Finance Lead – Strategic Product Management & R&D

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.