Finance Manager - US Central Region

Who are we looking for?

We have an immediate opportunity available for a Finance Manager to support the US Central Region. 

As a key member of the Regional Leadership Team, the Finance Manager provides financial and commercial leadership to the Region leadership, Business Group Leads, and Project Managers to improve the overall performance of the business.

They provide proactive financial management by working collaboratively with the General Manager and leadership team to optimize performance and drive business outcomes in accordance with GHD’s strategic and financial performance objectives. They work in conjunction with the business to support profitable growth and help ensure the conduct of the business is in accordance with GHD’s policy and procedures.

The Finance Manager is responsible for managing the project services team for their Region which works with project managers on all aspects of project accounting including setup, invoicing, etc. They are supported by an experienced Project Services Analyst Manager who manages the daily affairs of this team.

The role can be based in several GHD office locations in the US Central region to include Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Baton Rouge and others. GHD supports a hybrid work model. 

In this diverse role you will:

• Actively participate as a member of the Region Leadership Team to help continue to the Americas high performance.
• Member of Regional leadership team actively contributing to leadership and delivery of business plan objectives and aligning operations with corporate strategy. 
• Provide advice on key commercial and financial factors to enable informed business decisions.
• Proactively monitor and identify key business risks, recommend and implement actions to mitigate these to optimize business and financial performance.
• Deliver insights and improvement options through the delivery, review, and analysis of financial reports and KPIs for key business stakeholders.
• Presentation, in a variety of forms and forums, of results and performance against KPIs including insight into impacts on results and improvement opportunities for various stakeholders.
• Recommend required actions with an aim to improve project and Region financial performance; take corrective actions, as required. 
• Monitor long and short-term business trends, identify specific business improvement opportunities and lead innovative recommendations for improvements.
• Provide analytical review and strategic input into a variety of business matters to ensure informed decision making, including commercial guidance for major bids, panels and projects including (as required) negotiation, processes, and reporting.
• Responsibility to drive target levels of working capital through driving timely invoicing and effective oversight of debt collection, in conjunction with the Collections Team.
• Support the half year and fiscal year end audits related to revenue recognition.
• Compile annual Region financial budgets, KPI targets and requested reforecasts in partnership with the business.
• Increase commercial awareness with our Leaders, leadership teams, Business Group Leads and Project Managers independently and often in collaboration with GHD's Project Management Office leads.
• Directly support our business development activities via pricing & commercial reviews, generally as part of our Tender review/approval process. 
• Other financial assistance to the General Manager, the Americas CFO and/or other stakeholders that may arise from time to time.
• Responsible for supervising the client billing procedures of the Region. Responsible for the performance management and hiring of the employees within that department. Assist Business Group Leads and Project Managers to identify cost overruns in order that variations may be requested and invoiced in a timely manner.
• Provide support to the General Manager and the Americas Facilities Leader for property and other leasing arrangements, including review and communication of financial impacts to decision makers.
• As required, provide analysis for due diligences on potential mergers and acquisitions and assist in integration planning and systems transfer.
• Provide leadership and direction for the Finance team – identify and manage performance measures. Lead, train, develop and motivate the Finance team to partner with stakeholders and provide financial support, guidance and advice in a manner easily understood by non-financial professionals.

Experience and knowledge required:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or equivalent number of years of experience, plus 15+ years of accounting/business operations experience.
• CPA designation or MBA.
• Demonstrated experience and success in a finance leadership role; proven leadership with financial system and analytics and delivering commercial outcomes.
• Commercial strategic thinker with strong financial acumen and the ability to challenge.
• Strong communication and analytical skills to be able to articulate financial data in a non-technical manner and vice-versa. Experience as a liaison between the functional and strategic communities. Strong presentation skills and comfort level with presenting to groups at all levels.
• Able to influence others, good negotiating skills.
• Customer service focused with the ability to connect with operational staff to demonstrate value added from finance partnerships. 
• Excellent project management, analytics, and consulting skills; the ability to interpret data and tell a story.
• An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards, a lead-by-example style that promotes a positive, team-based environment.

Preferred:

• Experience in the A/E professional services sector.
• Experience with BST (project accounting system).
• Fluency in French or Spanish.

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex (including same sex); sexual orientation; gender identity; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability or handicap; citizenship status; service member status; or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

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