Head of Finance Partnering, SEA

• Extensive Finance Expertise with 8–10 years of experience in finance, leadership, and cross-functional analytical skills.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and business insight
• Proficient in budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, predictive analytics, and finance technologies
• Collaborative Leadership and Mindset
• The role can be based in Singapore or Malaysia. Relocation support is not available

Role purpose

To lead the finance business partnering function for foodservice business units in South East Asia. You will be responsible for overseeing that actionable financial insights and decision support is provided to the business units ensuring informed decision-making and driving financial performance in line with targets. You will act as a key liaison between group finance and business unit senior leadership, fostering collaboration and aligning financial strategies with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Review evaluated financial implications and provide advice on strategic and operational transactions and decisions 'on the ground' within the business unit.
• Use knowledge of business imperatives to identify and drive business optimisation, providing actionable insights in a digestible way to business leaders through data-driven storytelling.
• Lead the prioritisation of strategic investment decisions to meet Group targets, including financial rigour in business case development.
• Develop and Communicate Strategic Plan and Growth Targets and Ensure Alignment across Business Units
• Identify and drive revenue growth and cost reduction opportunities across their BU/market

Performance Management

• Ultimate accountability for reporting on business unit performance against financial targets, both historical and forward looking.
• Ensure Enterprise Performance Management frameworks are effectively implemented to drive continuous improvement.
• Validate and challenge the identification of key performance indicators (KPIs) by team and review insights and recommendations on key performance indicators (KPIs) to manage business unit performance.
• Provide business unit leaders with updates and provide constructive challenge to influence the implementation of recommendations to drive business performance based on KPI analysis.

Financial Reporting and Processes

• Accountable for the timely provision of accurate and insightful monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and variance analysis for the business unit.
• Oversee budgeting, planning and forecasting processes and ensure alignment with Group policies, governance and standards.
• Advocate for and encourage continuous improvement efforts and ideas to drive optimised processes and outcomes.

Strategic Financial Leadership and Business Partnering

• Provide strategic commercial direction for business partnering activities for Operations, Ingredients, Consumer and/or Foodservices
• Act as the strategic finance business partner and trusted advisor for the business unit.
• Demonstrate integrity and transparency in finance reporting and decision-making processes.
• Provide strategic financial leadership to the business leaders, lead robust data-driven financial discussions with a whole-of-system thinking approach to ensure financial rigour, innovative insights and effective financial strategies to support business goals.
• Understand the business unit context, processes, drivers and dynamics to anticipate and inform financial strategies
• Build and maintain strong, trusting relationships with business leaders and credibly coach, provoke and challenge in a constructive, value-add way.
• Lead and facilitate commercial/finance discussions with leaders in customers/distributors/suppliers, etc.

Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead the Finance Business Partnering subfunction and be responsible for the performance of the function.
• Coach and mentor team members, offering guidance (inc. support for challenging conversations) to foster a cohesive and motivated work environment.
• Maintain high levels of team engagement by fostering a positive work culture and recognising achievements.
• Leverage networks and systematically collaborate to align interests and deploy leading thinking, role modelling 'One Finance' to deliver positive outcomes

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• Professional certification such as CA (Chartered Accountant), CPA (Certified Public Accountant) or CMA (Certified Management Accountant) or equivalent.
• Minimum 8 to 10 years experience in finance or related field with a cross-functional analytical finance skillset, track record of effective leadership/management experience
• Proactive partnering with senior stakeholders using coaching knowledge and skill
• Business technical expertise and commercial acumen
• Strategic thinking and business insight for decision making
• Familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes
• Analytical and collaborative problem-solving abilities including understanding of financial / scenario modelling, predictive/advanced analytics and proficiency in data driven problem-solving
• Communication, interpersonal and relationship management skills including influencing, challenging and negotiation
• Enterprise mindset and systems thinking
• Finance technology and systems proficiency e.g. SAC, PowerBI, ERP
• A bias towards personal accountability, learning agility, growth mindset, resilience, managing through complexity
• Demonstrable regional experience across South East Asia preferred.
• Candidates with a background in Southeast Asian markets and relevant experience in dairy, foodservice or FMCG are strongly preferred.

Our Co-operative

Te Mātāpuna toa takitini

Fonterra's strength is in the collective.

We are a Co-operative created and owned by Aotearoa New Zealand dairy farmers. Our rich history is built on farming families working together to share the natural goodness of our dairy with the world.

Collaboration, innovation, and passion was the cornerstone of our creation and something we continue to value today through our commitment to care for the land, our animals, and every drop of milk. Our milk creates goodness through nutritious food with safe, quality ingredients that are loved in New Zealand and around the world.

Anchor Food Professionals (AFP) is the dedicated foodservice division of Fonterra, created to serve chefs, bakers, and foodservice operators across different countries. It provides high-quality, purpose-built dairy products and solutions tailored to the needs of professional kitchens, including butter, cheese, whipping and cooking creams, and liquid milks. AFP operates in over 50 countries, making it one of the leading brands in the global foodservice industry. Its footprint spans Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, with tailored solutions for diverse culinary markets.