Global Finance Director

Who We Are:

Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII) is a premier provider of global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solutions, serving the senior-level talent and consulting needs of the world's top organizations. In our role as trusted leadership advisors, we partner with our clients to develop future-ready leaders and organizations, bringing together our services and offerings in executive search, diversity and inclusion, leadership assessment and development, organization and team acceleration, culture shaping and on-demand, independent talent solutions. Heidrick & Struggles pioneered the profession of executive search more than 70 years ago. Today, the firm provides integrated talent and human capital solutions to help our clients change the world, one leadership team at a time.®

Additional information on the firm can be found at www.heidrick.com.

The Role:

The Global Finance Director, On Demand Talent (ODT) oversees the financial activities for the global ODT P&L, encompassing 22 offices across 16 countries which generate revenue in excess of $150M USD. The position reports directly to the SVP, Finance and Operations and partners with the Global Managing Partner, ODT and the service line’s operational management team. This position will play an integral role in the company’s strategic direction, development and future growth in the business and serves as the primary finance liaison to field operational teams.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for financial assurance, control environment, operational analysis, and recurring financial and business processes with an investment orientation.
• Management of the global ODT Finance team.
• Develop an intimate understanding of the global business and its drivers and maintain sound working relationships within all levels of operations.
• Drive annual planning and forecasting processes to yield budgets along with strategic plans that enhance success, growth and profitability in collaboration with corporate and operational teams.
• Manage monthly and quarterly detailed financial reviews and management reporting packages to measure historical and current performance.
• Generate and facilitate fresh ideas to improve operational efficiency.
• Create analyses to support growth initiatives, new investments, strategic and operational efforts and create financial tools to drive improved financial decision-making to drive sustainable improvement.
• Uses management information to provide insight around trends that support the operational running of the business and to drive continuous improvement.
• Create presentations and supporting financial analysis and materials for leadership team meetings as required.
• Approve and manage expenditure budgets.
• Review and approve Terms & Conditions for new business assignments.
• Collaborate closely with finance leaders and accounting teams to ensure alignment on financial strategies and operational goals

Qualifications & Experience:

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications and experience, including:

• Undergraduate degree in finance or related field with strong record of academic achievement, CPA is preferred, but part-qualified Accountants will be considered.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of corporate finance experience demonstrating increasing levels of responsibility.
• Successful candidates will have practical experience of operating as a trusted finance business partner to leadership ideally within the professional services industry.
• Some experience in strategy and corporate development is preferred with some corporate experience.
• While direct industry experience is not required, some professional service sector experience is strongly preferred.
• Intelligent and highly creative individual at ease interacting with executive decision makers, discussing pros and cons of project alternatives as a respectful, equal participant.
• Must have a strong sense of how businesses operate in a global context and be able to bring a macro perspective to business opportunities.
• Project management expertise is essential.

Leadership & Management Behavioral Competencies:

• External Awareness: Recognizes trends and events outside the organization, and focuses the organization’s financial, operational and human capital on the issues that affect performance.
• Analytical Thinking: Superior analytical skills balanced by a keen ability to integrate the larger strategic picture. Strong analytical skills enabling complex issues to be rapidly understood and explained in simple terms to others, and a range of potential solutions to be developed.
• Managing Innovation: Develops and applies creative solutions to business problems, anticipating situations and needs and finding flexible answers to new situations; champions innovation to improve business performance.
• Relationship Building: Forms networks of positive business relationships that enhance personal and business success.
• Collaboration: Partnering with colleagues across all departments, service lines, and other regions as one team to ensure a successful outcome for the firm.

Personal Characteristics:

• A well-balanced individual defined not only as smart, but pragmatic.
• An outstanding communicator with excellent negotiation skills who will be viewed as a team player, with the ability to build a network of support from people at both corporate and business unit levels.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects with an ability to drive successful outcomes with a shared commitment among a diverse team.
• Ability to work with the senior leadership of the Company as a peer, and to be perceived as a valuable business partner.
• A self-starter. Someone who is one step ahead but ensures that others on the team are not left behind.
• Able to position and coach others to achieve industry-leading standards
• Strong work ethic and unquestionable integrity.