Senior Finance Manager, Global Merchandising [AQ-11816]

Aquent is partnering with a prominent global retailer in the beauty sector, a a company renowned for its innovative approach and commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences worldwide. This organization is a leader in its field, constantly pushing boundaries to shape the future of the beauty industry. As an Aquent talent, you will have the unique opportunity to join this trailblazing team, contributing your expertise to a dynamic environment that values strategic insight and operational excellence.

Are you a highly analytical and strategic finance professional ready to make a significant impact on global financial operations? We are seeking a visionary finance leader to step into a pivotal role where your expertise will directly influence strategic decision-making and optimize resource allocation across global initiatives. This is your chance to drive significant change, enhance financial visibility, strengthen controls, and optimize funding, directly contributing to the strategic direction and operational excellence of a fast-paced global retail environment. If you thrive in a dynamic, cross-functional setting and are passionate about blending financial acumen with strategic business partnership, this role offers an unparalleled opportunity to shape the financial future of a leading global brand.

What You’ll Do

Global Financial Leadership & Strategy

• Lead comprehensive financial planning, tracking, and reporting for brand incubation budgets and global operating expenses, ensuring strategic alignment and fiscal responsibility.
• Collaborate closely with regional stakeholders to meticulously track spend, review actuals, resolve issues, and align on critical forecast assumptions across diverse markets.
• Mastermind and manage intricate forecasting cycles, including annual budgets, bi-annual forecasts, monthly forecasts, and critical year-end financial landing processes.
• Craft and deliver executive-ready reporting, dynamic dashboards, and strategic financial updates for senior leadership, transforming complex data into clear, compelling financial narratives.
• Oversee invoicing, accruals, funding alignment, and precise budget tracking activities for global initiatives, ensuring seamless financial operations.

Advanced Financial Analysis & Insight Generation

• Prepare and distribute insightful monthly reporting packages, rolling forecasts, and detailed variance analyses for leadership, empowering informed decisions.
• Proactively analyze financial trends, identify potential risks and exciting opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations that directly influence business outcomes and funding needs.
• Navigate the complexities of multi-currency planning and reporting, expertly handling foreign exchange conversions and ensuring accurate year-over-year comparisons.
• Conduct sophisticated ad hoc financial analysis, develop robust scenario models, and perform in-depth business performance evaluations to support critical strategic decision-making.
• Translate intricate financial data into concise, impactful business insights, crafting executive-level stories that resonate and drive action.

Strategic Cross-Functional Partnership

• Forge strong partnerships with Finance, business, and regional/global teams to champion strategic financial decision-making across the organization.
• Cultivate robust relationships across diverse cross-functional teams, ensuring seamless alignment on financial priorities, forecasts, and operational goals.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of global strategies, initiatives, and key calendar milestones, proactively anticipating funding and reporting requirements.
• Influence stakeholders and drive alignment within highly matrixed global organizations, fostering strong cross-functional relationships and elevating business partnership.

Process Innovation & Operational Excellence

• Evaluate and strategically optimize existing financial processes, reporting tools, and workflows to unlock new levels of efficiency and accuracy.
• Implement transformative process improvements that significantly enhance efficiency, transparency, controls, and reporting accuracy across all financial operations.
• Lead initiatives for automation, standardization, and documentation, dramatically reducing manual effort and boosting scalability.
• Champion continuous improvement efforts across financial planning and operational reporting processes, driving scalable solutions that accelerate speed, enhance transparency, and sharpen decision-making.

Qualifications

Must-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field.
• 5–10+ years of progressive FP&A, Finance, or Strategic Finance experience.
• Proven ownership of end-to-end budget management, including forecasting, variance analysis, and financial close activities.
• Strong experience supporting executive-level reporting and business partnership initiatives.
• Experience managing multi-currency reporting and foreign exchange (FX) analysis.
• Advanced Excel expertise, including pivots, formulas, and financial modeling.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
• Comfortable working across global time zones and supporting international business partners.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• MBA strongly preferred.
• Experience in retail, consumer products, or a global enterprise environment.
• Experience with financial planning and reporting tools.

About Aquent Talent

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

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