Finance Innovation and Project manager

Job Summary The Head of AI Adoption, Process Improvement & Automation is responsible for how artificial intelligence and process automation are adopted, governed, and made to deliver measurable results across Finance — including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Intercompany, General Ledger, Master Data, Tax, Treasury, Reporting, and the Global Shared Service Centre's, while also assisting and engaging on company wide business initiatives and improvements. The role works is imbedded within the Finance Business Excellence. This position will be based in Asturias, Spain. The selected candidate will also be exposed to strategi stakeholders to translate business and Finance Needs into value and optimal solutions through the implementation of AI and Robotics tools adjusted to the latest technology of the market and that used within the company. This is a leadership role with delivery accountability, not an advisory one. Finance: Empowering strategic decisions through expertise; fueling sustainable growth by delivering insights, managing risk and driving value across global operations. Where You’ll Make a Difference Establish & Manage the Finance AI and Automation Roadmap •Develop and manage the roadmap for artificial intelligence and process automation across Finance, including all associated end-to-end processes. •Define and communicate a clear vision for how these activities deliver key business objectives, and sequence the work so that data and process foundations precede deployment. •Maintain an explicit, written position on what Finance builds, what Finance buys, and what Finance declines — reviewed at least twice a year. •Align and engaged with company wide strategic stakeholders to establish strategies and direction on optimal solutions and opportunities around AI value initiatives Strategy Development and Implementation •Translate the AI and automation strategy into operational objectives and deliverables for the Finance function and assist and/or engage on company wide as required. •Monitor and report the business impact of AI and automation activities, tracking against agreed business key performance indicators, and report honestly where results fall short of forecast. •Own the Finance input into enterprise-level automation governance, and represent Finance's control requirements to the Global Process Transformation team and to IT. Drive Transformation Improvements •Lead transformation initiatives with cross-functional teams including Finance operations, IT, Global Process Transformation, Internal Audit, and business stakeholders, aligning with all teams affected by the change. •Manage project teams including internal team members and external providers to deliver process change and improvement. •Identify and prioritize the processes where automation produces genuine value, and decline the ones where it would automate an unresolved process problem. Technical and Change Management •Ensure that both the technical and the change-management aspects of AI and automation initiatives are successfully implemented, with adoption measured rather than assumed. •Set the standards and controls that make deployed capability defensible: what evidence each capability produces, which decisions require human sign-off, how a capability is withdrawn if it underperforms. •Design and deliver AI literacy and enablement for Finance colleagues and leadership — what these systems do well, where they fail, and how to work with them without surrendering judgement. •Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the team and across the function. Team Leadership and Development •Build and lead a team of two direct reports — a technical specialist covering Microsoft 365 automation, Power Platform and AI tooling, and a finance-domain analyst in the Asturias Global Shared Service Centre. •Establish and run a champion network across the Finance sub-departments, with time allocations formally agreed with each champion's manager. •Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members and champions, building internal capability rather than dependence on external providers. Stakeholder Collaboration •Collaborate with business units, corporate functions, data owners and stewards, and service delivery teams to ensure consistency and alignment across policy, process, and data. •Partner with Internal Audit and the control community so that governance requirements are designed in from the start rather than retrofitted. •Build and maintain relationships at all levels throughout the organization, from the shared service centre floor to Finance leadership and Company wide leadership as required What Makes You the Right Fit •Leadership: Proven ability to lead and inspire teams, including colleagues who do not report to you. •Vision: Ability to develop and communicate a clear vision for AI adoption and automation, and to hold that vision against both hype and skepticism. •Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with the judgement to sequence foundations before deployment. •Continuous Improvement: Commitment to continuous improvement and business process management. •Change Management: Expertise in managing change within an organization, including adoption among experienced staff who have seen previous initiatives fail. •Stakeholder Management: Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills across finance, technical, and audit audiences. •Technical Proficiency: Deep, practical understanding of artificial intelligence and automation technologies — including large language model based systems, agentic development environments such as Claude Code, robotic process automation (RPA), and Microsoft 365 automation tooling — and of their failure modes. •Control and Audit Literacy: Understanding of financial controls, segregation of duties, and audit evidence sufficient to design capability that Internal and External Audit will accept. What Makes you Stand Out? •Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Computer Science or a related field. •Minimum of 8 years' cumulative professional experience spanning finance operations and controls, shared-service or process-centralization environments, and applied artificial intelligence — including hands-on design and delivery of AI or automation systems in production use, built personally rather than only sponsored. •Proven track record of delivering transformational change projects in a multinational, audited environment. •Working knowledge of robotic process automation and Microsoft 365 automation technologies, and hands-on experience with large language model based systems and agentic development tools such as Claude Code, including a clear understanding of where they fail. •Proven analytical and problem-solving skills. •Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical constraints to finance leadership and finance constraints to technical teams. •Ability to work across cultures and diverse management styles. •Fluent English and Spanish. Why Choose Us? • Flexible Home Office Opportunities – Enjoy the flexibility to work from home and maintain a healthy work-life balance. • Training Opportunities – Access a variety of training programs designed to enhance your skills and support your professional growth. • Learning & Development Programs – Benefit from continuous learning initiatives, career development resources, and opportunities to advance within the organization. Important Information Regarding This Position For your awareness, IFF has announced its intention to sell its Food Ingredients Business to CVC Capital Partners. The sale is presently expected to close in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. The Food Ingredient business unit will remain a part of IFF until close and, at such time, it will transition to CVC Capital Partners. In applying for this position, you acknowledge your awareness that the position is a part of the Food Ingredient business unit and has been identified to transition to CVC Capital Partners. We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability. Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more