Financial Director
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
Finance Director – Retail (CFO Pathway) Location: Dubai Industry: Retail The Opportunity A leading regional retail and distribution group is seeking a Finance Director to play a key role in driving financial performance, strengthening operational discipline, and supporting continued expansion across multiple markets.
Key Skills for This Role
Full Job Posting
The Opportunity
A leading regional retail and distribution group is seeking a Finance Director to play a key role in
driving financial performance, strengthening operational discipline, and supporting continued expansion across multiple markets
.
This is a high-impact leadership role within a complex, multi-entity environment, offering
broad exposure across retail and distribution operations
, and a clear pathway toward a full Chief Financial Officer mandate.
The position will suit a commercially minded finance leader looking to step into a role with
greater ownership, influence, and regional scope
.
Role Purpose
The Finance Director will be responsible for
leading financial performance, enhancing cash flow discipline, and supporting the ongoing development of a scalable and robust finance function
.
Working closely with the senior leadership team, the role combines
strategic input with hands-on execution
, with a strong emphasis on driving measurable improvements across the business.
Financial Performance & Control
- Drive overall financial performance, focusing on
- profitability, cost optimization, and margin improvement
- Strengthen
- working capital management
- , including inventory, payables, and cash flow discipline
- Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking across multiple business units
Commercial Finance & Business Partnering
- Partner closely with commercial and operational teams to support
- data-driven decision-making
- Provide insight into
- store performance, category profitability, and trading dynamics
- Support pricing, promotions, and supplier negotiations with strong financial analysis
Transformation & Process Improvement
- Lead initiatives to improve
- financial reporting, planning processes, and operational visibility
- Support the continued evolution of the finance function in line with business growth
- Drive improvements in systems, controls, and overall finance infrastructure (ERP exposure preferred)
Strategic Support
- Work directly with the leadership team on
- business planning, investment decisions, and expansion strategy
- Contribute to transformation initiatives and performance improvement programs
- Support key strategic projects, including restructuring and operational optimization
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and develop a high-performing finance team across multiple markets
- Build capability within the function to support increasing business complexity
- Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
Regional Scope & Travel
This is a
regional role
supporting operations across multiple markets.
The position requires
regular international travel
to engage with business units, support performance reviews, and drive alignment across the organization.
Experience
- Proven experience as a
- Finance Director or Head of Finance
- within
- retail, grocery, or FMCG environments
- Strong exposure to
- multi-site or multi-entity operations
- Experience in
- high-volume, commercially driven retail environments
- is essential
- Background in
- structured European (preferably UK) retail organizations
- is highly desirable
- Demonstrated success in
- improving financial performance and driving operational efficiency
Capabilities
- Strong
- commercial acumen
- , with the ability to link finance to operational performance
- Hands-on approach with the ability to operate both
- strategically and operationally
- Experience in
- financial planning, working capital management, and performance analysis
- Exposure to
- ERP systems and finance transformation initiatives
Personal Attributes
- Ambitious and motivated to step into a broader leadership role
- Confident in engaging with senior stakeholders and influencing decision-making
- Resilient and adaptable within fast-paced and evolving environments
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability
Why This Role
- Opportunity to step into a
- broader, high-impact leadership role
- Exposure to both
- retail and distribution business models
- Direct engagement with
- senior leadership and strategic decision-making
- Platform for progression toward a
Chief Financial Officer Position
- Experience operating across a
- multi-country regional footprint
Process
This is a
confidential search
.
Further details will be shared with shortlisted candidates.
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