Finance Director in Bristol

The L3Harris Global Systems Division spans the UK, Australia, Italy and Canada and is seeking a Finance Director to serve as the senior finance leader for the division, with overall responsibility for the Global Systems finance function and direct leadership of the end-to-end finance team. This team includes leaders and individual contributors across Program Finance, Accounting, FP&A, and Pricing. The Finance Director will lead and support the Global Systems finance organisation and work in close partnership with Division, Sector, and corporate leadership. This role requires strong experience in financial planning, reporting, controls, process improvement, and business partnership. The Finance Director will be responsible for reporting and driving business performance across Orders, Sales, Operating Income, and Free Cash Flow in alignment with the business plan. The successful candidate will be a strong leader and collaborative problem solver who thrives in a deadline-driven public company environment.

A few of our employee benefits are:

• Hybrid working where possible, three days onsite per week
• Management Bonus Scheme
• Early finish on a Friday
• 25 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays), increasing with long service and with the opportunity to buy/sell up to 5 days
• Private medical insurance with optional family cover
• Pension scheme of up to 8% employer contribution
• Life Assurance 4x salary (flexible up to 10x)
• Group income protection
• Flexible opt-in extras such as a health care cash plan, dental insurance, gym membership, critical illness cover, cycle to work scheme, travel insurance and electric car scheme
• Employee Family Assistance Program providing mental health and wellbeing support
• Professional membership reimbursement

The responsibilities of your role will include the following:

• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team for the Global Systems division, providing leadership beyond the finance function to support overall business performance and strategic objectives.
• Lead and influence senior finance leaders across multiple regions, ensuring consistency of financial governance, controls, and operational excellence globally.
• Provide strategic leadership and direction to global finance teams, fostering a high-performance culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain a robust talent pipeline through effective succession planning, coaching, mentoring, and leadership development initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement across global teams by promoting an inclusive, collaborative, and customer-focused culture.
• Partner with business leaders to ensure finance capabilities, structures, and resources support current and future business growth requirements.
• Act as a role model for ethical leadership, integrity, and compliance, reinforcing a culture of transparency and accountability throughout the organisation.
• Advise leadership on risks and opportunities related to business plans and drive action plans to mitigate risks while capitalizing on opportunities.
• Partner with and provide leadership and guidance to Program Managers, Technical Leads, Division, Sector, and Corporate leadership related to financial and program performance.
• Provide oversight of Orders, Sales, Operating Income, and Cash, including the preparation of financial reports, forecasts, and leadership briefings.
• Prepare financial statements, analyses, and financial models, as needed, to support decision-making and evaluate scenario-based planning.
• Lead the development, coordination, and execution of the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and 3-year Joint Strategic Plan (JSP), ensuring alignment with Division, Sector, and Corporate objectives.
• Coordinate with other departments and functions to ensure all short- and long-term forecasts are accurate and reported on time to Division and Sector leadership.
• Monitor and proactively manage milestone invoices and program cash forecasts.
• Establish key performance metrics and ongoing reporting of program costs and schedule variances in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Analyze and monitor program EACs, ensuring the preparation, maintenance, and timely reporting of program performance data to Division and Sector leadership.
• Lead the division’s budgeting processes and oversee overhead rate planning, analysis, and management to ensure accurate forecasting, cost control, and alignment with business and financial objectives.
• Ensure finance and accounting regulatory and compliance practices are in place at all international sites, including adherence to all relevant enterprise-wide finance and accounting policies and procedures.
• Develop and implement the Program Finance organization across all entities.
• Lead process improvement initiatives to enhance forecasting accuracy, reporting efficiency, financial controls, and business visibility.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing finance team across the division.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Degree qualified with substantial prior relevant experience, or qualified by prior relevant experience if not degree qualified.
• Experience leading finance functions in a complex business environment, including oversight of areas such as Program Finance, FP&A, Accounting, and Pricing.
• Experience supporting business performance management across Orders, Sales, Operating Income, and Free Cash Flow.
• Experience with financial planning processes, including development of the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and multi-year strategic planning.
• Experience providing financial leadership to senior business leaders within a matrixed organization.
• Experience with forecasting, financial reporting, variance analysis, and program EAC reviews.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience in the aerospace and defence industry or other complex, regulated environment.
• Experience supporting government contracts and program-based financial management.
• Knowledge of Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) and program performance reporting.
• Experience supporting international operations and multi-site business environments.
• Familiarity with enterprise finance processes, internal controls, and compliance requirements in a public company setting.
• Experience leading finance transformation, standardization, or process improvement initiatives across multiple entities.
• Background in partnering with business leadership on scenario modeling, growth planning, and strategic decision support.

Important to know:

Due to the nature of our work many of our roles require a UK nationality and the ability to obtain a security clearance. Applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment must meet the requirement of right to work in the UK and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to government security checks.