Why is this job for You:

Program Manager RTA is an exciting new role primarily responsible for the planning, execution and benefits realization of various RTA projects and working with the respective Communications & Change Management manager, to ensure communications and change are managed effectively across the Finance Organization. You will be reporting to EMEA Regional Process Owner, RTA. You will be providing appropriate assurance that the agreed commitments and benefits are being met in an effective and timely manner as well as managing the project risk areas and expectations. You will also support the appropriate interactions with the Project Management Office and the Regional Operations Lead, consulting on risk and issue management, communicating summaries to leadership on progress and any issue resolution.

This is a hands-on, delivery role that will be accountable for delivering one of the most ambitious Finance projects in IP. You will provide direction to each Finance team in EMEA and will be prepared to work alongside the current Shared Service Centre[s] and Country Finance team to deliver the improvements. Resources from within the Shared Service Centre and Country Finance teams will work alongside this role.

Travel within EMEA will be essential.

You will:

• Provide ‘hands-on’ expertise in prioritizing, scoping and implementing the agreed RTA initiatives, including rationalizing JV’s & Reconciliations, Period End Close activities and tactical country improvements to optimize their placement within the CSO structure
• Drive the programme in a way that delivers the defined Finance GO vision, to achieve the optimal balance of efficiency and effectiveness, while working alongside other programmes e.g. SAP S4 HANA, Blackline / Trintech, Global Intercompany Automation
• Deliver sustainable, pragmatic solutions that can be standardized across EMEA with clear accountabilities
• Quickly assess large quantities of data / information, to identify root causes
• Work with the Controls team to refine / update and implement changes to the existing policies and procedure
• Work with the Technology team to define and implement improvements to the existing systems landscape
• Work with the Regional Operations Lead to engage with external stakeholders as needed for regulatory / legal advice and advise of changes / operating practice changes
• Work with the Communications and Change Management manager to ensure communications and change management activities are appropriate and timely and ensure activities are correctly placed within the Central Services Organization
• Support the Regional Process Owner RTA in continuing to build a culture of engagement and collaboration with their internal customers
• Motivate and provide clear direction to project teams, to deliver the results defined in the project charter
• Actively engage staff from across the EMEA Finance community to deliver the defined changes; from senior stakeholders in the FLT to administrative resources at a plant level
• Prepare and deliver status updates on program deliverables and milestones, updating the Global Finance PMO and stakeholders periodically
• Work with the PMO to develop and maintain a comprehensive Charters, including achievable project plans
• Maintain project RAID (risks, actions, issues, and decisions) logs, ensuring effective follow up and issue resolution is achieved and appropriately communicated.
• Identification of potential risks and resource constraints, developing appropriate action plans
• Support project managers in developing their skills and understanding of project methodology
• Ensure key project tools are used effectively at an appropriate level of quality, such as communication plans, Gantt charts, performance measurements, recommended ME tools etc.
• Work with RTA regional process owner to ensure the benefits and cost position is accurately reflected
• Ensure there is adequate documentation of process maps, procedures and roles & responsibilities to support new processes along with making sure any additional knowledge retention requirements identified have been met

You have:

• Strong project management skills with solid track record of planning and executing projects in a Finance environment successfully
• Deep knowledge of accounting, with a minimum of 8 years operational management expertise
• A proven track record of successfully delivering a project of this scope
• White belt and ideally Yellow Belt Six Sigma qualifications, desirable
• Experience of managing large, European centric, Finance change programs
• Degree or masters in BA, Finance or project management [MBA is preferable]
• Experience of program co-ordination/administration
• Experience of working in a SOX environment desirable
• The Vision and commitment to drive excellence in RTA, across all EMEA countries
• A strong customer centric approach
• Knowledge of Finance operations in a SAP ECC6, HANA and S4 HANA environment
• Knowledge of the latest technologies to complement the SAP technology stack, as well as how to leverage the existing platform capabilities
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work in a multi-tasking, rapidly changing, sometimes stressful environment
• Ability to enforce standards across internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent spoken and written English, other languages desirable
• Experience of working in various EMEA countries
• Ability to travel