Finance Manager, Operations and Global Functions

Job Summary

Finance Manager, Operations and Global Functions

Do you enjoy using financial insight to shape decisions and improve business performance

Do you enjoy partnering with senior stakeholders across global functions to turn financial insights into sound business decisions

About the Team

This role is part of the Elsevier Business Decision Support (BDS) team and reports to the Finance Director, Operations and Global Functions. The BDS team serves as a strategic and financial partner to business leadership, enabling better decision-making and driving improved financial performance by translating financial and operational data into forward-looking insights, constructive challenge and actionable recommendations.

About the Role

As our Finance Manager - Operations & Global Functions, you ll be a trusted finance partner to senior leaders, helping them manage costs, make sound financial decisions, and shape and deliver their longer-term plans.

You ll support Operations and Global Functions leadership across areas including HR, Strategy, Global Communications and Marketing. You ll lead budgeting, forecasting and performance analysis for operating expenses and direct costs, turning financial information into clear recommendations and practical actions.

As our business moves from traditional workflows towards agentic AI-enabled ways of working, you ll help leaders understand the financial impact of that change. You ll model the opportunities, reflect them in forecasts, and monitor outcomes so the business can make informed decisions and adjust course when needed.

This hands-on role is suited to an experienced finance professional with strong business acumen, a solid understanding of operational cost drivers and direct-cost management, and the ability to independently partner with and influence senior stakeholders in an international environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted finance partner to senior leaders across Operations and Global Functions, developing a deep understanding of business priorities, operational processes and underlying cost drivers to support effective decision-making.
• Take end-to-end ownership of financial planning and performance for assigned areas, including budgeting, rolling forecasts and long-term planning, ensuring robust assumptions, reliable financial outlooks and clear accountability for risks and opportunities.
• Translate financial and operational data into actionable insights, explaining performance drivers, anticipating developments, identifying risks and opportunities, and proactively recommending actions to improve financial outcomes.
• Provide independent financial challenge and decision support, evaluating alternatives, developing business cases and scenarios, and influencing strategic and operational decisions through sound financial judgement.
• Drive direct-cost transparency and productivity improvements, developing a thorough understanding of cost structures, operational volumes, unit economics and efficiency drivers to identify, quantify and monitor opportunities for sustainable cost improvement.
• Support business transformation and AI-enabled workflows, modelling the financial impact of operational and technology changes, incorporating agreed initiatives into financial plans and monitoring the delivery of expected benefits.
• Ensure high standards of financial integrity and control, including accurate reporting, robust forecasting, appropriate accruals, effective cost governance and timely resolution of financial issues.
• Proactively lead the financial agenda across assigned areas, engaging stakeholders, challenging assumptions, communicating clear financial narratives and driving agreed actions through to completion.

Requirements

• A postgraduate qualification in Finance, Business, Economics or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience. Professional qualifications such as CA, CMA or MBA (Finance) are valued.
• At least five years of relevant experience in finance business partnering, FP&A, performance consulting or financial advisory, preferably within an international corporate environment, with a proven track record of independently supporting senior stakeholders and owning financial planning for a significant business scope.
• Strong experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial performance analysis, management reporting and cost management, including direct costs.
• A proactive, self-driven approach, with demonstrated ability to take end-to-end ownership of complex financial responsibilities, anticipate issues, identify opportunities and deliver results independently.
• Proven ability to understand complex operational processes and cost structures, identify the underlying drivers of financial performance and translate business developments into actionable financial insights and recommendations.
• Experience in scenario planning, investment appraisal, business case development and financial modelling, ideally supporting business transformation or technology-driven initiatives.
• Strong commercial acumen, sound financial judgement and a solid understanding of accounting principles, financial governance and controls, with the confidence to constructively challenge and influence senior stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with financial planning, reporting and analytical tools. Familiarity with SAP, Oracle, Hyperion, Anaplan or Power BI is an advantage.
• Excellent communication, analytical and organisational skills, with fluency in written and spoken English and the ability to manage competing priorities and collaborate effectively across functions, geographies and time zones.

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