Vice President, Finance

Reporting to the CFO for Precision AQ (“PAQ”), the VP, Finance – Engagement Solutions will serve as the senior finance lead for the assigned PAQ business unit and will be accountable for translating business strategy into financial plans, forecasts, reporting, and actionable insights in addition to being the lead Finance business partner to the Executive Vice President of Engagement Solutions.

PAQ is comprised of approximately 1,300 employees of which Engagement Solutions represents 630 employees. The business is organized into four business units:

• Advertising: consulting and advisory services to support large pharma and Bio-Tech brand strategy, omnichannel campaigns, digital and media strategy, etc.
• Investor Relations Services (IREC): Bio-Tech advisory services to supplement an internal investor relations team or to provide an outsourced investor relations team to support IPO road mapping, buyside and sell-side targeting, investor relations communications, industry events and conferences, analyst education, etc.
• Medical Communications: communication services for scientific platform development, KOL identification and engagement, peer to peer strategy and tactics, and competitive intelligence services.
• Market Access: consulting and advisory services for large Pharma and Bio-Techs to support payer value message development, channel strategy and management, payer resources, access and affordability support, and account manager tools.

The VP, FinanceEngagement Solutions is responsible for leading budgeting and forecasting, month end reporting, developing financial analysis and insights, and collaborating with the Engagement Solutions executive management team to support each business unit’s growth objectives. The Engagement Solutions FP&A team will report directly into this role while the Client Finance and Accounting teams provide support via a matrixed organizational structure. The role requires a finance leader who can operate as a hands-on strategic partner, challenge assumptions constructively, identify risks and opportunities early, and convert financial data into clear recommendations for senior leaders. The successful candidate will bring strong commercial orientation, operational and process discipline, client-first judgment, and the leadership presence required to influence across PAQ and PMG while developing a scalable, high-performing finance team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior member of the Engagement Solutions Executive leadership team and act as the primary finance business partner in the development and management of the business unit’s vision and short- and long-term objectives.
• Support the service line, business unit, segment and parent teams by translating strategy into financial plans, operating metrics, investment and staffing decisions, resource allocation, and performance actions.
• Identify and communicate risks and opportunities in the forecast and help mitigate business unit risk to ensure revenue and EBITDA targets are met.
• Lead the annual budget process and quarterly reforecasting for assigned business unit using both top-down expectations and bottom-up operating detail, linking business strategy, projecting revenue and expense assessing risks, opportunities, and recommended actions with a high level of accuracy.
• Partner with business-unit leaders to present monthly financial results and forecast updates to PAQ and PMG leadership in a timely and accurate manner.
• Proactively perform ad hoc qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify and drive key insights and innovative opportunities for P&L and operational improvement.
• Lead cross-functional finance and business transformation initiatives from concept through execution.
• Evaluate current-state processes, operating metrics, project financial performance, staffing models, revenue trends, and market or competitor dynamics to identify improvement opportunities and inform financial recommendations.
• Lead the creation, refinement, and adoption of KPIs, dashboards, and reporting package contents to improve visibility, accountability, and decision making across the finance function and assigned business units.
• Lead and support continual improvement initiatives, process standardization, reporting discipline, training, system enhancements, and finance transformation efforts across assigned business areas.
• Adapt to and balance workload in an environment where priorities change while managing expectations of internal and external clients through frequent communication and thought partnership.
• Establish a results-oriented management style that measures and evaluates individual performance against clearly defined accountable competencies, responsibilities, and objectives.
• Foster a high performing and collaborative work environment setting performance goals, providing guidance, and promoting continuous learning and development.
• Promote a culture of rigorous and disciplined financial analysis relying on quantitative data to support business decisions.
• Ensure sufficient resources, tools and processes are in place to scale a strong finance team and support upgraded business-unit finance expectations.
• And other job duties as assigned by the line manager.

Education & Experience:

• 10-15 years of professional finance experience, including substantial FP&A leadership, business-unit finance ownership, and experience supporting multi-service consulting, communications, data, or life sciences organizations with revenues of $300M or greater.
• Minimum: Undergraduate degree in finance, accounting, or a related field.
• Advanced business degree or CPA is a plus.
• Industry experience in professional life sciences services is a plus.
• Or equivalent combination of education, professional training and experience that provides the individual with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job.
• Deep knowledge of FP&A, Client Finance, project financial management, forecasting, budgeting, reporting, backlog analysis, staffing leverage, and business-unit profitability drivers.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles, financial controls, revenue recognition, compliance expectations, and finance best practices.
• Experience with ERP systems, financial planning tools, and data visualization platforms such as Infor and Power BI.
• Intellectually curious, commercially driven, and confident in translating complex financial information into clear, compelling business narratives.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior business leaders by identifying risks and opportunities, challenging assumptions constructively, and helping leaders think differently about business performance.
• Quick study with strong strategic thinking, analytical judgment, problem-solving capability, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous or fast-changing environments.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to challenge existing processes, simplify ways of working, and identify opportunities to add value and position the organization for success.
• Willing and able to operate as both a strategic leader and hands-on contributor, ensuring deliverables are completed with quality, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Focused, disciplined leader and team builder who can drive pace, accountability, and execution across a complex matrix organization.
• Trusted team player who builds credibility through business partnership, execution, follow-through, and measurable results.
• Executive presence and the ability to remain calm and solution-oriented under pressure.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to attract, retain, develop, and coach high-performing finance talent.

Travel Requirement: Expect some travel to business-unit headquarters or satellite office, leadership meetings, or client/operating locations as needed; estimated at approximately 10%.

Originally posted on Himalayas