin, operating leverage and free cash flow.

Planning, forecasting and performance

• Own the corporate functions budget, quarterly forecast and long-range plan, with clear accountability against targets.
• Improve forecast accuracy and challenge phasing, hedges and run-rate assumptions.
• Deliver monthly performance reviews with each function: actual vs. forecast, headcount, cost-per-employee, and spend vs. benchmark.

Analytics, process and team leadership

• Lead, develop and raise the standard of the corporate FP&A team, setting clear expectations on analytical quality, commercial judgment and stakeholder impact.
• Drive better data, reporting and tooling, including headcount and vendor-spend visibility, so decisions rest on one version of the facts.
• Partner with Controlling, Procurement, HR and IT on cost governance, approval controls and business cases.

Stakeholders and success in 12 months

Success means executive owners treat this role as a commercial partner who makes their cost decisions sharper, and the corporate cost base shows measurable efficiency gains.

Executive partnership

Board members seek early input on decisions and accept challenge; trust built without losing independence.

Savings delivery

A prioritized, owned savings pipeline with delivered run-rate savings tracked to the P&L.

Forecast quality

Corporate functions forecast accuracy improved, with fewer late-quarter surprises.

Operating leverage

Corporate cost growth held below revenue growth, supporting EBITDAC margin.

Insight quality

Monthly reviews focus on drivers and decisions; benchmarks and cost-per-employee views in routine use.

Team standard

Clear performance expectations, stronger analytical output and a team the executives value.

Characteristics for success

Four characteristics define success in this role.

Strong analytics

Turns complex cost and headcount data into root causes and clear, quantified recommendations. Spots patterns others miss and tests every assumption.

Clear communicator

Explains the so-what in plain, concise language to the CFO, ELT and Board. Adapts message and style to each executive and puts the key point first.

Strong business partner

Earns the trust of executives with strong personalities, offers a point of view early and holds a position under pressure while staying constructive.

Passionate about cost efficiency

Driven to find and deliver savings. Owns ideas through to run-rate P&L and cash impact, and balances efficiency with the needs of the business.

Essential experience

• Senior FP&A or finance business partnering experience at director or senior manager level, ideally in a global software or technology business.
• Proven track record of identifying and delivering cost savings, with quantified results.
• Experience partnering with C-suite and board-level stakeholders on cost, headcount and investment decisions.
• Strong command of budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning, including headcount and vendor-spend modeling.
• Experience leading and developing a finance team, including raising performance standards.
• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) or equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Experience in support functions such as IT, HR, Facilities or ESG, including benchmarking and zero-based budgeting.
• Experience with planning and BI tools (for example Anaplan, Power BI) and driving data quality improvements.

Skills and attributes

• Commercially astute: connects spend to business outcomes and returns, not only to budget.
• Resilient and credible: confident challenging strong personalities and holding a position under pressure, with respect.
• Insightful analyst: finds the root cause and the so-what, and turns complex data into a clear recommendation.
• Savings-minded: motivated by efficiency and outcomes, with ownership through to delivery.
• Clear communicator: concise, executive-level written and verbal communication.
• Influential leader: sets high standards, develops others and drives change without relying on authority.

We believe that coming together as a community, in person, is important for innovation, connection and fostering a sense of belonging. Our roles have the right balance of remote and in-office working to enable flexibility for managing your life along with ensuring a real connection with your colleagues and the broader IFS community.