Key Skills

Job Description

The Finance lead for Strategic Product Management & R&D provides end-to-end financial leadership across a ~EUR 37M budget and an organization of 250 employees. The role drives strategic, tactical, and operational financial management, enabling effective decision-making across product development and engineering activities. It ensures robust investment governance, performance measurement (ROI/ROIC), and cost transparency across projects and teams. The position advances efficiency through CORE-driven initiatives, digitalization, and AI-enabled process improvements. As a key business partner to leadership, it fosters a high-performing, innovative, and financially disciplined R&D environment while ensuring strong governance, systems, and compliance frameworks. Key Responsibilities: Own the financial leadership of Strategic Product Management & R&D, overseeing a budget of ~EUR 37 million and supporting an organization of approximately 250 employees. Drive financial management across all levels—strategic, tactical, and operational—ensuring alignment between long-term innovation goals and day-to-day execution. Develop and implement advanced KPIs for product development and engineering functions, enabling data-driven performance tracking and decision-making. Ensure robust investment governance by establishing and monitoring ROI and ROIC metrics at both project and team levels. Lead pre- and post-calculations for R&D and product initiatives, securing transparency on financial performance and continuous learning from outcomes. Establish and manage intellectual property (IP) value frameworks, ensuring proper valuation, capitalization, and financial utilization of innovation assets. Drive functional efficiency initiatives in alignment with CORE principles, improving cost effectiveness, productivity, and organizational clarity. Oversee CAPEX and OPEX planning and control, ensuring optimal allocation of resources across R&D investments and operational activities. Ensure effective gate management and governance processes, including financial validation, documentation, and administrative discipline across all development stages. BPO: Responsible for defining, managing, and improving a specific business process end-to-end, ensuring efficiency, quality, and alignment with business goals. Lead IT/IS financial and functional development for R&D-specific systems (e.g., CAD, FEA, Teamcenter, and other engineering tools), ensuring alignment with business needs. Drive adoption of AI and automation, identifying opportunities to streamline financial and operational processes and improve efficiency. Ensure robust information and archiving systems, supporting compliance, traceability, and knowledge management across R&D. Act as a key facilitator in management governance, including preparation and follow-up of management meetings, documentation of minutes, and tracking of action plans. Create and sustain a high-performing environment, enabling a creative, efficient, and financially disciplined culture within R&D and service functions. Qualifications & Experience: Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field. 10–15 years of relevant experience in finance, controlling, or financial leadership roles, preferably within R&D, engineering, or product-driven organizations. Proven track record in strategic financial management, including budgeting, investment analysis, and performance management in complex environments. Strong experience with project and portfolio controlling, including ROI/ROIC analysis, CAPEX/OPEX management, and business case development. Solid understanding of R&D financial dynamics, including product development costing, pre- and post-calculations, and lifecycle economics. Experience in driving digitalization initiatives, including use of finance systems, automation, and AI-enabled process improvements. Knowledge of intellectual property valuation and financial treatment is a strong advantage. Experience working in international and cross-functional environments, ideally within matrix organizations. Strong leadership capabilities with experience influencing senior stakeholders and supporting executive decision-making. Fluent in English; additional languages are considered a plus. Key Competencies: Strategic Financial Leadership Business Partnering & Influence Investment & Performance Management Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making Financial Governance & Control Digital & Process Transformation Operational & R&D Understanding Continuous Improvement & Efficiency Focus Stakeholder Management & Communication Leadership & Organizational Impact This role provides financial control and compliance assurance across Strategic Product Management & R&D—enabling efficient use of resources, transparency, and accountability in innovation and development processes. The role can be based in Nieuw Vennep- the Netherlands, or Kerteminde - Denmark

Core Responsibilities

The Finance Lead provides end-to-end financial leadership for R&D and product management, overseeing a 37M EUR budget and 250 employees. Key duties include driving strategic financial management, investment governance, and implementing AI-driven process improvements to ensure operational efficiency.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or Engineering. The role requires 10–15 years of relevant experience in financial leadership, specifically within R&D or engineering environments.