Senior Director, Finance & Corporate Systems in Leeds

Senior Director, IT Finance is a strategic leadership role responsible for managing and optimizing the entire financial systems landscape, and ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and regulatory requirements. This role manages the product backlog for Finance, Treasury, Procurement, AP, Payroll, Audit, Investor Relations, Legal and Revenue Recognition. This position balances core financial responsibilities with the strategic implementation and management of technology solutions for efficiency and growth. This role will ensure the systems are compliant with all of the auditable regulations and segregation of duties. This role works closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure the successful deployment and ongoing management of Workday solutions, helping to drive the effectiveness of our organization’s project and services operations.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Finance Strategic IT Partner: Partner with the finance team to provide the systems to support the company’s financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and long‑range planning processes. Ensure systems are available for accurate, timely, and compliant internal and external financial reporting in accordance with U.S. GAAP, SOX, and other regulatory requirements.
• Systems & Process Innovation: Oversee the strategy, implementation, and optimization of the core financial systems (e.g., Workday, Anaplan, subscription billing, and revenue recognition tools like Anaplan, Workday Adaptive). Lead finance transformation projects, including process automation, standardization, and the adoption of new technologies like AI‑driven analytics, to streamline operations and enhance productivity.
• Leadership & Team Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team of finance and systems professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Build strong, collaborative relationships with cross‑functional teams across IT, Sales, Operations, and other departments.
• Risk Management & Internal Controls: Owner of the narratives for the auditable IT processes for the Financial IT systems. Identify potential financial risks and develop mitigation strategies. Establish and maintain a robust system of internal controls and policies to safeguard company assets and ensure data integrity across all financial applications.
• Strategic Leadership and Planning: Define and execute the strategic roadmap for all the financial systems including Workday, Anaplan, Blackline, ACEND, and more, aligning Finance teams’ goals with technical capabilities and overall business objectives.
• Solution Architecture and Implementation: Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable technology solutions and models, ensuring model integrity, scalability, and performance. This includes managing full implementation and enhancement projects, including timelines and budgets.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Management: Serve as a primary liaison between senior business stakeholders (e.g., Finance, IT) and model builders to translate strategic business requirements into effective Anaplan solutions.
• Data Management and Integration: Oversee the management and analysis of master data across Workday, Anaplan, Blackline, ACEND, and other integrated systems, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
• Process Optimization and Reporting: Optimize existing planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes using existing technologies, leveraging existing tools, utilizing analytics to provide actionable insights to executive leadership.

Qualifications (Minimum Required)

• Education: A Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Management Information Systems, or a related field is required or equivalent experience. An MBA, CPA, or CMA certification is highly preferred.
• Experience: Typically requires a minimum of 10–15 years of progressive experience in finance, accounting, or finance systems management, with significant experience in a leadership or project management role. Experience in a growth‑oriented or SaaS environment is often a plus.
• Technical Skills: Deep expertise in financial modeling, forecasting, and data analysis is essential. Proficiency with major ERP systems (e.g., Workday, Anaplan, Blackline), BI tools (e.g., PowerBI, Tableau), and advanced Excel is expected.
• Soft Skills: Must possess strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to translate complex financial and technical data into actionable insights for non‑financial stakeholders. Excellent problem‑solving, strategic thinking, and project management skills are also crucial.

Experience (Minimum Required)

• Proficiency in Workday modules (or other ERP systems).
• Deep expertise in Anaplan architecture, including model design, data integration, and performance optimization is a plus.
• Experience with other enterprise systems (ERP) related systems like Blackline and ACEND.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex system issues.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate business requirements into system configurations and improvements.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to think strategically and design innovative product solutions.

Fortrea may consider relevant and equivalent experience in lieu of educational requirements.

Preferred Qualifications Include

• Master’s degree in computer science, information technology, data science, or a related field.
• Experience in a Clinical Research Organization.

Work Environment

General office environment.