Director Gbs Finance Solution Architect

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:
- The GBS Functional Service Finance Solution Architect will GBS are responsible for driving the functional design of ensure a seamless end-to-end Finance integration in all relevant macro processes & value streams in close collaboration with the respective process and product owners as well as business partners from different functions.
You will be responsible to deliver governance as well as initiate and drive cross-functional Finance solutions and process designs for strategic projects of the adidas group (e.g. Mercury, TRANS4RM).
- You will also upskill, train and develop the continuous improvement capability of GBS overall, as well as in market and functional teams. He/she will be concerned with ensuring quality, compliance and productivity of the services and processes provided by GBS, managing continuous improvement initiatives and shaping the digital solution agenda.
- The role owner will in addition also be responsible for driving the functional design of cross-functional Finance processes and standard solutions and supporting their implementation. He or she will be responsible for managing the relationship with key stakeholders of that sub-process, understanding stakeholder needs and requirements. The GBS Functional Service Finance Solution Architect is also in charge of ensuring quality, compliance and productivity of the services and processes provided by GBS, managing continuous improvement initiatives and shaping the digital solution agenda.
- Key Responsibilities:
- Initiate & drive cross-functional solution designs and ensure development & delivery of solutions in close cooperation with the Finance process/product owners as well as process/product owners from other domains such as SCM or Sales.
- Govern cross-functional solution proposals from other process / product owners with impact on R2R processes and ensure compliance and operational efficiencies.
- Design and define the functional testing strategy and governance model/framework.
- Define the process/service strategy for a specific cross-functional process or sub-process
- Lead the end-to-end process/service design & build for a specific cross-functional process or sub-process.
- Manage the relationship with key stakeholders of relevant cross-functional process or sub-process, understanding stakeholder needs and requirements.
- Manage and prioritize demand for the solution.
- Build and lead the implementation of the solution and service strategy for the process, in line with the overall solution roadmap.
- Create and drive agreement on KPIs/SLAs for the service (with both the stakeholder and the operations organization).
- Build solution and system requirements to enable design and build.
- Ensure compliance of process solution against the overall solution governance framework.
- Lead team of business solution architects / BPOs.
- Key Relationships:
- GBS functional service finance SLT
- GBS SLT
- GBS finance process owners
- Key product owners in various areas (Manage Business, SCM, Sales)
- GBS Strategy & Transformation
- GBS Hubs
- Market Finance functions
- Tech
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- In depth understanding of a Global Business Services end-to-end process
- Extensive experience in process design and process mapping, ideally within Shared Services
- Familiarity with project management and lean six sigma approaches, tools and phases of project lifecycle
- Experience of RPA and digital transformation
- Experience in meeting planning and facilitation of physical and virtual workshops in a global working environment
- Experience of coordinating solution governance (incl. build of enterprise model, functional advice for process content), data for the end-to-end solution and prioritising demand
- Vision and capability to define guidelines for solution build and delivery
- Experience in designing for and improving process quality, process review and compliance
- Ability to provide a clear framework for performance to direct reports/project team
- Ability to coach, guide and manage a team
- Pro
- active (engaging & impact-oriented) mindset, ability to think end-to-end with a global mindset
- Ability to be self-directed while working under tight deadlines
- Ability to work in a fast paced environment with different international cultures
- Strong numerical and analytical skills
- Strong communication (both written and verbal) and facilitation skills (small and large groups) especially when interacting with different levels of business
- Ability to travel, domestic or international, as required
- Fluent English (verbal and written),
- Strong MS-Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), proficient in MS Office
- Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:
- Four-year college or university degree with focus on Finance, Business Administration, or related areas, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Minimum of 8+ years of progressive work experience