Head of Finance

Alpha FMC

Finance Business Partner at Alpha FMC * Division: Business Operations * Function: Finance * Location: Paris   About Alpha FMC  Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Alpha) is a leading global consultancy to the financial services industry. Founded in 2003, we have worked for over 20 years to bring together specialist, sector-focused strategy, management consulting and technology expertise to support the entire client transformation lifecycle. Having partnered with more than 1,200 clients worldwide across the asset and wealth management, alternatives and insurance industries, Alpha is truly a trusted advisor for complex change programmes. We now have over 1,180 consultants working with clients across North America, the UK, Europe, Middle East and APAC. In 2024, in recognition of our successful track record and strong growth prospects, Alpha was acquired by Bridgepoint, one of the world's leading quoted private asset growth investors. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are delighted that many of our team have built long and fulfilling careers with us, many staying over a decade. We believe this is because Alpha offers a genuinely rewarding place to work: a meritocratic environment where your career can flourish, and a welcoming culture where you can be yourself, connect with others and thrive. As we look to the future, we’re excited to be looking for new Alpha colleagues - individuals who are collaborative, innovative and ambitious. We hope you will join us and help shape the next chapter of our growth journey. Why join Alpha? 1. Established yet entrepreneurial – with over 20 years of success and a proven record on the London Stock Exchange, Alpha offers the stability of an established consultancy with the energy of a fast-growth business. 2. Backed by Bridgepoint – as part of one of the world’s leading growth investors, Alpha benefits from strategic investment that fuels innovation, expansion and new offerings – creating even more opportunity for our people. 3. Exposure to senior leadership – whether you are in an internal or a client facing role, you will have the opportunity to work with and learn from the best of the best – high performers at the top of their game. 4. Learning and growth opportunities – we run tailored training to help you be successful, provide you excellent mentorship, and offer up to 5 days paid training time per year. Perhaps the best training though is the experience on the job – as everyone at Alpha has high responsibility and autonomy, you can develop your skillsets quickly. 5. Performance-driven culture with real impact – advancement at Alpha is based on impact and capability, not tenure or quotas. You’ll have autonomy and see the tangible difference your ideas and decisions make.   Overview of Business Operations While consultants focus on delivery client value, our 'Business Operations' function ensures that the company runs efficiently and appropriately across a number of operational areas: Finance, People, Operations, IT, and Legal, Risk & Compliance. Together, these teams ensure the consultants are fully supported - working from a strong operational base that’s efficient, innovative and compliant. Business Operations doesn’t just enable delivery; it empowers Alpha’s long-term success.   Role & Requirements We are investing into a Finance Business Partner aligned to our business unit for Europe, Asset and Wealth Management Consulting (“AWM EUR”). The Finance Business Partner (AWM EUR) role is a strategic dual role, embedded into both the business unit (AWM EUR) and the Business Operations function (Finance function) to ensure alignment with AWM EUR’s strategic goals, while also maintaining strong ties with Business Operations to uphold functional standards and best practices. The Finance Business Partner (AWM EUR) has dual reporting lines: * To the Business Head – reporting to the Head of Asset and Wealth Management, Europe who provides day-to-day direction, priorities, and operational objectives. * To the Business Operations – the Finance Business Partner (AWM EUR) role reports directly into the Finance Business Partner Director (AWM UK/MENA/APAC), ultimately reporting to the CFO, who ensure functional alignment, capability development, and mentoring support. This structure enables the Finance Business Partner (AWM EUR) to deliver tailored finance solutions that are both strategically aligned with AWM EUR and consistent with Group-wide Finance practices. Your key responsibilities include: * Strategic Project Support: * Provide financial modelling and scenario analysis for Business Unit (BU) initiatives. * Support evaluation of new client opportunities and pricing strategies. * Monitor project financials to safeguard profitability and cash flow. * Finance Delivery Team Mobilization and Monitoring: * Ensure smooth delivery of transaction services (AP, AR, payroll). * Monitor service performance and escalate where required. * Provide feedback to improve efficiency and accuracy of Finance delivery team. * Financial Planning and Analysis: * Support the BU budgeting process, aligning with corporate timelines. * Develop and maintain rolling forecasts incorporating demand, pipeline and costs. * Support leaders in making proactive course corrections. * Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive value creation across revenue/profit/cashflow, analyze deviations from targets, and produce insightful financial reports for senior management. * Analyze revenue, utilization and margin performance drivers. * Provide actionable insights into trends, risks and opportunities. * Benchmark BU performance against peers and market norms. * Business Partnering: * Serve as financial point of contact for BU leadership and project teams. * Analyze client/ project profitability and pricing structures. * Provide financial insights and support for strategic decision-making. * Translate complex financial information for non-finance stakeholders * Cost Management and Optimization: * Identify cost-saving and efficiency opportunities across BU operations. * Partner with leaders to track discretionary spend. * Benchmark BU cost base against internal and external best practice. * Investment Business Cases: * Collaborate with BU leaders to build and help to evaluate investment cases. * Track outcomes against expected budgets.   Qualifications: Education: * University degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience). * Professional finance qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) preferred. * Minimum of 3 years of experience in a Finance role. Skills and competencies: * Strong analytical and data interpretation skills to build financial models, analyze data sets, and identify key financial drivers. * Excellent communication skills to effectively convey financial insights to non-financial stakeholders. * Proven ability to build and maintain relationships across different levels of the organization. * A proactive, collaborative, positive approach to helping the organization succeed. Good to have: * Experience within a professional services firm (ideally within management consulting) * Experience or interest in the financial services industry * Experience of our systems (e.g., Salesforce, Sage) and data visualization tools (Pigment/PowerBI).   Location and working patten: * Office-based in the same location as the AWM EUR P&L head in Paris, France. For this role it is important that this individual is co-located with the business and is able to attend key meetings in person – e.g. senior leadership meetings, strategic initiative workshops and 1:1s. We expect that on average this will require c. 3d/w in the relevant office, but this may flex up or down depending on the week.   Benefits & Compensation * Competitive base salary * Share of the profits of the business * 25 working days of paid leave + discretionary rest days granted annually (currently additional 2 days off, 27 days in total) * Lunch vouchers (10€) * Life insurance and travel insurance * Laptop and mobile phone   Our Commitment to Inclusion At Alpha, diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to our success. Our priorities show a focus on fostering an inclusive, equitable workplace where individuals are treated fairly regardless of gender or background. We welcome applications from disabled people and are committed to making our recruitment process and workplace accessible and inclusive for everyone.   Data Privacy Policy: Full details around what data we hold, why we hold it and for how long are available in our recruitment privacy statement (https://alphafmc.com/privacy-policy/).

Harmattan AI

ABOUT US Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces. Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected. ABOUT THE ROLE As Group Accounting Director at Harmattan AI, you will lead the Group’s Accounting and Tax activities across multiple jurisdictions (France, Switzerland, US, UK, Morocco, UAE etc.). Reporting directly to the Head of Finance, you will manage the accounting team and oversee day-to-day Accounting & Tax operations across the group, while planning ahead to build the financial infrastructure needed to support our next growth phase. We're looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys the ongoing work of structuring processes from the ground up. RESPONSIBILITIES * Group Accounting * Own the group accounting organisation: roles, responsibilities, governance, and coordination with subsidiaries * Lead a team of 5 internal accountants and external advisors, ensuring full operational autonomy on routine topics * Define and continuously improve internal accounting policies, closing checklists, and reporting processes * Lead the transition towards timely delivery of monthly closings * Manage intercompany processes: reconciliation, recharges, and agreements * Oversee the preparation of statutory accounts and ensure compliance with local requirements * Drive automation of key accounting processes * Be a key driver of the ongoing ERP setup (Odoo) * Tax & Compliance * Coordinate corporate, VAT and other tax filings * Support statutory audits and respond to requests from auditors and regulators * Monitor developments in accounting and tax regulations across relevant jurisdictions * Other * Oversee payment workflows, expense reimbursements, and internal control procedures * Support ad hoc financial analyses for financing rounds, due diligence, and board reporting CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS * Educational Background & Work Experience: Degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration (Master’s preferred), with 10 to 15 years of experience in accounting in an international environment (fast growing startup or industrial exposure is a plus). * Technical & Analytical Skills: Strong command of accounting standards (French / US GAAP / IFRS), excellent analytical and management skills, high attention to detail, and proficiency in Excel and accounting/ERP systems. Proven ability to own the accounting cycle end-to-end and manage multi-entity environments; experience in ERP implementation is a plus. * Working Style & Autonomy: Reliable, well-organized, hands-on and able to manage multiple concurrent deadlines independently in a fast-paced environment; no task is too small mindset. * Communication & Commitment: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French and English; full alignment with Harmattan AI’s mission and willingness to go the extra mile to support our growth LOCATION AND COMMITMENTS * Contract Type: CDI - permanent contract * Location: Paris (on-site role) * Start Date: ASAP We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.