Regional Chief Financial Officer, North America (Education)

ERM is seeking a Regional Chief Financial Officer (RCFO) in North America. The Role Reports to the Global Chief Financial Officer with accountability to the Regional CEO (RCEO) for North America (NA).   The RCFO will be an integral part of the NA strategic and operational leadership with responsibility for all aspects of NA finance including financial planning, accounting and controls, treasury, tax strategy, and transformation. Leading a large and dispersed team, the RCFO will spearhead the continued transformation of the finance organization in line with the global transformation. This role will serve as a key contributor within the global finance organization, playing an integral part in shaping and advancing our strategic agenda. It will hold significant influence and accountability within the North American region, representing the region's interests as a core member of the global CFO leadership team.

The successful candidate will serve as a trusted partner to the RCEO and broader NA leadership team in all aspects of the NA's business and will help lead the development of the NA's financial plan each year. Although the RCFO's primary responsibilities will encompass the financial elements of the organization, successful impact on the organization equally depends on the individual's general business acumen, leadership, and business judgment and management experience.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Business Management – Establish a single cohesive and unified finance team, integrating regional finance leadership to operate as a cohesive unit. Elevate the role of finance as a strategic business partner and key decision-maker across the organization. Collaborate closely with Group and North American leadership to drive accountability for business performance, by rolling up sleeves and driving deep into the business to identify opportunities, implement strategic initiatives, and lead transformative change across the region. Assume full responsibility for the preparation and delivery of all regional finance reports, including monthly and annual regional performance reviews.
• Operational Financial Management & Control – Lead the delivery of robust financial planning and control processes, including performance trend analysis, billability, pricing, profitability, and asset utilization. Maintain rigorous cost discipline and ensure tight cash flow management. Enhance the quality of business intelligence and the performance review process to provide deeper insights that support strategic decision-making. Strengthen the policy framework and ensure consistent application of sales, backlog, and revenue recognition standards. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to improve working capital performance, balancing immediate wins with long-term structural improvements.
• Finance Transformation – Drive increased efficiency and visibility of business performance including, but not limited to, implementation of harmonized KPIs, automation of manual/transactional processes and ERP system upgrade. Resource and execute on first phase of Finance Effectiveness and Global Process & Data projects. 
• M&A – Taking a leading role in NA M&A transactions from due diligence to post acquisition integration.
• Management – Take leadership of the large-scale existing NA team and create excellent remote working relationships across the organization. Encourage the team to challenge the status quo and strengthen commercial understanding to enhance Finance's business partnership.

The successful candidate will deliver strong financial management, effective controls and bring commercial insights to the NA Leadership team. An ability to shape and drive transformation across people, processes and systems is critical. Candidate Profile ERM seeks an experienced finance leader to partner with the NA Leadership team in managing the continued growth and transformation of the business. This individual must operate as a strong partner to the RCEO and other members of the management team and bring strong business insight to the table as well as excellent financial leadership credentials.

The successful candidate will have extensive leadership experience in complex US organizations and have some Canada experience as well. In addition to possessing a track-record of driving change and transformation initiatives at a regional level in order to deliver efficiency and increased visibility into the business. Experience as a regional Finance Director in a professional services or private equity-backed environment is preferred.

S/he will have expertise and comfort in driving an inorganic and organic growth agenda; prior M&A and integration experience is preferred.

ERM is looking for an experienced RCFO to provide a commercial sounding board to the business, be deeply involved in making the organization more efficient and effective.  A US and Canada role, s/he will be experienced in developing a successful finance function that operates across geographies and will be adept at quickly understanding different jurisdictions and the issues this can present with pricing, tax and treasury related matters.

High intellect, with strong academics, decisiveness and the drive and flexibility to operate in a constantly changing context will be essential. In short, someone who will rise to the challenge of working with high-quality peers in a top tier organization, whose intellectual curiosity is balanced with emotional intelligence. Ultimately, the RCFO will be a credible financial expert, an exemplary leader of people, a trusted advisor to the RCEO, and a strategic and operational business partner to the other business leaders.

Behaviorally and stylistically, s/he will demonstrate a lifelong commitment to learning and professional development, a strong work ethic, a willingness to personally “roll-up-sleeves” to drive results, a preference for collaboration and partnership over ego, and high emotional intelligence. Above all, the RCFO will be an assertive and self-motivated individual, who possesses unquestioned integrity and the highest ethical standards. In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Setting Strategy

• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the NA strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization and push the boundaries within the industry.
• The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.

Executing for Results

• The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the region to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• A risk-taker who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.

Leading Teams

• The ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers.
• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives the region's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.
• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in their beliefs, and active drive.
• Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team. Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the region.

Who We Are:

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world's leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

Please submit your resume and brief cover letter. 

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Thank you for your interest in ERM!

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