VP - Finance Technology, Strategy, & Innovation

About the role

Wakefield is seeking an accomplished Finance technology executive to serve as Vice President-Finance Systems, Strategy, & Innovation — a global leadership role with enterprise-wide responsibility for advancing the strategy, modernization, and performance of the company's Finance technology landscape. Reporting to the SVP & CIO, Enterprise Technology, this leader will act as the primary technology partner to the CFO organization and will shape the digital, data, and AI-enabled agenda supporting Finance transformation at global scale. This mandate requires a commercially minded, transformation-oriented leader who can operate with credibility in senior Finance and C-suite forums while translating enterprise priorities into scalable, resilient technology solutions. The successful candidate will bring the strategic range to define a multi-year roadmap, the delivery discipline to execute complex programs, and the executive presence to influence across a highly matrixed global organization. This is a pivotal opportunity for a leader who blends Finance domain fluency, enterprise technology depth, AI-enabled innovation, and global operating experience. The VP will be expected to elevate the partnership between Finance and Technology, strengthen governance and operational excellence across a complex multi-vendor portfolio, and position the Finance function for the next generation of digital capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a compelling, multi-year Finance Systems roadmap that aligns to Cushman's enterprise architecture, ERP modernization program, and corporate AI strategy
• Own the strategic response to critical platform milestones including the OneStream EPM Planning go-live, OneStream Consolidations go-live, Workday Financial Data Model redesign, and HFM/Essbase historical data migration to Databricks Bronze
• Lead investment prioritization across the ~50+ application Global Finance portfolio — balancing innovation, risk reduction, and operational continuity in a globally complex environment
• Partner with Enterprise Data, Governance & Risk functions to ensure Finance technology decisions align to Cushman's broader platform strategy and data governance standards
• Drive rationalization and consolidation of the Finance system portfolio with a bias toward capability, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Serve as a thought partner to Finance leadership on how AI reshapes the Finance operating model — advancing how the function operates, not merely adding tools
• Lead identification, validation, and delivery of AI and intelligent automation use cases across the Finance function — including FP&A forecasting agents, variance analysis automation, close management intelligence, and spend analytics
• Drive embedded AI capability within core Finance platforms including Workday Financials, OneStream EPM, and the Finance Data Lake (Databricks), governed through appropriate intake and risk frameworks
• Champion responsible, governance-aligned AI adoption in partnership with the Enterprise AI Governance Council and Cushman's AI ethics and compliance framework
• Ongoing partnerships with all Finance leaders to drive continuous improvement across the entire ecosystem
• Partner with Databricks Professional Services and internal Data Engineers on Finance Data Lake buildout — ensuring structured data readiness for AI and analytics use cases
• Serve as the primary technology relationship owner for the CFO, Divisional CFOs, Global Controller, Global FP&A leadership, and Finance Operations — operating as a trusted advisor and peer, not a service provider
• Operate as a peer and thought partner to Finance executives — translating technology strategy into commercially framed business outcomes
• Present Finance technology strategy, investment cases, and program status in clear, business-framed narratives that include cross functional dependencies and wholistic enterprise outcomes for CFO and other C-suite forums
• Drive consensus across competing functional priorities with directness and transparency, ensuring Finance technology resources are allocated to highest-impact work
• Represent Enterprise Technology in Finance-led governance forums, steering committees, and Finance AI Council meetings
• Build stakeholder trust through consistent delivery credibility, proactive communication, and genuine understanding of Finance business objectives
• Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing global team of Finance Systems professionals spanning business analysis, platform management, delivery, Workday configuration, Innovation, and AI strategy
• Operate within a bimodal organizational model — maintaining and developing delivery capability while simultaneously building strategic and innovation capacity within the team
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous learning — setting high performance expectations while investing in team growth and AI literacy
• Build and maintain a talent pipeline for critical Finance technology roles; invest in succession planning and upskilling across the team
• Oversee program delivery across all Finance technology initiatives — from ERP enhancements and AI use case launches to major platform go-lives — ensuring governance, risk management, and milestone discipline
• Partner with the VP, People Systems to ensure data model alignment and seamless integration across Workday Finance and HCM platforms
• Maintain SOX compliance and Finance security model integrity across all in-scope systems; serve as Technology's primary liaison to Internal Audit on financial controls and access governance
• Manage all Finance technology vendor relationships including Workday, OneStream, ERPOne, Deloitte, etc., and 50+ application vendors — negotiating value, driving accountability, and ensuring contractual performance
• Ensure system reliability, data integrity, and operational continuity across the full ~50+ -application Finance portfolio serving a global Finance user base
• Define and achieve Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators across all Finance technology platforms; drive continuous service improvement proactively
• Own the Finance Systems technology budget — opex and capex — ensuring disciplined financial governance and maximum return on investment
• Develop annual budget plans and multi-year financial forecasts in partnership with the CIO and Finance leadership, clearly articulating investment cases and expected outcomes
• Drive cost optimization through vendor consolidation, license rationalization, and operating model efficiency across the Finance technology portfolio

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field; Master's degree or MBA preferred
• 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with a minimum of 5 years in senior Finance technology or ERP leadership roles at global enterprise scale
• Demonstrated experience owning and managing Finance technology platforms across multiple geographies including ERP (Workday Financials, JDE, or equivalent), EPM (OneStream, Hyperion, Essbase, or equivalent), and adjacent Finance applications
• Proven track record of delivering complex, multi-stakeholder Finance technology transformation programs on time and within budget
• Demonstrated ability to manage and influence CFO-level and C-suite stakeholders with credibility, gravitas, and commercial acumen
• Experience driving AI adoption within Finance functions — including familiarity with AI use case development, governance frameworks, and responsible AI practices
• Strong understanding of financial close, consolidation, planning, and reporting processes; ability to speak the language of Finance leadership
• Experience managing SOX compliance and financial controls within a technology context; working knowledge of Internal Audit requirements for financial systems
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing multi-million-dollar technology budgets across opex and capex

Benefits

• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Health savings accounts
• Retirement savings plans
• Life and disability insurance programs
• Paid and unpaid time away from work

Pay

$212,500.00 - $250,000.00