The Finance Director will lead the full spectrum of finance across regional manufacturing operations, with a strong emphasis on finance operations, cost control, working capital optimisation, and process excellence. This role partners closely with regional business leaders to drive profitability, operational efficiency, and scalable financial governance across multiple plants and countries.
Key Responsibilities
1. Financial Leadership & Business Partnering
- Act as a strategic finance partner to the Regional CEO / Managing Director and plant leadership teams
- Provide financial insights to support commercial decisions, pricing strategies, and expansion plans
- Drive performance management through robust KPIs, dashboards, and variance analysis
- Lead financial planning cycles including budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning
2. Finance Operations & Controllership (Core Focus)
- Oversee end-to-end finance operations: GL, AP, AR, treasury, fixed assets, and inventory accounting
- Ensure strong internal controls, compliance with local regulations, and group policies
- Drive standardisation and optimisation of finance processes across regional entities
- Lead month-end and year-end closing with accuracy and timeliness
- Strengthen audit readiness and manage relationships with external auditors
3. Manufacturing Finance & Costing
- Lead plant finance and cost accounting, including standard costing, BOM analysis, and variance tracking
- Monitor production efficiency, yield, scrap, and overhead absorption
- Partner with operations to improve cost structures, margins, and productivity
- Evaluate CAPEX investments and ROI for plant expansion or automation
4. Working Capital & Cash Flow Management
- Optimise inventory, receivables, and payables cycles across the region
- Drive cash flow forecasting and liquidity planning
- Implement initiatives to improve cash conversion cycle (CCC)
5. Regional & Cross-Border Management
- Oversee finance teams across multiple countries (SEA / APAC)
- Ensure alignment of reporting standards and governance across jurisdictions
- Manage tax structuring, transfer pricing, and regulatory compliance across markets
6. Systems, Transformation & Process Improvement
- Lead finance transformation initiatives including ERP optimisation / implementation (e.g. SAP, Oracle)
- Drive automation, digitalisation, and data analytics capabilities
- Build scalable finance infrastructure to support growth and acquisitions
7. Team Leadership
- Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing regional finance team
- Establish clear performance metrics and succession planning
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and business partnership
Requirements
Education & Professional Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field
- Professional qualification preferred (e.g. ACCA, CPA, CA)
- Experience
- 12–18+ years of progressive finance experience
- Proven track record in manufacturing or industrial environments
- Strong exposure to regional / multi-country finance leadership
- Deep expertise in finance operations, cost accounting, and plant finance
- Experience in ERP systems and finance transformation initiatives
