Finance Director - UKI Personal Care and Europe Deodorants

Job Title: Finance Director - UKI Personal Care and Europe Deodorants

Reporting into : Greg Glanville
Location: Kingston
Work-Level: WL3X

JOB PURPOSE
UKI is the biggest market in Europe Personal Care and includes 2 key cells in the global top list. Europe Deodorants is the biggest category in the region, with strong market share leadership positions. This role brings together these two critical agendas, combining UKI PC performance leadership with Europe Deodorants strategic finance leadership.

Personal Care Europe is operating in a more challenging environment, with greater pressure on volume, mix and competitiveness. The appointment of a strong Finance Director for UKI Personal Care and Europe Deodorants will be a critical enabler of the Personal Care Europe strategic agenda.

This is a high exposure role, combining UKI business performance leadership with Europe Deodorants strategic finance leadership. It offers a unique opportunity to lead UKI delivery while shaping the longer-term Europe Deodorants agenda through innovation, strategic planning and the 3-Year Financial Growth Model.

The role is a key member of the UKI Personal Care leadership team and works closely with the Global Personal Care BG and Europe Deodorants leadership team. It requires a finance leader who brings strong commercial and financial judgement, with the confidence to challenge and influence business decisions in support of delivery and long-term value creation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

UKI Finance Leadership
• Partner the UKI PC General Manager and leadership team to deliver strategic and operational objectives through balanced challenge, clear financial leadership and strong decision support.
• Lead the UKI in-year delivery agenda through robust S&OP forecasting and disciplined execution of plans to deliver against target.
• Provide clear and insightful analysis of business performance to support the UKI PC General Manager and leadership team.
• Lead the setting and delivery of in-year financial and operational targets, using the monthly performance cycle and strategic interventions to maximise business results delivery.
• Drive strong return on investment from cross-category JBPs with 3 CD Directors, with primary focus on Personal Care.

Europe Deodorants Finance Leadership
• Partner the Europe Deodorants leadership team to shape long-term innovation, supply chain and commercial strategy.
• Lead the development of the Europe Deodorants 3-Year Financial Growth Model to support sustainable, competitive and profitable growth.
• Ensure the business builds robust innovation plans that deliver strong financial metrics and are grounded in clear consumer insight.
• Work in close partnership with the global BG to ensure Europe Deodorants plans are fully aligned with the broader category strategy and agenda.

Performance and Value Delivery
• Establish a clear strategic pricing framework and drive NRM across all levers, working in close partnership with the CSP Director to maximise pricing effectiveness and impact.
• Drive Gross Margin across all levers, working closely with SC Finance to leverage cost savings and portfolio optimisation.
• Ensure the business maximises BMI return on investment and effectively manages spend across new media channels, including the shift towards greater social spend.
• Ensure risks and opportunities are identified early and actively managed through the performance cycle to protect delivery and maximise performance.

Leadership, Team and Capability
• Lead an extended team of 6, including 2 direct reports, creating a high-performance environment built on high challenge, high support and winning together.
• Build a strong and future-fit finance team, developing capability and ensuring the right support across the UKI and Europe Deodorants agenda.
• Coach and develop talent, with a strong focus on building finance capability and future leaders.

Key Stakeholders
• UKI PC General Manager and Leadership Team
• Personal Care Europe CFO
• Europe Deodorants Leadership Team
• Global Personal Care BG

ALL ABOUT YOU
Key Leadership Qualities
• Growth mind-set with a bias for action and an entrepreneurial approach.
• Ability to challenge established norms constructively and drive change.
• Ability to manage a complex stakeholder set and hold others to account.
• Strong personal mastery and a passion for high performance.

Professional skills and experience
• Professional finance qualification (equivalent to CA, CIMA or ACCA) with relevant experience.
• Strong engagement, presentation and communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to make the complex simple.
• Experience of working effectively in cross-functional teams on a global or regional basis.

NOTES
Please apply via this portal as e-mail applications may not be processed and include your Talent Card if possible.

By applying for this vacancy, you are confirming that you have made your Line Manager aware of your application and that you are at a point in your career with Unilever where it is appropriate for you to be applying for other positions.  

Should you require additional information or reasonable adjustments to allow you to present your best self during this process, please contact your Talent Partner.