Finance Director

Finance Director

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Experience: Minimum 5 years in a senior finance leadership role such as Finance Director, Head of Finance, or equivalent.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field

Languages: English and/or Arabic

About the Client

Our client is a growing Saudi-based industrial organization operating in a specialized, project-driven environment. The company is at an important stage of growth and requires strong financial leadership to support business expansion, shareholder expectations, governance maturity, and operational discipline.

This is a dynamic and fast-paced environment where priorities can shift quickly, decisions are closely scrutinized, and leadership requires both strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

About the Role

The Finance Director will be responsible for leading the overall finance function and acting as a key business partner to the CEO, executive leadership, shareholders, and Board-level stakeholders.

This is not a purely supervisory role. The successful candidate must be a hands-on finance leader who is ready to personally deliver critical financial analysis, reporting, forecasting, cash flow visibility, commercial evaluations, and governance requirements when needed.

The role requires someone who can perform under pressure, manage demanding stakeholders, bring structure to a growing business, and build financial discipline across the organization. The ideal candidate will combine executive presence with the ability to roll up their sleeves and deliver high-quality outputs in a lean, fast-moving setup.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Strategy & Business Performance
  • Own and drive the company's financial strategy in alignment with business objectives and growth priorities.
  • Lead financial planning cycles, including long-range planning, annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, and scenario planning.
  • Monitor business performance through KPIs, variance analysis, and financial dashboards.
  • Translate operational and commercial activities into clear financial insights for management and shareholders.
  • Provide forward-looking recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
• Cash Flow, Cost Control & Capital Efficiency
  • Lead cash flow management, working capital planning, and liquidity forecasting.
  • Drive cost control initiatives and ensure financial discipline across the business.
  • Evaluate capital allocation decisions based on ROI, funding constraints, and strategic priorities.
  • Build financial models to assess business scenarios, investment decisions, and operational risks.
  • Ensure the organization maintains financial sustainability under different growth and market scenarios.
• Financial Reporting, Compliance & Governance
  • Oversee the preparation of accurate financial statements and management reports in compliance with IFRS.
  • Prepare high-quality Board, committee, and shareholder-level financial reports.
  • Ensure strong internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance with applicable tax, financial, and regulatory requirements.
  • Manage audit processes and liaise with external auditors, regulators, and relevant authorities.
  • Identify financial risks and implement mitigation plans to protect company assets and shareholder interests.
• Commercial Finance & Decision Support
  • Partner with commercial, technical, and operational teams to support pricing, bids, RFQs, contract structuring, and margin analysis.
  • Review financial assumptions behind proposals, contracts, and business cases.
  • Ensure proper financial treatment of contracts, including revenue recognition, cost allocation, and profitability tracking.
  • Support management in making disciplined commercial decisions based on financial facts and risk assessment.
• Finance Leadership & Transformation
  • Lead and develop the finance function, ensuring clear accountability and performance expectations.
  • Strengthen finance processes, reporting tools, automation, and data quality.
  • Build a high-performance finance culture with strong ownership, speed, accuracy, and business partnership.
  • Support organizational transformation by improving financial visibility and decision-making discipline.
  • Ensure adherence to corporate governance, risk, compliance, and safety requirements within the finance function.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Master's degree or professional certification such as CPA, ACCA, CFA, or CMA is preferred.
• 10–15 years of progressive finance experience.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior finance leadership role such as Finance Director, Head of Finance, or equivalent.
• Experience in industrial, manufacturing, engineering, technology, or project-based environments is preferred.
• Exposure to shareholder-driven, joint venture, or multi-stakeholder environments will be highly advantageous.

Required Experience & Technical Skills

• Strong experience in financial strategy, budgeting, forecasting, and performance management.
• Proven ability to prepare Board-level and executive-level financial reports.
• Strong command of IFRS, financial governance, internal controls, audit management, compliance, and taxation.
• Demonstrated experience in cash flow management, working capital optimization, cost control, and financial discipline.
• Strong commercial finance experience, including pricing, contract review, margin analysis, and business case evaluation.
• Ability to develop financial models and scenario-based analysis to support strategic decisions.
• Experience working in a lean finance structure where the role requires both leadership and direct execution.

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Hands-on leadership style with strong ownership and accountability.
• Ability to perform under pressure in a fast-paced and demanding environment.
• Strong executive presence and confidence in dealing with shareholders, Board members, and senior leadership.
• Ability to defend financial positions using data, facts, and structured reasoning.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex financial matters for non-finance stakeholders.
• High attention to detail, urgency, resilience, and business maturity.
• Comfortable working in a growing organization where processes may still be evolving.
• Willingness to personally deliver critical work rather than only delegate.

Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.