Chief Financial Officer (CFO) F/M/X

Job Description:

Location : Aimargues, near Montpellier (France)

Type of contract : Permanent (CDI)

Entity : Royal Canin France

Great opportunity ahead to shape the world we want tomorrow by driving our French strategy today!

We are looking for the Chief Financial Officer for the Royal Canin France unit. As a member of the French Leadership Team, this is a unique opportunity to shape the choices we make today towards a better world tomorrow. At Mars, we ensure sustainable business growth and deliver our purpose of transforming the health and well-being of cats and dogs.

In this position, you will play a critical role in bringing our business ambition to life by driving the financial agenda, ensuring robust financial health, and leading the transformational changes needed to be a sustainably growing business in today's volatile environment. Your partner and Line Manager will be the General Manager (GM) of France.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelor's degree/MBA Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field

• Fluent English and mandatory French proficiency

• 12+ years of experience Finance Leader

• Relationship Building: Building trusting relationships with the people around you is important to you and you know how to do this, especially with senior executives, commercial directors, and regional leaders to gain support and achieve strategic business goals

• Change Management: You love leading people through change, from financial system implementations (e.g., ERP, Copilot frameworks) to operational transformations – you can bring people along on the journey

• Analytical Acumen: Projects like driving profitability, cost of employment analysis, supply chain optimization, and margin improvement are what you are truly passionate about

• Influencing Skills: Proven skills & the ability to influence business decisions to a positive commercial outcome, navigating the complex distribution landscape of the French market

• Navigating Ambiguity: You know how to effectively navigate within ambiguity and prioritize business needs, investment proposals, and resources

• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and French

• Agility & Drive: You have a strong work capacity and are able to move quickly from operational, day-to-day financial issues to high-level strategic co-piloting

• You have a strong work capacity and are able to move quickly from one subject to another

• You have an experience in leading Organisation transformation with work councils in France

What will be your key responsibilities?

Alongside our General Manager, you are the inventor, guardian, and champion of our financial and value creation strategy in the Unit. You will work with full energy so our investments, resource allocation, and strategy help us meet our business and financial goals.

Strategic Co-Piloting & Value Creation

• Understand the operational pulse of the organization to build business strategies, manage structural costs, and ensure a "fit for future" structure.

• Ensure sustainable performance of the BU and be responsible for the P&L and NCFO delivery through the S&OP+ cycle together with the FP&A team

• Partner with the French leadership team to build and execute the strategy and drive operational effectiveness.

• Engage and communicate results and strategy with the team to the wider business unit associates through periodic townhalls and seminars

• Partner with the European CFO to support European strategy deployment and ad hoc projects.

Financial Governance, Compliance

• Ensure that the S&F function provides the best qualitative, efficient, and legally compliant financial control, accounting, and governance, equipped by best-in-class corporate processes and tools.

• Guide, upskill, and partner with our Line Managers to foster financial acumen, strong budget accountability, and cost-conscious decision-making across all local teams.

• Actively engage as a member of the Royal Canin Europe Finance leadership team and participate in regional and global financial projects.

• Ensures local work council communications

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Passionate about talent management, you will act as our S&F Capability Champion. You will build a highly engaged, future-ready team, developing the right financial co-pilots in the right roles.

• Directly lead the S&F French team (team of 12) and role-model an exemplary Great Line Manager experience, fostering a speak-up culture, supporting individual development plans.

• Being based at the heart of Royal Canin, this role is a great opportunity to support the connection and development of Royal Canin HQ S&F associates.

• Manage IT scope (phone, security..) associate for Campus site

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with  diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.  

• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today. 

• You will work in a unique campus, which gathers more than 800 Associates working for: the international HQ, the French subsidiary, two laboratories, a kennel and a cattery with more than 200 cats & dogs, and finally the most important factory of the Royal Canin group 

• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University. 

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