Financial Controller - Shared Services Centre

Financial Controller – Newly Established Shared Service Centre

Our client is a growing and successful business operating across the FMCG, distribution and retail sectors . As part of the continued development of their finance function, they are creating a new Hub Financial Controller position to lead a small international finance team based in Ireland.

The Finance Hub will provide accounting and financial support to a number of European entities, including France, Spain, the Netherlands and other markets .

This is an exciting opportunity for a Qualified Accountant with Shared Services experience who enjoys leading people while also improving how finance operates.

The successful candidate will manage a small team of accountants , with responsibility for high-quality financial reporting, strong financial controls and consistent processes across the entities supported by the Hub.

Importantly, this is not simply a traditional Financial Controller role. The business is looking for someone genuinely interested in efficiency, technology, data, automation, systems and the future of finance , including the practical application of AI.

Key Responsibilities:

Finance Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop and support a team of 2–4 accountants responsible for multiple international entities.
• Set objectives, priorities and standards while managing workloads and deadlines.
• Develop a high-performance, continuous-improvement culture.
• Act as a senior finance contact for stakeholders across the international entities.

Financial Control & Reporting

• Oversee accurate and timely month-end and year-end reporting.
• Ensure strong financial controls across the entities supported by the Hub.
• Review balance sheet reconciliations, journals, accruals, intercompany transactions and other key accounting activities.
• Ensure compliance with Group accounting policies and reporting requirements.
• Identify control weaknesses and implement improvements.
• Support internal and external audit processes.

Shared Services & Process Improvement

• Help establish and develop the Finance Hub as a high-performing centre of excellence.
• Standardise and improve accounting processes across countries and entities.
• Identify opportunities to centralise, simplify and improve finance activities.
• Develop clear processes, ownership models and KPIs for the Hub.
• Continuously challenge existing processes to improve efficiency, quality and scalability .
• Reduce manual and repetitive activities through automation and improved ways of working.

Systems, Data, Automation & AI

• Identify opportunities to use technology, automation, data analytics and AI to improve finance processes.
• Work with Finance and IT on system improvements and implementations.
• Use data to identify trends, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
• Champion the adoption of new technology and more efficient ways of working within the finance team.

About You:

We are looking for a Qualified Accountant with experience in a Shared Services, Finance Hub, GBS or multi-entity environment .

You will have strong financial control and people management experience, but also a genuine interest in improving how finance operates . You are someone who naturally looks for better ways of working and is interested in the role that systems, data, automation and AI can play in modern finance.

What We're Looking For

• Qualified Accountant – ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Experience managing and developing a finance team.
• Strong financial control, accounting and month-end experience.
• Shared Services, Finance Hub or multi-entity experience.
• Experience working across multiple countries or entities.
• Strong process improvement and controls experience.
• Good systems, Excel and data skills.
• Comfortable working with international stakeholders.

Desirable

• FMCG, retail or distribution experience.
• Experience supporting European entities.
• ERP or finance systems experience.
• Exposure to automation, BI, data analytics or AI.
• Experience developing or transforming a Finance Hub or Shared Services function.

The Person:

You will combine strong technical finance skills with a continuous-improvement mindset .

You will be a confident people manager who is analytical, pragmatic and commercially minded. You won't simply accept existing processes — you'll question them, look for efficiencies and be comfortable introducing new ideas and technology.

Most importantly, you will enjoy building, improving and evolving a finance function rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

The Opportunity:

This is a newly created role with genuine scope to shape the Finance Hub and its future operating model.

You will lead a team supporting multiple European entities while having the opportunity to improve controls, processes, systems, data and automation .

For the right person, this is a chance to move beyond traditional financial control and play a key role in finance transformation and operational leadership .