Senior Manager, Finance Transformation, Global Finance Transformation

We are seeking an experienced Senior Manager to spearhead critical finance transformation initiatives across WPP's global network, driving strategic change at group, agency, and shared service center levels. Reporting to the Global Finance Transformation Program Director, this is a high-impact, high-visibility opportunity where you will leverage deep functional expertise and advanced leadership skills to shape the future of our finance function, delivering significant operational efficiencies and strategic business value. We are looking for someone who can not only navigate intricate global organizational structures but also strategically define, architect, and deliver innovative solutions to enterprise-level finance challenges. You must be able to translate complex business problems into actionable, sustainable transformation programs, influencing at the C-suite and Board levels.

Key Responsibilities: 

The Senior Manager, Finance Transformation will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of WPP's global finance function. You will lead and drive significant, large-scale transformation initiatives, operating with a high degree of autonomy and strategic influence. Your core responsibilities will include:

• Strategic Program Leadership: Lead and strategically drive complex, multi-year global finance transformation programs and initiatives across group, agency, and shared service center levels, moving beyond support to direct ownership and delivery.
• Executive Strategy & Communication: Proactively identify strategic priorities, develop comprehensive solutions, and design compelling content for direct presentation to C-Suite, Board-level stakeholders, and global partners, significantly influencing strategic direction and investment decisions.
• End-to-End Execution Management: Design, lead, and oversee the end-to-end execution of multiple concurrent, large-scale transformation workstreams, ensuring the successful delivery of critical milestones, managing interdependencies, and navigating complex stakeholder landscapes and tight timelines with a focus on enterprise-wide impact.
• Governance & Risk Oversight: Provide strategic oversight and direction to the PMO function, ensuring robust program governance, informed agenda setting for executive forums, and the proactive identification and mitigation of enterprise-level risks across the entire transformation portfolio.
• Executive Advisory: Serve as a primary strategic advisor to the Global Finance Transformation Program Director and other senior executives, providing expert counsel, proactive risk management, and strategic insights across the entire transformation portfolio, often acting as a delegated authority on key decisions.
• Team & Culture Development: Actively shape team culture, fostering a high-performance and innovative environment, and champion best practices across the organization.
• Talent Development: Formally mentor, develop, and lead a team of finance transformation professionals, fostering their growth, career progression, and building high-performing project teams capable of delivering complex initiatives.
• Innovation & Best Practices: Proactively identify, evaluate, and champion the adoption of emerging trends, technologies (e.g., AI, GenAI, RPA, advanced analytics), and leading practices in finance to drive competitive advantage, operational efficiency, and innovation across WPP.
• Consulting & Change Enablement: Leverage extensive business consulting acumen and a proven track record of driving significant, sustainable change within highly complex, global matrix organizations, often managing initiatives that span multiple operating companies and geographies.
• Strategic Workshop Facilitation: Design and facilitate highly impactful, executive-level workshops across diverse global agency stakeholders, driving consensus on strategic direction, critical decisions, and complex problem resolution.
• Advanced Governance & Reporting: Establish and lead comprehensive program governance frameworks for multi-faceted transformation initiatives, ensuring robust decision-making, transparent communication to Board and C-suite, and compelling strategic storytelling that aligns diverse stakeholders globally.
• Executive Stakeholder Management: Proactively cultivate and manage strategic relationships with C-suite executives, global agency leaders, and critical external partners, influencing outcomes, building coalitions for significant change initiatives, and navigating complex political landscapes to ensure program success.

Desired Skills & Experiences:

We want someone who can not only identify strategic opportunities but also architect and implement complex solutions that drive tangible business value. You will provide strategic counsel to executive business partners, identifying and championing opportunities for step-change improvements across the finance function. You must be able to influence strategic priorities, facilitate consensus among diverse global stakeholders, and verify that transformation objectives are met with sustained impact. We value visionary leadership, unparalleled insight, strategic flexibility, and impeccable business judgment. You must be an exceptional communicator who can distill highly complex strategies into compelling, concise narratives for Board and C-Suite audiences. You must also be a masterful program leader capable of orchestrating multi-faceted, global transformation initiatives from inception to successful completion, managing extensive resources and navigating significant complexity. You will be a person who anticipates enterprise-level challenges and proactively devises strategic solutions, driving change independently and through high-performing global teams. You will have the ability to cultivate and sustain strategic relationships with C-suite executives and critical global partners, demonstrating a proactive, hands-on leadership style and the resilience required to deliver in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

Experience & Transformation Acumen:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in finance transformation, management consulting (focused on finance), or a related strategic finance role, with a significant portion (5+ years) leading complex, large-scale, global transformation programs.
• Proven experience driving significant, sustainable change within highly complex, global matrix organizations.
• Mastery of advanced finance transformation concepts and methodologies, including target operating model design and implementation, global shared services/GBS strategy and execution, and end-to-end process re-engineering.
• Demonstrated experience improving finance processes and systems, including standardising and simplifying end to end processes in alignment with ERP design, identifying automation opportunities (RPA/AI), and driving scalable, technology enabled process improvements globally.

Leadership & Executive Presence:

• Highly influential and visionary leader with an engaging, inspiring, and persuasive communication style, capable of mobilizing diverse global teams and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated executive presence, gravitas, and a proven ability to challenge conventional thinking, influence strategic decisions, and drive consensus at the highest organizational levels (Board, C-Suite, Global Leadership).
• Exemplary track record of building and nurturing strategic relationships with C-suite executives, global business unit leaders, and external partners; adept at navigating complex organizational dynamics.
• Demonstrated mastery in adapting leadership style and communication strategies to effectively engage, influence, and motivate a diverse global audience, from technical teams to Board members.

Strategic Planning & Execution:

• Exceptional strategic planning and execution capabilities, thriving in highly ambiguous, rapidly evolving, and high-pressure environments. Ability to define strategic direction, prioritize ruthlessly across a complex portfolio, and drive execution with minimal oversight.
• Superior program and portfolio management expertise for global, complex initiatives, including governance, risk management, and interdependency mapping.
• Unwavering commitment to delivering transformative business outcomes and resolving complex, high-impact challenges with innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions.
• Self-starter with a proactive, outcome-oriented mindset and the flexibility to navigate continuous, complex change.

Analytical & Technical Proficiency:

• Deep analytical and problem-solving skills to architect innovative solutions to enterprise-level finance challenges.
• Advanced proficiency in strategic planning tools, data visualization, and financial modeling.

Communication Skills:

• Exceptional executive-level communication and presentation skills, capable of distilling highly complex strategies and detailed program updates into compelling, concise narratives for Board and C-Suite audiences.
• Superior executive-level written and oral communication skills, capable of articulating complex strategic visions and detailed program updates with clarity, precision, and measurable impact.

Education & Certifications:

• Professional finance qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA/CA or equivalent) — required.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field; MBA desirable
• Project or change management certifications (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Prosci) — preferred but not essential.

 

 

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: We are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

 

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

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