Finance Director – Shipping & Maritime Sector
Location: Middle East
Industry: Shipping / Maritime / Logistics
Employment Type: Full-Time
We are partnering with a leading shipping and maritime business to appoint a commercially minded Finance Director who will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive leadership team. This is a high-impact leadership position responsible for driving financial performance, governance, business planning, risk management, and strategic decision-making across a growing shipping platform.
The successful candidate will combine strong financial stewardship with commercial acumen, providing insight-driven leadership to support profitability, growth, and long-term value creation.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Leadership & Governance
- Lead all aspects of financial operations including accounting, treasury, cash management, receivables, payables, and financial controls.
- Ensure timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
- Maintain a robust internal control environment and ensure compliance with statutory, tax, regulatory, and corporate governance requirements.
- Manage liquidity, working capital, and cash flow optimization initiatives.
- Oversee financial risk management including FX, credit, and counterparty exposures.
Commercial Finance & Business Performance
- Provide financial analysis and decision support across multiple business segments.
- Monitor profitability, margins, and key performance drivers.
- Deliver detailed financial modelling, scenario analysis, and investment evaluations.
- Support commercial and chartering teams with data-driven insights and recommendations.
- Develop executive dashboards and performance reporting frameworks.
Strategic Planning & Executive Support
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning processes.
- Partner closely with the CEO and senior leadership team on strategic initiatives and business growth opportunities.
- Prepare board-level reporting, presentations, and financial insights.
- Evaluate capital allocation decisions, acquisitions, disposals, and investment opportunities.
Risk Management
- Oversee market and financial risk management activities.
- Monitor freight market developments and industry trends.
- Support hedging and risk mitigation strategies across freight, bunker, FX, and credit exposures.
Systems & Process Improvement
- Drive finance transformation, automation, and process optimization initiatives.
- Ensure integrity and alignment of financial and operational data.
- Lead ERP and financial systems enhancements to improve reporting and decision-making capabilities.
Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop the finance function.
- Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement, and business partnership.
- Establish KPIs and succession planning initiatives to support future growth.
Candidate Profile
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline.
- Professional qualification such as ACCA, CIMA, CA, CPA, or equivalent.
- 12+ years of progressive finance leadership experience.
- Experience within shipping, maritime, logistics, commodities, transportation, or other asset-intensive industries is highly desirable.
- Strong commercial finance, FP&A, treasury, and business partnering experience.
- Demonstrated success engaging with CEOs, Boards, shareholders, and senior stakeholders.
- Advanced financial modelling, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning capabilities.
- Experience driving process improvements, automation, and ERP system enhancements.
- Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Why Consider This Opportunity
- Executive leadership role with significant strategic influence.
- Direct partnership with the CEO and senior leadership team.
- Opportunity to shape financial strategy and support business growth.
- Exposure to complex commercial, operational, and investment decisions.
- Competitive executive compensation package.
Interested candidates can apply directly or contact me confidentially for further information.
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