Location: Singapore
Industry: Manufacturing / Process Manufacturing
We have been instructed by a sizeable international manufacturing group with significant operations across Asia, Europe and North America to appoint a Chief Financial Officer based in Singapore.
This is a newly created leadership position, reporting directly to the CEO, and represents a significant strengthening of the Group's finance leadership capability.
The organisation employs several thousand people across its international operations and maintains a substantial manufacturing footprint. The incoming CFO will lead a sizeable regional finance organisation and take responsibility for the full spectrum of finance activities across the business.
This is not intended to be a purely accounting or reporting-focused CFO position. The successful candidate will be expected to combine strong technical finance expertise with commercial judgement, operational understanding and forward-looking financial leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the overall finance function and act as a key strategic partner to the CEO and senior leadership team.
- Take ownership of Finance, Accounting, Controlling, Treasury, Tax, Financial Planning and Analysis, and Governance.
- Lead and develop a regional finance organisation of approximately 40–50 professionals.
- Oversee financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow planning and long-term financial planning.
- Translate financial performance into clear commercial insights and help senior management understand the business story behind the numbers.
- Develop robust forecasting models and provide informed forward-looking analysis to support business decisions.
- Partner closely with manufacturing and operational leadership on cost control, productivity, margins, working capital and profitability.
- Oversee manufacturing-related finance including standard costing, inventory, plant performance and operational financial controls.
- Strengthen financial systems, reporting processes, governance and internal controls across the organisation.
- Lead treasury, funding, banking relationships and liquidity management.
- Oversee statutory reporting, tax and audit requirements across relevant jurisdictions.
- Support capital expenditure, capacity investment and strategic expansion decisions.
- Provide financial leadership in relation to corporate development, restructuring, financing or capital-market initiatives where relevant.
- Support the continued professionalisation and internationalisation of the Group's finance function.
- Travel internationally as required, with approximately 25% travel across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Candidate Profile
We are particularly interested in senior finance leaders with strong experience in manufacturing, process manufacturing, industrial products, chemicals, healthcare-related manufacturing or other complex production environments.
Ideal candidates will bring:
- Approximately 15+ years of progressive finance experience.
- Existing CFO experience, or substantial experience as a Finance Director / Regional Finance Director / Head of Finance, ideally with at least five years at senior leadership level.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing economics, including costing, inventory, working capital, margins and plant performance.
- Proven experience leading sizeable finance teams across multiple entities or jurisdictions.
- Strong capability across accounting, controlling, FP&A, treasury, tax and financial governance.
- The ability to combine technical finance expertise with strong commercial and operational judgement.
- Experience working directly with CEOs, Boards and senior business leaders.
- IPO, capital markets or public-company experience would be a significant advantage.
- A recognised professional accounting qualification such as CPA, CA, ACCA or equivalent would be highly regarded.
- Strong academic credentials.
- Fluent, highly professional English, with the ability to operate confidently in an international leadership environment.
- A hands-on, high-energy leadership style and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity to build and shape the CFO function within a sizeable international manufacturing organisation.
This role carries significant influence across financial strategy, operational performance, business planning, governance and future growth.
For an experienced manufacturing finance leader, this offers the opportunity to move beyond traditional finance stewardship and play a central role in the continued development of an international industrial business.
All applications and discussions will be handled in strict confidence.
