Program Manager

Program Manager – Finance

📍 Location: London, United Kingdom

🏢 Industry: Education

💼 Work Setting: Hybrid

Are you a finance transformation leader with deep ERP implementation experience and a track record of managing complex, multi-country programs? This role offers the opportunity to drive strategic finance initiatives, modernize financial operations, and collaborate with stakeholders across business, technology, and implementation teams.

The Program Manager will oversee end-to-end delivery of finance projects, working closely with business leaders, UNIT4 consultants, implementation partners, support teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure successful project execution, compliance, and business value realization.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Project Leadership

End-to-End Program Management

• Lead finance-related projects from initiation through post-implementation support.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, resources, and deliverables.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives.
• Drive governance and accountability across all project phases.

Enterprise Finance Transformation

• Lead large-scale finance transformation initiatives across multiple entities.
• Manage enterprise programs with significant budgets and strategic impact.
• Coordinate global deployments across multiple countries and business units.
• Ensure standardization of finance processes while accommodating local requirements.

Finance Process & ERP Implementation Leadership

Core Finance Domains

Drive implementation and optimization across:

• General Ledger (GL)
• Accounts Payable (AP)
• Accounts Receivable (AR)
• Fixed Assets
• Treasury Management
• Cash & Bank Management
• Taxation
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Cost Accounting
• Financial Consolidation
• Revenue Recognition
• Intercompany Accounting
• Procure-to-Pay (P2P)
• Order-to-Cash (O2C)
• Record-to-Report (R2R)

ERP Program Delivery

Provide leadership for implementations and enhancements involving:

• UNIT4 ERP
• SAP S/4HANA
• Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance
• NetSuite
• Workday Financial Management

Stakeholder Management & Business Partnership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with:

• Finance Leadership
• Accounting Teams
• IT Organizations
• Project Teams
• Business Stakeholders
• Third-Party Vendors
• Implementation Partners

Requirements Management

• Facilitate workshops and discovery sessions.
• Gather and document business requirements.
• Translate business needs into system solutions and workflows.
• Align stakeholder expectations with project objectives.

Executive Communication

• Prepare executive-level project updates.
• Present status reports, risks, milestones, and outcomes to senior leadership.
• Provide clear communication regarding program progress and dependencies.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Program Governance

• Maintain project governance frameworks.
• Establish reporting structures and escalation paths.
• Ensure alignment with organizational priorities.

Risk Management

• Identify project risks and dependencies.
• Develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Monitor project health and proactively address challenges.

Compliance Oversight

• Ensure compliance with:
• Financial Regulations
• Internal Control Requirements
• Audit Standards
• Corporate Governance Policies

Multi-Entity Finance Operations

Support initiatives involving:

• Multi-Currency Operations
• Multi-Entity Structures
• Statutory Reporting
• Financial Close Processes
• Consolidation Activities

Data Migration, Integration & Testing

Data Migration

• Coordinate finance data migration activities.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial data.
• Manage migration planning and validation efforts.

System Integration

• Oversee integrations between ERP platforms and related business systems.
• Coordinate technical and functional teams throughout implementation.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

• Plan and manage testing activities.
• Coordinate business participation and validation.
• Ensure successful signoff and production readiness.

Change Management & User Adoption

Training & Enablement

• Develop training and user adoption strategies.
• Support end-user education initiatives.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer activities.

Organizational Change Management

• Drive stakeholder engagement during transformation initiatives.
• Support adoption of new systems and processes.
• Manage communication plans and readiness activities.

Documentation & Reporting

Project Documentation

Maintain and manage:

• Project Plans
• Risk Registers
• Status Reports
• Issue Logs
• Governance Documentation
• Change Requests
• Implementation Plans

Performance Tracking

• Monitor KPIs and project milestones.
• Report on budget utilization, delivery performance, and business outcomes.
• Provide actionable recommendations based on project metrics.

Required Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's Degree in:

• Finance
• Accounting
• Business Administration
• Commerce
• Related Discipline

Experience

Finance Transformation

• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale finance transformation programs.
• Experience managing large, multi-entity implementations.
• Demonstrated success delivering global finance initiatives.

ERP Experience

Strong experience with one or more:

• UNIT4
• SAP S/4HANA
• Oracle Fusion ERP
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance
• NetSuite
• Workday Financial Management

Financial Process Expertise

Deep understanding of:

• Financial Close
• Consolidation
• Statutory Reporting
• Internal Controls
• Compliance
• Multi-Currency Finance Operations

Preferred Qualifications

Certifications

Preferred certifications include:

• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• PRINCE2
• Agile Certifications
• Scrum Certifications

UNIT4 Experience

• Experience implementing or supporting UNIT4 Finance modules highly desirable.

ERP Transformation

• Prior ERP upgrade or implementation leadership experience.
• Experience in enterprise-wide finance systems modernization programs.

Required Skills

Program Management

• Portfolio & Program Management
• Risk Management
• Financial Planning
• Resource Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Governance

Finance

• Financial Operations
• Financial Reporting
• Accounting Processes
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Compliance & Controls

Technology

• ERP Implementations
• System Integration
• Data Migration
• UAT Management
• Digital Transformation

Project Management Tools

• MS Project
• Jira
• Asana
• Agile Delivery Tools

Key Skills

• Finance Transformation
• ERP Implementation
• Program Management
• Financial Systems
• UNIT4 ERP
• SAP S/4HANA
• Oracle Fusion
• Financial Consolidation
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Stakeholder Management
• Change Management
• Global Project Delivery

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Business Acumen
• Communication Excellence
• Problem Solving
• Organizational Leadership
• Collaboration
• Risk Management
• Decision Making
• Adaptability
• Results Orientation