Head of Finance Transformation, Integration & Innovation

Company Description

Reporting to: Finance Director, FMUK with a dotted line to CFO/COO, FMUK

Location: Stephen Street, London

Contract: FTC (12 months)

Type of work: Hybrid working (3-4 days in office)

About Fremantle UK

Creating the Extraordinary, Together.

Fremantle UK is one of the UK’s leading creators, producers and distributors of world-class entertainment, drama, film and documentaries. As part of the global Fremantle group, we develop and produce bold, distinctive content that reaches audiences across the UK and around the world.

From award-winning entertainment formats such as Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice and Too Hot to Handle, to critically acclaimed dramas including The Responder, starring Martin Freeman, and internationally celebrated films such as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning Poor Things, Fremantle UK is home to some of the industry’s most recognised and talked-about programming.

Our Purpose

We are driven by a shared purpose of Creating the Extraordinary, Together. We tell stories that connect people around the world, reflecting and celebrating the diversity of the communities we serve. Through compelling and irresistible entertainment, we aim to engage, inspire and create meaningful cultural impact.

To achieve this, we bring together talented people from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives both within our teams and across our productions. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture and creating opportunities for diverse talent in everything we do.

Job Description

Job overview

This is a hands-on, delivery-focused leadership role responsible for driving tangible improvements across the Fremantle UK finance function. The Head of Finance Transformation, Integration & Innovation will design and execute initiatives that improve efficiency, standardisation, and insight across FMUK and its portfolios of companies.

A core element of the role is actively managing between local (FMUK and portfolio) finance teams and Group (Fremantle/RTL) requirements—ensuring that Group reporting, controls, and governance expectations are met without creating unnecessary operational burden or inefficiency at the portfolio level.

The role will act as a pragmatic bridge between strategy and execution, ensuring that finance operates in a way that is both fit for purpose locally and aligned globally.

Core Pillars

• Integration: Embed new and existing portfolios of companies into a coherent, scalable finance operating model
• Process Improvement: Simplify, standardise and accelerate finance processes
• Innovation: Introduce practical tools, data and automation to improve outputs
• Alignment: Balance Group requirements with business needs in a pragmatic, value-driven way

Key Responsibilities

Finance Transformation & Process Delivery

• Build and execute a clear, prioritised finance transformation roadmap with measurable outcomes.
• Identify inefficiencies, duplication, and manual work across finance teams and implement practical solutions.
• Standardise core processes (month-end, forecasting, reporting, cash flow) where it adds value, while allowing appropriate flexibility for portfolios of companies.
• Reduce reporting cycle times and improve quality and consistency of outputs.
• Track and report progress against transformation KPIs.

Integration of Portfolios & New Business

• Lead the financial integration of existing and new portfolios of companies into FMUK.
• Define and implement a clear onboarding framework covering reporting, controls, systems, and governance.
• Work closely with UK CFOs/FDs to align processes without disrupting business performance.
• Design and implement practical, scalable solutions that simplify integration challenges and create repeatable models for future acquisitions.
• Ensure consistent and efficient flow of information into FMUK and Group reporting.

Managing Group vs Local Tension (Critical Accountability)

• Act as the key interface translating Group requirements into practical, workable processes for FMUK and portfolio finance teams.
• Challenge and rationalise Group reporting demands where they create unnecessary complexity or duplication.
• Ensure compliance with Group standards (reporting, controls, governance) while minimising operational friction.
• Create clear guidance, templates, and frameworks that simplify Group submissions for local teams.
• Build strong relationships with Group Finance to influence expectations and timelines where appropriate.

Finance Innovation & Systems Enablement

• Drive adoption of tools and systems that improve automation, reporting, and data quality (e.g. SAP/BW/FMIS enhancements, dashboards).
• Partner with FP&A to improve accessibility and usability of financial data.
• Introduce practical reporting and planning tools that reduce manual effort and improve insight.
• Explore and implement the use of AI and advanced analytics to enhance forecasting, reporting, anomaly detection, and decision support.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and assess their applicability within the FMUK finance function.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Change Delivery

• Work across FMUK finance, Production Company finance teams, FM Group Finance and IT and many other teams across FM.
• Lead change initiatives end-to-end, including design, stakeholder engagement, rollout, and embedding.
• Ensure strong communication and buy-in across all stakeholders.
• Support the CFO in embedding consistent ways of working and a high-performance finance culture.

Strategic & Ad Hoc Projects

• Deliver key finance-related projects (e.g. reporting redesign, operating model changes, system upgrades).
• Assess opportunities for centralisation or shared services where beneficial.
• Support post-acquisition reviews and ensure integration benefits are realised.

Key Deliverables / Success Measures

• Improved consistency and quality of reporting across all portfolios of companies
• Successful and timely integration of new portfolios of companies
• Reduced friction between Group requirements and local execution
• Increased stakeholder satisfaction (COO, FD, UK finance teams, Group Finance)

Additional Information

Our benefits include generous company pension, summer Fridays, audience tickets, employee assistance program, access to free courses and training, EV scheme, cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan and volunteer days.

If you need any of this information in a different format or would like to suggest a different form of application, please contact FMUKHR@fremantle.com  

Fremantle is part of RTL Group, a global leader across broadcast, content and digital, itself a division of the international media giant Bertelsmann.

For more information, please visit Fremantle.com, follow us @FremantleHQ or visit our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.