Job Description

The Finance Director Europe & Central Asia (ECA) is the senior finance leader for the Livestock business in the region, serving as a key member of both the BU ECA Leadership Team and the Livestock Finance Leadership Team.

The role acts as strategic Finance Business Partner to the BU ECA Managing Director and ECA Leadership Team, providing financial leadership, performance steering and forward-looking insights.

The Finance Director is responsible for translating Trouw Nutrition business strategy into a clear financial and value-creation agenda, with particular focus on profitable growth, margin improvement, cash flow generation, non-production OPEX efficiency, working capital and disciplined capital allocation.

The Finance Director leads a team of Finance Managers across the ECA countries and a core BU team covering internal controls, Financial planning and Analysis, commercial and operations controlling.

Operating in a matrix organization, the position reports to the Finance Director Livestock.

The position may be based in any of the ECA countries and involves frequent travel within the region.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Finance Business Partnering

• Act as trusted financial sparring partner to the BU ECA Managing Director and ECA Functional Leadership Team on strategy, business performance, growth opportunities, investments and transformation.
• Translate ECA strategic priorities into a clear financial agenda and measurable value-creation objectives.
• Connect commercial, operational and financial perspectives to identify opportunities for profitable growth and sustainable performance improvement.
• Ensure proper monitoring of the execution of the investment proposals related to ECA manufacturing footprint.
• Support the development and execution of the BU strategic plan, business priorities and transformation initiatives across the region.

Financial Performance & Value Creation

• Lead end-to-end financial performance management across the ECA Livestock business, including revenue, gross margin, OPEX, EBITDA, working capital, cash flow and return on invested capital.
• Drive consistent performance steering through KPIs aligned with ECA functional model, forecasting, scenario analysis and actionable business insights.
• Identify and drive opportunities for sales profit expansion, cost optimization (production and non-production Opex) in close cooperation with Functions.
• Strengthen accountability for financial performance across functions and countries

Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Drive cash flow generation as a core component of business performance and value creation across ECA.
• Establish strong visibility and accountability for the key drivers of cash conversion across countries and functions with high focus on working capital. Ensure steering of working capital improvement actions.
• Embed cash and working-capital considerations into commercial, operational and investment decision-making.
• Drive a strong cash culture throughout the organization, ensuring profitable growth translates into sustainable free cash flow.
• Challenge business decisions from both a P&L and cash perspective and ensure appropriate balance between growth, profitability and capital employed.

Operational Excellence & Non-Production OPEX

• Lead the agenda for non-operational excellence, with particular focus on non- production OPEX, organizational effectiveness and structural cost efficiency.
• Provide functional leaders with full transparency and actionable insights into their OPEX performance.
• Challenge, support, and influence functional leaders to drive cost discipline, identify savings opportunities, deliver OPEX targets and identify opportunities to simplify organizational structures and ways of working.

Commercial & Operational Finance

• Partner closely with Strategic Marketing and Species, Operations, Supply Chain and Procurement leadership to improve pricing, margins, customer/product profitability and operational performance.
• Strengthen transparency on profitability across markets, customers, products and channels in alignment with our BU Functional organization.
• Support management in balancing volume, price, margin, working capital and cash generation.
• Provide constructive financial challenge to major commercial and operational decisions.

Business Transformation

• Provide financial leadership to major business transformation and performance-improvement initiatives across Europe & Central Asia.
• Support organizational and operating-model changes through robust financial analysis and value tracking.

Capital Allocation & Investments execution

• Provide rigorous financial support and assessment of business cases, including scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• Challenge investment assumptions, expected returns, risks and strategic rationale.
• Strengthen post-investment performance reviews and accountability for value realization as per ECA manufacturing footprint plan approved by Nutreco.

Finance Transformation, Data & Digitalization

• Lead the continued transformation of the ECA Finance organization toward a high-performing strategic business-partnering function.
• Simplify and harmonize Finance processes and ways of working across countries in full alignment with ECA Functional model.
• Engage the BU Finance team into the execution of Nutreco finance transformation agenda.
• Maintain and improve the quality, consistency and speed of management information and performance insights aligned with functional model.
• Drive greater use of data, analytics, automation and digital tools in financial decision-making. Accelerate on-going Finance initiatives in relation to Digital including training and automation projects.

Leadership of the ECA Finance Organization

• Lead a team of experienced Finance Managers across the ECA countries, providing strategic direction, challenge, coaching and support while maintaining strong local ownership.
• Build a highly connected regional Finance leadership community across multiple countries.
• Develop Finance leaders and build succession pipelines and future Finance talent across the region.
• Foster collaboration and sharing of good practices between countries, increasing standardization. Steer cross country Finance workstreams aimed at ECA standardization.
• Create a culture characterized by ownership, transparency, connectivity, constructive challenge, high performance and continuous improvement.
• Act as the connecting point between country Finance organizations, ECA business leadership and the global Livestock Finance organization.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Safeguard financial integrity, transparency and effective risk management across the ECA organization.
• Ensure compliance with Nutreco/SHV financial policies, internal controls and external reporting requirements.
• Ensure appropriate management of financial risks and timely escalation of material issues.
• Act as a key regional interface with Livestock Finance, Corporate Finance, FP&A, Tax, Treasury, Audit and other Finance functions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Master’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or equivalent.
• 10+ years of progressive Finance experience, including senior Finance leadership roles.
• Proven experience in an international and multi-country organization.
• Strong track record in Finance Business Partnering, performance management and value creation.
• Experience driving cash flow, working capital, OPEX efficiency and capital allocation.
• Proven ability to lead business and Finance transformation.
• Experience leading and developing senior Finance Managers across countries and cultures.
• Strong understanding of Finance digitalization and automation, leveraging technology to improve insights, efficiency and decision-making.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior leadership level.
• Fluent in English; additional languages are an advantage.

Why You Will Love Working with Us

• Exposure to a wide range of commercial, operational and strategic topics across a complex international business.
• Opportunity to work closely with the BU Managing Director and Leadership Team and influence key business and investment decisions.
• Play a leading role in business and Finance transformation, digitalization, cash generation and performance improvement.
• Lead and develop experienced Finance Managers and teams across multiple countries and cultures.
• Build a strong international network across ECA, Livestock and Group functions, providing a strong platform to develop towards future Finance leadership positions.

Our organisation:

Nutreco is a global leader in animal nutrition and fish feed. Our advanced nutritional solutions are at the origin of food for millions of consumers worldwide. Quality, innovation and sustainability are guiding principles, embedded in the Nutreco culture from research and raw material procurement to products and services for agriculture and aquaculture. Experience across 100 years brings Nutreco a rich heritage of knowledge and experience for building its future.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Nutreco is an equal opportunity employer; applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital, parental, military status or any other status protected by applicable local law. Please advise us at any point during the recruitment and selection process if you require accommodation. Nutreco is committed to compliance with all applicable legislation, including providing accommodation for applicants with disabilities.