Senior Manager - Financial Management. CDU7

About the Role / Project scope

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the preparation, consolidation, and periodic update of project and development budgets, ensuring alignment with approved business cases, stage‑gate approvals, and governance requirements.
• Monitor and control budget utilisation across development projects, identifying risks, variances, and emerging cost pressures, and proactively recommending corrective actions.
• Own periodic forecasting (quarterly / monthly outlooks), coordinating inputs from Development, Cost Controls, and Finance to ensure forecasts are realistic, evidence‑based, and decision‑ready.
• Implement and enforce budget checks and financial validations for procurement activities, including commitment control, purchase requisitions, contract awards, and variations, ensuring spend remains within approved limits.
• Act as a primary financial interface between Development and Finance, ensuring alignment on budgets, forecasts, accruals, capitalisation principles, and financial interpretations.
• Ensure work performed reporting from development and cost control systems is fully reconciled with SAP financials, addressing timing differences, accruals, and classification issues to maintain a single, trusted version of financial truth.
• Review and challenge cost reporting, progress measurement, and financial assumptions, ensuring that reported performance accurately reflects underlying commercial and financial reality.
• Provide clear financial insights and commentary to senior management, supporting informed decision‑making on project performance, risks, and forward outlook.
• Lead and contribute to ad‑hoc financial analysis as required, including deep dives on variances, scenario analysis, what‑if assessments, budget optimisation exercises, and management requests.
• Support continuous improvement of financial management processes, controls, and reporting frameworks, strengthening governance, transparency, and audit readiness across the development lifecycle.
• Collaborate closely with Cost Controls, Procurement, FP&A, and Project Teams to ensure consistent application of financial policies, controls, and reporting standards.
• **Requirements** **Preferred Background and experience**
• The ideal candidate will have a strong background with a real estate developer, master developer, or large capital development organization, with hands‑on experience in Development Finance, Project Finance, or Corporate / Commercial Finance.
• The role requires practical exposure to managing development budgets, forecasts, and financial controls across complex, multi‑project environments, ideally spanning planning through execution phases of the development lifecycle.
• The candidate should demonstrate a strong ability to work at the interface of Development and Finance, translating development activities, cost drivers, and progress into robust financial reporting and controls.

Experience

Required

• Strong expertise in budget preparation, financial control, forecasting, and variance analysis, preferably within large‑scale development or capital programs.
• Solid understanding of project cost management and financial governance, including budget controls, commitments, accruals, and financial assurance.
• Proven ability to reconcile management cost reports and work performed with ERP financial systems (e.g., SAP), ensuring data integrity and consistency.
• Demonstrated experience acting as a bridge between Development / Projects and Corporate Finance, translating commercial realities into financial outcomes.
• High analytical capability with the ability to interpret complex financial data, identify risks and trends, and convert insights into clear recommendations.
• Experience supporting procurement‑related financial controls, including budget checks, commitment reviews, and spend validation.
• Ability to deliver clear, concise financial reporting and commentary for senior management and executive stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with confidence to challenge assumptions constructively and influence decision‑making.
• High attention to detail, with a control‑minded and audit‑conscious approach to financial management.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial analysis tools, with the ability to work across multiple data sources.

Desired / Advantageous

• Experience working within large, complex, multi‑project development portfolios or giga‑project environments.
• Familiarity with SAP (FI/CO, MM, PS) and project cost control systems used for development and construction environments.
• Exposure to stage‑gate governance models, business case controls, and capital approval frameworks.
• Experience supporting management dashboards, performance reporting, and executive‑level financial insights.
• Ability to perform ad‑hoc financial analysis, scenario modelling, and deep‑dive investigations under tight timelines.
• Understanding of capitalisation, fixed asset treatment, and cost classification in a development/project context.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain financial matters to non‑finance stakeholders.
• Proactive, self‑driven mindset with the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.