Associate Director, ​​Financial Planning Excellence & Governance​, 12 month FTC

Overview

This 12-month fixed-term leadership assignment is focused on establishing and maturing a newly formed Planning Excellence capability within FP&A Operations, and developing the leadership capability required to sustain the function long-term.

The role serves as the enterprise lead for planning governance, forecasting excellence, planning methodologies, and actuals alignment across OPEX and CAPEX planning. Responsibilities include accountability for planning standards, governance frameworks, budgeting and forecasting cadence, accrual governance, planning controls, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Capability Build & Operating Model Implementation

• Establish and mature the Planning Excellence capability within FP&A Operations.
• Design and embed sustainable planning governance, operating rhythms, and execution standards.
• Define clear accountabilities, handoffs, and ways of working across FP&A Operations, Corporate FP&A, and Finance Business Partnering.
• Build a scalable operating model that supports planning consistency and organizational growth.
• Create and implement a roadmap for capability maturity and continuous improvement.

Enterprise Planning Governance

• Own the enterprise-wide In-Year Budget Management and Rolling Forecast governance framework.
• Establish planning cadence, Working Day structures, freeze management processes, and exception governance.
• Ensure planning activities operate in a controlled, consistent, and disciplined manner.
• Act as the senior escalation point for planning governance issues and forecasting exceptions.
• Drive compliance with established planning frameworks and enterprise standards.

Forecasting Excellence & Methodology

• Own and continuously improve forecasting methodologies, planning assumptions, drivers, and planning standards.
• Drive consistency across planning approaches and forecasting practices.
• Improve forecast quality, predictability, and transparency across actuals, forecast, and budget cycles.
• Establish best-practice planning disciplines and forecasting governance.
• Lead initiatives that improve planning effectiveness and organizational planning maturity.

Actuals Governance & Control Environment

• Establish and maintain governance over FP&A actuals processes, including accruals and allocations.
• Ensure alignment between actuals, forecast, and budget outputs.
• Maintain a strong planning and actuals control environment.
• Support SOX-relevant controls and governance requirements related to planning and reporting integrity.
• Act as an escalation point for planning control issues, audit observations, and process risks.

Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the evolution and maturity of planning capabilities across Global Finance.
• Support Oracle EPM adoption and ongoing planning process optimization.
• Drive process simplification, standardization, and automation opportunities.
• Partner with FP&A Data & Technology to improve planning tools, data quality, and planning processes.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology and AI to improve planning effectiveness and efficiency.

Leadership & Succession Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately ten finance professionals.
• Build leadership capability across the function.
• Identify and develop potential future successors.
• Create development opportunities that broaden planning, governance, and leadership capabilities.
• Establish a sustainable capability that can continue successfully beyond the duration of the assignment.
• Contribute as a senior leader within FP&A Operations and support the continued evolution of the Global Finance operating model.

Requirements

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA or equivalent) and good relevant Finance experience.
• Significant experience in FP&A, planning governance, forecasting excellence, finance operations, or finance transformation.
• Proven experience building, transforming, or maturing planning capabilities, Centres of Excellence, finance operations, or shared services functions within complex global organizations.
• Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, planning governance, and driver-based planning methodologies.
• Experience implementing planning frameworks, governance standards, and operating models.
• Demonstrated leadership experience during periods of organizational change and transformation.
• Proven ability to coach and develop future leaders and build sustainable organizational capability.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Experience working within complex, matrixed global organizations.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and translate strategy into practical execution.
• Experience driving planning process improvement, automation, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Ability to balance governance, control, delivery, and continuous improvement objectives.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial systems including Oracle and SAP.
• Willingness to travel internationally, including to headquarters in Dublin.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading Planning Excellence, Forecasting Excellence, Planning Governance, or Finance Transformation initiatives.

Compensation & Benefits

• Participation in benefits offerings, including medical, dental and vision insurance, retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation.

Location

• International travel required, including to headquarters in Dublin.