Job Title
Senior Director, Finance - International Division, Global Occupier Services
Job Description Summary
Job Description
Senior Director, Finance – International Division, Global Occupier Services
London Global Occupier Services
Cushman & Wakefield is a global leader in commercial real estate services, helping clients transform the way people work, shop, and live. The firm’s 53,000 employees in more than 70 countries provide deep local and global insights that create significant value for occupiers and investors around the world.
Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest commercial real estate services firms with revenues of $10.1 billion across core services of agency leasing, asset services, capital markets, facilities services (branded C&W Services), global occupier services, investment management (branded DTZ Investors), tenant representation, and valuations & advisory.
We have an exciting opportunity for an accomplished and strategic Senior Director of Finance to lead the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Client Finance functions across the International Division of Global Occupier Services, encompassing the EMEA and APAC regions.
This highly visible leadership role serves as the primary finance partner to the International Division President, providing financial leadership, strategic recommendations, and operational insight to drive growth, profitability, and business performance across multiple clients, regions, and service lines.
The Senior Director will build and lead an integrated team of Finance Directors & Managers responsible for FP&A and Client Finance and will provide dotted-line leadership to the Controllership organization to ensure consistent financial governance, reporting, and execution. The role will also champion finance process excellence, systems enhancement, and financial technology initiatives to improve consistency, scalability, visibility, and decision-making across the organization.
The successful candidate will be highly effective in operating within a complex, global, and highly matrixed organization. They must possess strong commercial acumen, the ability to synthesize insights from multiple financial and operational data sources, and the ability to drive outcomes in an environment where systems, processes, and data structures may vary across countries and service lines. This role requires a leader who can influence across organizational boundaries, build alignment among diverse stakeholders, and bring consistency, accountability, and strategic focus to a fragmented operating environment.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Finance Leadership & Business Partner
- Serve as the primary strategic finance partner to the International Division President and regional client delivery and service line leadership teams.
- Provide financial leadership and drive business strategy, growth initiatives, investments, organizational design, and operational priorities.
- Influence strategic decision-making through financial analysis, scenario planning, and risk assessment that drive actionable recommendations.
- Serve as a unifying finance leader across a complex and highly matrixed international organization, driving consistency in financial planning, performance management, and decision support.
- Lead executive reviews of business performance, including revenue, profitability, utilization, productivity, headcount, and margin trends.
- Establish consistent performance metrics, reporting standards, and operating rhythms across EMEA and APAC, navigating varying levels of financial maturity and system capabilities.
- Drive adoption of business intelligence, planning platforms, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics solutions within finance.
- Foster a culture of financial accountability and ownership throughout the organization.
FP&A & Client Finance Leadership
- Own the end-to-end financial planning process for the Global Occupier Services International Division, including long-range plans, annual operating plans, and monthly rolling forecasts.
- Consolidate regional financial results and provide executive-level insights regarding performance, risks, and opportunities.
- Drive forecasting accuracy, consistency, and accountability across all countries, clients, and service lines.
- Ensure finance teams deliver timely, accurate, and actionable financial reporting to support business and client decision-making.
- Drive improvements in client profitability, utilization management, revenue realization, and cost management across a fragmented systems landscape.
- Partner with the GOS commercial organization, to review and approve financial models for significant new business pursuits, contract renewals, and strategic account investments.
- Provide executive oversight for the financial onboarding and transition of new client accounts, partnering with Client Finance, Commercial, Transitions, and Account Leadership teams to ensure transitions are implemented accurately and on schedule, and financial outcomes align with underwritten expectations.
- Lead annual merit increase, bonus planning, and incentive compensation processes for supported business areas.
- Lead, develop, and mentor Finance Directors and finance leadership teams across APAC and EMEA, building a high-performing finance organization focused on partnership, execution, and continuous improvement.
- Establish clear performance expectations and development plans for finance leaders.
- Maintain standardized Client Finance practices, processes, reporting frameworks, and financial controls aligned to global standards.
- Foster strong connectivity between Client Finance, FP&A, Controllership, Operations, and Client Delivery teams to ensure a coordinated approach to client financial management.
- Build strong relationships with senior client stakeholders and internal account leaders, serving as an escalation point for complex financial, commercial, and operational matters impacting strategic accounts.
- Sponsor corporate and client finance technology transformation initiatives focused on process optimization, automation, scalability, and organizational effectiveness.
- Provide dotted-line leadership to regional controllership teams to ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity of corporate financial reporting.
Qualifications Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.
- 12+ years of progressive finance leadership experience, including FP&A, commercial finance, business partnering, and financial management.
- Experience supporting international professional services operations across multiple countries and commercial structures.
- Experience leading client finance function, including, but not limited to reporting, budgeting, forecasting, PO management, contract compliance, and cash management.
- Demonstrated success leading finance teams within a real estate, professional services, consulting, technology services, marketing services, or project-based business environment.
- Deep understanding of revenue forecasting, client profitability, utilization management, workforce planning, pricing strategy, and operational finance.
- Significant experience partnering with executive leadership teams.
- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and financial modeling capabilities.
- Proven ability to influence outcomes within highly matrixed organizations.
- Experience operating in environments with fragmented data, evolving processes, and multiple financial systems.
- Exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred
- Experience with global planning and reporting platforms such as Workday, OneStream, Anaplan, Adaptive Planning, Oracle, SAP, Power BI, Tableau, or similar technologies.
- Real Estate, Real Estate Services, or Professional Services experience
- Prior responsibility for international finance organizations spanning both APAC and EMEA.
- Demonstrated success leading organizational change and finance modernization programs.
What Success Looks Like
In this role, you will:
- Be recognized as the trusted strategic finance advisor to the Division President, International.
- Deliver consistent and high-quality finance support across APAC and EMEA.
- Improve forecast accuracy, business visibility, and financial performance management.
- Drive profitable growth through stronger commercial decision-making and client profitability oversight.
- Enhance financial processes, reporting capabilities, and technology-enabled decision support.
- Build and develop a world-class international finance organization with strong alignment across FP&A, Client Finance, and Controllership.
- Ensure highest quality of client finance delivery
- Successfully lead finance transformation initiatives that improve scalability, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
- Bring structure, consistency, and actionable insights to a geographically dispersed business operating within a highly matrixed organization and fragmented data environment.
- Create greater organizational alignment through enhanced reporting, governance, processes, technology, and stakeholder engagement.
- Help shape the long-term strategy and performance trajectory of the international business.
Cushman & Wakefield is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Cushman & Wakefield is committed to equity in employment, and our goal is to have a diverse, inclusive and barrier-free workplace. If you are a person with a disability and need any other accessible accommodations during the hiring process, you are invited to bring this to the Talent Acquisition Advisor’s attention once they have made contact.
INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”
