Head of Finance Operations

Let’s start with the role:

We are seeking a Head of Finance Operations to oversee Kaizen’s global finance functions, ensuring accurate, efficient, and scalable financial processes. Reporting to the Senior Finance Director, this role will manage Accounting, Accounts Payable, Global Revenue Control and Assurance, and Finance Process Automation streams while driving process improvements, technology adoption, and operational transformation. This position requires a strategic leader who combines deep technical finance expertise with, hands-on operational oversight, and exceptional team leadership to deliver seamless financial operations across multiple jurisdictions. This is a management team role and a critical position within the Finance organization. 

At Kaizen, we are redefining finance operations through technology, automation, and innovation. This role provides a unique opportunity to: 1) lead a global finance operations team, 2) drive operational excellence and transformation through RPA, AI, and BI 3) play a central role in shaping the future of Kaizen’s finance strategy and scaling its financial operations globally. 

• Oversee end-to-end GL accounting activities performed across several Hubs, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant recording of financial transactions across multiple geographies and legal entities;
• Manage the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, ensuring consistency and efficiency in collaboration with Global Tax, Reporting and FP&A teams;
• Review and approve journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, and provisions while ensuring full compliance with internal controls, IFRS, and local regulatory frameworks;
• Assist auditors with annual statutory audits, providing clear reconciliations and ensuring smooth audit readiness;
• Drive improvements in the financial close cycle by identifying bottlenecks, streamlining workflows, and embedding automation where possible;
• Collaborate with FP&A to ensure accurate translation of operational data into management reporting and facilitate statutory-to-management reconciliations;
• Lead the global Accounts Payable function, optimizing workflows, controls, and vendor relationships while driving automation and efficiency;
• Implement process enhancements and automation initiatives (e.g., RPA, OCR invoice processing) to achieve efficiency gains, reduce manual intervention, and improve transparency;
• Act as the central point for finance service delivery, coordinating Accounting, AP, and Revenue Reporting teams for seamless operations;
• Identify and implement process improvements by, leveraging automation, AI, and advanced analytics to scale finance operations;
• Collaborate on strategic finance initiatives, supporting long-term planning, transformation, and operational efficiency;
• Lead and develop a multi-geography team, fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth;
• Ensure robust governance, compliance, and risk management across all finance operations.

What you’ll bring:

• 12+ years of progressive finance experience, including 5+ years in senior leadership roles managing multi-country finance operations with emphasis on Accounting; 
• Proven track record of leading large-scale Accounting and Accounts Payable functions, ideally within shared service or international environments. Applicants without demonstrated Accounting / R2R leadership experience will not be considered. Multi-country accounting team management experience is a key differentiator for this critical role;
• Experience driving finance process transformation, including ERP upgrades, automation, and new technology adoption. Experience on leading successful hyperautomation initiatives in R2R/P2P area will be considered a plus;
• Strong expertise across core finance cycles, GL management, financial close, and operational controls;
• Hands-on experience with ERP platforms (e.g., Microsoft Business Central), invoice automation, BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Databricks etc), and project management tools (e.g., Jira);
• Proficiency in leveraging automation and AI-driven solutions to improve efficiency and control;
• Exceptional leadership and team development skills, with experience managing cross-regional, multi-disciplinary teams;
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to align teams around strategic objectives.