Transformation Lead - Enterprise Applications

About the Role
The Automation & Transformation Lead – Finance will spearhead the identification, design, and execution of strategic Finance transformation and automation initiatives within the Enterprise Applications function. Collaborating closely with Finance, Tax, Treasury, Procurement, and Technology teams, this role aims to simplify processes, enhance controls, decrease manual effort, elevate data quality, and implement automation and AI capabilities across the Finance landscape. A successful candidate will possess a robust mix of finance process knowledge, ERP expertise, automation capabilities, transformation leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Responsibilities
1. Finance Transformation

• Lead end-to-end transformation initiatives across Record-to-Report (R2R), Procure-to-Pay (P2P), Order-to-Cash (O2C), Fixed Assets, Treasury, Tax, Budgeting, and Financial Reporting.
• Assess existing Finance processes and identify opportunities for simplification, standardization, and automation.
• Translate Finance requirements and operational pain points into scalable technology solutions.
• Develop transformation roadmaps, business cases, and implementation priorities based on business value, risk, and effort.

2. Automation & AI

• Identify high-value use cases for workflow automation, RPA, AI, GenAI, and intelligent document processing.
• Drive automation of repetitive Finance activities such as reconciliations, journal processing, invoice processing, payment controls, reporting, and data validation.
• Evaluate automation opportunities using measurable criteria including effort reduction, control improvement, cost savings, and processing efficiency.
• Collaborate with technology teams and partners to transition automation use cases from concept and PoC through to production deployment.

3. Enterprise Applications & Oracle

• Lead Finance-focused initiatives across Oracle Fusion ERP and related enterprise applications.
• Work across areas including GL, AP, AR, FA, Cash Management, Procurement, Expenses, and Financial Reporting.
• Identify opportunities to maximize standard ERP functionality before introducing custom solutions.
• Coordinate integrations between Oracle and banking, billing, procurement, CRM, tax, and other enterprise platforms.

4. Process & Control Improvement

• Ensure that automation strengthens rather than bypasses financial controls.
• Embed appropriate approval controls, segregation of duties, auditability, data validation, and exception management into transformed processes.
• Partner with Finance, Risk, Internal Audit, and Information Security where appropriate.
• Support regulatory and compliance-driven transformation initiatives.

5. Project & Program Delivery

• Own initiatives from discovery and requirements through solution design, implementation, testing, go-live, and stabilization.
• Establish project scope, milestones, risks, dependencies, and governance.
• Manage system integrators, software vendors, and implementation partners.
• Ensure projects deliver clear business outcomes rather than purely technical deliverables.

6. Business Partnership & Change

• Act as a liaison between Finance and Enterprise Applications.
• Facilitate process workshops with Finance leadership and SME.
• Constructively challenge existing processes and advocate for standardization and an automation-first mindset.
• Drive business readiness, adoption, and change management for transformed processes.

7. Continuous Improvement

• Establish a pipeline of Finance automation and transformation opportunities.
• Track benefits realization following implementation.
• Monitor emerging capabilities across ERP, automation, and AI relevant to Finance.
• Promote reusable solutions and enterprise standards over isolated point solutions.

Skills Required
Finance & Functional Skills

• Strong understanding of Finance operating processes including:
  • General Ledger
  • Accounts Payable
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Fixed Assets
  • Cash Management / Treasury
  • Procurement-to-Pay
  • Record-to-Report
  • Order-to-Cash
  • Financial Close & Reconciliation
  • Budgeting / Planning
  • Tax and statutory processes
• Strong understanding of financial controls, approvals, reconciliations, and audit requirements.
• Ability to analyze Finance processes and identify automation and control opportunities.

ERP & Technology Skills

• Strong experience with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, particularly Finance modules, preferred.
• Understanding of enterprise integrations, APIs, and middleware concepts.
• Exposure to Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) is advantageous.
• Knowledge of automation platforms such as Microsoft Power Automate, UiPath or other equivalent RPA/workflow platforms.
• Understanding of AI/GenAI use cases applicable to Finance operations.
• Exposure to reconciliation, EPM, analytics, or reporting platforms is beneficial.
• Good understanding of master data, data governance, and integration dependencies.

Transformation Skills

• Business process re-engineering and process optimization.
• Automation opportunity assessment and prioritization.
• Business requirements and functional solution definition.
• Business case and benefits realization.
• Target operating model design.
• Change and stakeholder management.
• Project/program governance.
• Vendor and system-integrator management.

Leadership Skills

• Strong executive communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence senior Finance and Technology stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to challenge existing processes and drive decisions.
• Strong ownership and execution mindset.
• Comfortable managing multiple transformation initiatives simultaneously.

Qualifications & Experience
Education
Required

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
  Preferred
• MBA, Master's degree, or relevant postgraduate qualification.

Professional Certifications
Any of the following would be advantageous:

• CA / ACCA / CPA / CMA for strong Finance credentials.
• Oracle Financials Cloud / Oracle Fusion ERP certifications.
• PMP / PRINCE2 for project and program management.
• Lean Six Sigma for process improvement.
• UiPath / Microsoft Power Platform or comparable automation certification.
• Relevant AI, cloud, or digital transformation certifications.

Experience

• Approximately 10+ years of overall experience across Enterprise Applications, Finance systems, Finance transformation, consulting, or digital transformation.
• Strong experience delivering complex Finance transformation or ERP initiatives.
• Hands-on experience working with Finance stakeholders across process design and technology implementation.
• Experience implementing automation or digital solutions that measurably reduce manual activity or improve controls.
• Experience managing implementation partners and technology vendors.
• Experience within a large, multi-entity or regional organization would be advantageous.

Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is not purely a Finance functional consultant nor purely a technical automation specialist.
They should embody:
Finance Process Expertise + Oracle/ERP + Automation & AI + Transformation Leadership + Strong Delivery
They should be able to engage with the CFO/Finance leadership to understand business challenges, work with Finance SMEs to redesign processes, translate ideas into enterprise solutions, and drive implementation through the Enterprise Applications team.