Head of Finance and Business Operations, UK & Ireland

Job Description

About This Role  

We are seeking a strategic and dynamic Head of Finance and Business Operations to lead the financial and operational activities in the UK & Ireland. This role is pivotal in driving financial performance, operational excellence, and ensuring the overall efficiency of the business. The successful candidate will provide strong leadership, financial insight, and strategic direction to support the company's growth objectives. This role encompasses: (1) Ownership of all financial processes for the UK/Ireland affiliate, including Business Planning, actuals reporting and analysis for US GAAP and UK/Ireland statutory accounting including R&D activities, (2) Partnering strategically with the business to shape financial strategy, driving business growth and contributing to longer term business objectives.

What You’ll Do  

• Provide strategic financial support to the organization:  
  • Partner with business to drive financial strategy, growth stratregy and achievement of longer term objectives
  • Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
  • Provide financial analysis and insights to support decision-making and long-term planning across all aspects of the P&L to drive improved performance
  • Monitor ongoing business performance against budgets/forecasts/KPI’s, identifying reason for variances and advising local management on any appropriate action
  • Present financial results to local teams and others as required
  • Review and input on new investment proposals, assisting in the development of business cases, review and approvals.
  • Provide oversight for all financial processes impacting on the UK / Ireland, whether such processes are completed by the local affiliate team or by outsourced / shared service vendors
     
• Team Leadership and People Development 
  • Provide leadership (including team guidance and providing an escalation point) for Finance, Facilities Management, Standards & Governance and Quality & Distribution teams, a total team consisting of nine individuals
  • Active member of local affiliate leadership, site leadership, EU Finance Leadership and active engagement with local external bodies
  • Recruit and develop a high functioning team. Ensure adherence to corporate values and behaviours
  • Develop and promote talents, organize succession planning and ensure all members have a meaningful development plan
  • Ensure robust organizational design, adapting to business requirements as needed
     
• Compliance with rules and regulations 
  • Ensure compliance with all financial regulations and corporate governance standards (e.g., US GAAP, FCPA / UK Bribery, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, etc.)
  • Oversee internal and external audits and implement necessary controls
  • Adapt local processes to remain compliant with changing regulations
  • Ensure continued corporate governance of all UK & Ireland legal entities as both a statutory board member of all entities and Senior Accounting Officer for UK entities
  • Support the Responsible Person for Import for UK and Responsible Person for Ireland in the execution of their duties, and ensure adequate, competent personnel and resources are assigned to GDP-related activities 
  • Provide support to the WDA Holder for UK and Ireland in all regulatory aspects
  • Review quality and business risks presented to management by quality personnel
  • Foster a culture of quality compliance within the organisation
     
• Continuous Improvement and Project Management
  • Drive operational efficiency across all business functions
  • Implement robust business processes and systems to support growth and scalability, utilizing GBS (Shared Services) where possible, in order to drive efficiency
  • Lead initiatives to improve operational performance, drive continuous improvement and reduce costs

Who You Are  

You are an experienced finance professional with a sound knowledge of accounting and related data processing, with public accounting experience. You are an enthusiastic self-starter with strong communication skills and an aptitude and hunger for change management. Its critical that you are an individual who leads from the front and pulls others along.

Qualifications

Required Skills: 

• Degree in Business Studies, Accounting, Finance or related field
• Professional certification required such as ACA, ACCA, CPA
• 15+ years of professional experience in progressively senior finance and/or accounting roles
• Public Accounting experience (Big 4 Accounting Firms, ‘PwC’, ‘Deloitte’, ‘EY’, KPMG) preferred
• Sound knowledge of accounting and the related data processing (e.g., accounting systems, spreadsheets, etc.)
• Experience working in a US multinational and / or UK pharmaceutical industry, brings pragmatic challenge to status-quo to drive change through partnership
• A self-starter / shows initiative and high level of accuracy / analytics skills, is curious and professional skeptic
• Change management aptitude and ability to lead evaluation and driving implementation of change
• Great communication skills – ability to take complex topics and convey them simply and succinctly
• Excellent IT skills (Microsoft Office, Oracle, Hyperion or comparable systems)
• Experience working with a UK / EU pharmaceutical company
• Experience managing people, coaching and developing people and growing less experience team members
• Experience and interest in engaging externally with customers and industry bodies

Additional Information

Why Biogen?

We are a global team with a commitment to excellence, and a pioneering spirit. As a mid-sized biotechnology company, we provide the stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment where individual contributions make a significant impact. Our team encompasses some of the most talented and passionate achievers who have unparalleled opportunities for learning, growth, and expanding their skills. Above all, we work together to deliver life-changing medicines, with every role playing a vital part in our mission. Caring Deeply. Achieving Excellence. Changing Lives.

At Biogen, we are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. We know that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives make us a stronger and more innovative company, and we are focused on building teams where every employee feels empowered and inspired. Read on to learn more about our DE&I efforts.