UFS Head of Finance – River Plate

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.   

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future. 

ABOUT FOOD SOLUTIONS (UFS)

Act like a founder, accelerate your growth, stay ahead of the curve, enjoy the growth: JOIN US.

Unilever Food Solutions is an independent Global Business Unit, which is the 5th largest BU in Unilever. UFS is 20% of Nutrition Business Group and operates in 76 markets with a Turnover of about €3bn. We have a compelling ambition: To be a €5 Bn business by 2030, becoming the leader in digital selling in the food service industry, the best solution provider for our Operators and the planet, and a Winning People Engine. 

UFS operates with a different business model with greater emphasis on chefs and field sales to drive demand creation with operators in a B2B setting. UFS is a unique business within Unilever, with a constant focus on executional excellence and consistent productivity improvements leading to significant value creation, which is enabled by the expertise in the professional foodservice channel that comes with a dedicated foodservice business unit. The Unilever Food Solutions in Latins America is a ~$300mn business.  

UFS is the place where you will be a Chef supporting Chefs! At UFS we have an entrepreneurial culture with a commitment to speed, simplicity, and trust, while having a hunger to grow – both our business and our people. UFS also proudly commits to high employee engagement every year with Univoice scores ahead of Unilever across all dimensions. 

It is the place where you can be a risk taker, test and iterate, be a trendsetter. You can think and work like an owner of your own business and be ahead of the curve. ​With the purpose of “We free you to love what you do” and the DNA “having empathy for the people we serve and the expertise to meet their needs 24/7” you will become a part of a “People-to-People organization.” 

You will work explore new opportunities, big and small, that will make our business grow faster. You will continuously learn, unlearn, relearn, and challenge yourself to accelerate your development in an end-to-end business and in end-to-end roles. 

If you are dreaming of working in a fast-growing global business unit, with a spirit of being empowered to win and be part of one-team, then come and join us!  

JOB PURPOSE

The UFS Head of Finance plays a critical role in driving accelerated growth and steering the BU finance strategy towards a more profitable and sizable future-ready business. This transformation demands strong governance, enabling foundation & a cultural shift to foster an environment where the business thrive. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, skilled leader, and a business developer professional with a track record of driving revenue growth and market expansion. 

Working closely with the UFS Head of Finance Latam, this leader ensures that the strategic vision set by the Leadership Team is effectively translated into a robust and actionable Financial Framework. 

The responsibilities encompass driving in-year Performance Management processes, budget management, business partner, target accomplish, Integrated Business planning (IBP) and financial growth model (FGM) preparation. To achieve this, constant iterations on the strategy and financial framework are essential, given the ever-evolving context (including factors such as inflation, competitiveness, productivity, and innovation performance). 

This role presents an exciting opportunity to lead Performance Management across all components of the Profit and Loss (P&L). A key focus area is delivering consistent and profitable growth. Leveraging data, analytics, and digital tools, the UFS Finance Lead Mexico, Andina & CAM aims to enhance value, optimize processes, and assist the Leadership Team in identifying both risks and opportunities. 

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• ​​Performance Management of key financial metrics ensuring alignment with organizational goals. 

• ​Lead Financial Growth Model (FGM) preparation for UFS, working closely with FLT.  

• ​Lead Integrated Business plan (IBP) for UFS and support markets in preparing robust business plans.  

• ​Target accomplish: Drive the process to achieve ambitious targets. 

• ​Strong Stakeholder Management: Support Global UFS Head of finance Latam, Trade & Sales, Marketing, Digital and supply leads to drive UFS OKRs.

• ​Co-lead core business processes (S&OP, IBP, QBR, Investor Board, Talent Management), assuring effectiveness, ownership and agility. 

• ​Lead Preparation for BG/BU (Business Group/Business unit) Reviews: Prepare comprehensive materials and insights for Leadership team. 

• ​Translate Strategy into Short- and Longer-Term Execution: Ensure strategic objectives are effectively implemented over both immediate and extended timeframes. 

• ​Provide Insightful and Actionable Analysis to Support Leadership Team Decision-Making: Deliver data-driven insights that aid in informed decision-making by the leadership team. 

• ​Lead the Introduction of Performance Management Digital Tools: Champion the adoption of digital tools to enhance performance management practices. 

• ​Budget Management: Responsible for markets budget, including forecasting, tracking expenses, and ensuring cost-effective operations.   

• ​Compliance: Ensure all finance activities comply with company policies, industry regulations, and ethical standards.   

• ​Empower the Performance Management Team to Realize Their Full Potential and Prepare for Career Advancement: Mentor and guide team members toward growth opportunities.

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SKILLS/QUALITIES

• ​​​Drive for impact. Be pro-active bringing insights and support decision making. 

• ​Digital savvy. Leverage technologies aiming to be data driven obsessed (Real-time, predictive insights) and avoid non-add value tasks (Smarter automation. 

• ​Build constructive tension in customer interactions to push the customer out of his comfort zone. 

• ​Provides a different view of the world to business partners or Finance community.

• ​A self-starter with a learning mindset who is exceptionally curious. 

• ​Comfortable operating in ambiguity and a fast-paced environment; able to take ownership and thrive with whatever is available. 

• ​Skilled in preparing effective and well-structured presentations with clear narratives​.

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LEADERSHIP

• You are an inclusive motivator of people. Your team deliver with real passion, growing and learning from each other whilst delivering quick wins. 

• You are still responsible for your own results and as a manager, you also need to motivate others to deliver with passion, creating an inclusive and engaging climate around you. You can balance challenge with support and coaching. You understand the wider business context and you are emotionally intelligent enough to motivate people to deliver what is needed. 

• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors.

• PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Has emotional intelligence to take feedback, manage mood and motivations, and build empathy for others. 

• PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed. Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. 

• TALENT CATALYST: Invests in people – coaches individuals and teams to realize their full potential. Creates an inclusive climate, empowering everyone to be at their best. 

• PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever. 

• CONSUMER LOVE: Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers. 

• BUSINESS ACUMEN: Creates sustainable growth with purpose, engaging different partners across the system for change. 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Professional finance qualification equivalent to CA, CIMA, ACCA with 5+ years’ experience in financial, operational and business partnering roles.

• Understanding global and local financial reporting.

• Excellent analytical and communication skills with ability to respond under pressure.

• Collaboration: able to interact effectively in a wide network of stakeholders.

• Clarity of thinking – ability to see the big picture, whilst interested to dive into details. 

• Strong engagement, presentation, and communication skills (in English).

• Strong commercial and business acumen, especially in unlocking value and building a business able to create sustainable growth with purpose. 

• Team management and delivering through others. 

• Experience in driving P&L performance improvements (e.g. closing gaps vs. target).

• Holding others accountable (particularly peers and senior leadership).

• ​​Experience of working with and influencing senior leaders.  

• ​People leadership and development: acting on future-proof the talent, skills and organizational structures. 

• ​Languages: Spanish & English. 

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

We are looking for: 

• Solid strategic thinker, not easily distracted by tactical pressure & exceptional drive and passion to structure and execute commercial strategies (Passion for High Performance). 

• Deep operator & customer (Consumer & Customer Love) empathy and inquisitiveness to find solutions beyond the obvious; always in service of our operators, customers and teams, unlocking team’s barriers.  

• Agile mindset and WoW: transparency, accountability, trust, empowerment, collaboration 

• An attitude of humility and learning (Personal Mastery). Creates psychological safety since all voice’s matters. 

• Has passion for the culinary world and is eager to help shape the future of the foodservice industry. 

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.