Finance Transformation Lead

Location: London, UK — flexible hybrid working, typically 3 days per week in the office
Employment Type: Permanent
Level: Senior Leadership / Consulting

Salary: £110k to £140k + bonus 10%-15% + bonus

About the Role

A leading global data, technology and AI organisation is seeking an experienced Finance Transformation Lead to join its growing UK Consulting & Transformation practice.

This is a senior, high-impact leadership role focused on shaping, leading and delivering complex, large-scale Finance Transformation programmes for clients across a global portfolio.

As a trusted advisor to CFOs, Finance Directors, Controllers and Transformation Leaders, you will help organisations reimagine the finance function by combining finance strategy, operating model transformation, process excellence, digital capabilities, data, automation and AI.

You will lead the design and execution of next-generation finance operating models that improve efficiency, strengthen controls, enhance decision-making and deliver measurable business value.

Working at the intersection of Finance, Technology, Data, Operations and AI, you will take ownership of end-to-end transformation initiatives spanning finance process optimisation, target operating model design, ERP modernisation, finance data and reporting, shared services, regulatory reporting and intelligent automation.

You will also work closely with specialist Digital Engineering, Data & Analytics and AI teams to translate complex client challenges into practical, scalable and increasingly AI-enabled finance solutions.

Beyond programme delivery, you will contribute to the growth of the Finance Transformation practice through senior client relationship development, opportunity shaping, proposal development, solution design, mentoring and thought leadership.

This role is particularly suited to a hands-on transformation leader who combines deep finance expertise with consulting, client advisory and commercial capabilities, and who can move confidently from strategy and solution design through to execution and measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Transformation Strategy & Operating Model Design

• Define and lead Finance Transformation strategies for CFO organisations, aligning operating model, process, technology, data, controls and AI capabilities with business objectives.
• Design future-state Finance Target Operating Models covering service delivery, organisation structure, governance, controls and technology enablement.
• Identify and quantify transformation opportunities across Finance, developing transformation roadmaps and business cases with clear value-realisation targets.
• Lead finance diagnostic assessments, maturity reviews, benchmarking exercises and transformation strategy engagements.

Finance Process Transformation & Operational Excellence

Lead end-to-end transformation initiatives across areas including:

• Record-to-Report (R2R)
• Procure-to-Pay (P2P)
• Order-to-Cash (O2C)
• FP&A
• Treasury
• Tax
• Regulatory and statutory reporting
• Financial controls and compliance

Drive standardisation, simplification, harmonisation and optimisation of finance processes across geographies and business units.

Apply Lean, Six Sigma, process mining and continuous-improvement methodologies to improve efficiency, control effectiveness and service quality.

Identify control gaps, process inefficiencies and operational risks, and develop appropriate remediation strategies.

Digital Finance, ERP & AI Enablement

• Lead the identification, design and deployment of Digital Finance, Automation, Analytics and AI-led transformation solutions.
• Shape business cases and implementation roadmaps for ERP modernisation, including major enterprise finance platforms.
• Partner with Data, Digital Engineering and AI specialists to embed GenAI, Agentic AI, Intelligent Automation and advanced analytics within finance processes.
• Define future-state data and reporting architectures that improve decision-making, control and transparency.
• Drive adoption of AI-enabled finance capabilities including close automation, reconciliation, FP&A, reporting, controls monitoring and management insights.

CFO Advisory & Client Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to CFOs, Finance Directors, Controllers and Finance Transformation sponsors.
• Facilitate executive workshops, value-discovery sessions and transformation strategy discussions.
• Translate complex finance challenges into actionable transformation programmes and measurable business outcomes.
• Lead executive-level deliverables including transformation roadmaps, Target Operating Models, business cases, operating model designs and Steering Committee materials.

Programme Governance & Change Leadership

• Lead large-scale Finance Transformation programmes across multiple workstreams, geographies and stakeholder groups.
• Establish programme governance, PMO structures, RAID management, executive reporting and benefits-realisation frameworks.
• Drive stakeholder engagement, change management, communications, training and business-readiness activities.
• Develop and monitor transformation KPIs, value-realisation metrics and programme performance dashboards.

Business Development & Practice Growth

• Support client pursuits, proposals, RFP responses, solution design and commercial discussions.
• Develop Finance Transformation offerings, methodologies, accelerators and reusable assets.
• Contribute to thought leadership, market positioning and growth of the Finance Transformation consulting practice.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships and develop new opportunities.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and mentor consulting teams, programme managers, business analysts and transformation specialists.
• Build Finance Transformation capability across Finance, Data, Digital and AI domains.
• Attract, develop and retain high-performing consulting and transformation talent.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and delivery excellence.

Experience & Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Economics, Business or a related discipline.
• MBA in Finance or a professional qualification such as CA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA, CFA or equivalent is advantageous.

Experience

We are looking for an experienced transformation leader with:

• 15–18+ years’ experience across Finance Transformation, Finance Consulting, Finance Operations, Shared Services or Business Transformation.
• A proven track record of leading large-scale Finance Transformation programmes for global organisations.
• Deep experience in Finance Operating Model design, process transformation, governance and finance technology enablement.
• Strong client-facing consulting experience with CFOs, Finance Directors, Controllers and executive leadership teams.
• Experience within Insurance, Financial Services, Banking or other large global enterprises is advantageous.
• Demonstrated success in business development, client relationship management and consulting-led delivery.
• Experience across several areas such as Finance Operating Model Transformation, Shared Services / Global Business Services, Post-Merger Integration and Finance Integration.

Technology & Digital Skills

Experience with several of the following would be valuable:

ERP & Finance Platforms

• SAP S/4HANA
• Oracle Cloud
• Workday Finance
• Microsoft Dynamics
• Equivalent enterprise finance platforms

Analytics & Planning

• Power BI
• Tableau
• Alteryx
• Anaplan

Automation

• UiPath
• Automation Anywhere
• Microsoft Power Platform

AI & GenAI

• Practical application of AI and GenAI within Finance
• Agentic AI
• Intelligent document processing
• Advanced analytics and AI-enabled decision support

Leadership Competencies

We are looking for an individual who demonstrates:

• Executive presence and strong stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking and problem solving
• Transformation leadership
• Commercial acumen
• Programme and portfolio leadership
• Influencing and negotiation skills
• Change leadership
• Team development and coaching
• Executive communication and storytelling
• The ability to operate effectively in complex, global and matrixed environments

Preferred Certifications

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
• PMP, PRINCE2 or Agile certifications
• Finance technology certifications
• AI / GenAI-related certifications

What You Can Expect

You will join a global organisation operating at the intersection of data, technology, operations and AI, with the opportunity to work on complex transformation challenges for major organisations.

The role offers:

• Competitive salary and performance-related bonus
• Private healthcare
• Life assurance and income protection
• Pension benefits
• Employee financial wellbeing benefits
• Cycle-to-work benefits
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Access to learning and capability-building programmes
• The opportunity to work with senior clients and multidisciplinary Finance, Data, Digital and AI teams

This is an opportunity for an experienced Finance Transformation professional to help shape the next generation of finance functions — combining finance expertise, technology, data, automation and AI to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our client are committed to building an inclusive working environment where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone is treated with fairness, dignity and respect. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

They also believe that diverse teams lead to better thinking, stronger collaboration and improved outcomes for the healthcare organisations and communities they support.