Executive Director of Financial Control

Executive Director of Financial Control

Location(s)

• Remote or hybrid/office based in Netherlands or Belgium

• Remote in UK or Ireland

• Travel: Regularly travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands & Ghent, Belgium expected in the initial 2-3 months.

Are you ready to lead financial transformation across a global business? Do you thrive in high-growth, evolving environments where you can make a real impact? Can you drive financial control, standardization, and process transformation on a global scale?

At Cerba Research, our Finance team is hiring. We are looking for an Executive Director of Financial Control to take ownership of financial governance, internal controls, and process transformation across multiple regions.

Reporting to the CFO, this is a key leadership role in shaping financial strategy, strengthening financial oversight, and ensuring alignment with the company’s global finance vision.

About Cerba Research

With over 40 years of clinical research expertise, Cerba Research has built a unique offering of services, which includes clinical trial management, specialty lab & biomarkers services and medical devices & diagnostics offerings.

Cerba Research supports clients from research and development all the way through clinical studies and commercialization of therapies. We combine the deep therapeutic understanding and agility of a specialist with the capacity, breadth and global reach of a central lab.

Our extensive experience in central & specialty laboratory services is key to our success, allowing us to provide clients with early scientific insights that optimize protocol development.

We provide key laboratory services to biopharma, government and not-for-profit organizations, supporting clinical trials. Our global accredited laboratory network and connected logistical infrastructure covers the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia and Africa.

Our aim is to transform clinical research to deliver the promise of precision and predictive medicine to help people live healthier lives. It’s our passion, expertise, and commitment to quality drive Cerba Research. We want to change the shape of clinical development, and help patients around the world get access to new treatments faster.

Why Join Us?

• Global Impact – Lead financial control across the Netherlands, Belgium, US, and Canada.

• Autonomy & Influence – Drive process standardization, oversee SAP implementation, and play a key role in financial transformation.

• Leadership & Growth – Build and develop a high-performing global financial control and accounting team.

How You Will Add Value

As Executive Director of Financial Control across you will:

• Oversee financial control, ensuring compliance with GAAP (BE, NL, US) and IFRS.

• Strengthen internal controls, financial governance, and monthly financial reporting .

• Lead & develop a team of financial controllers and local accounting teams , ensuring alignment across all regions.

• Drive finance transformation initiatives , optimizing workflows and implementing best practices.

• Play a critical role in SAP implementation , ensuring seamless integration across global finance functions.

• Provide strategic financial insights to leadership, supporting business decision-making.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead financial control across all global operations, ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.

• Work closely with business controllers and FP&A to enhance budgeting, forecasting, and reporting capabilities.

• Oversee country/regional finance leads, provide guidance on process efficiencies and consistency with global standards.

• Assess and restructure teams where needed, aligning talent with future business needs.

• Implement and refine internal control frameworks to improve financial governance and mitigate risk.

• Lead ongoing SAP implementation efforts, ensuring seamless integration across global finance functions.

• Drive transformation projects in finance, optimizing workflows and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Work in collaboration with senior leadership to provide financial insights and support business decision-making.

• Challenge existing processes, encourage innovation and provide support through finance transformation across the team.

About You

If you’re looking for a high-impact global role where you can lead financial transformation and drive meaningful change, we’d love to hear from you. You will be:

• An experienced finance leader with a strong background in financial control, accounting, and internal controls.

• Proven ability to manage global finance teams, working across multiple geographies.

• Strong technical expertise in GAAP, IFRS, and financial risk mitigation.

• Background in a service-based or regulated industry (clinical research, healthcare, or professional services preferred).

• Comfortable leading finance transformation, system implementations, and process improvements.

• A hands-on leader who thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments.

• Fluent in English (Dutch or French would be an advantage).