Finance Director to leading maritime industry group

Are you ready to shape financial operations in a truly global company?

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is part of the Wilhelmsen Group and delivers essential marine products and services to the global shipping industry. Every year, we serve around 26,000 vessels - half the world’s merchant fleet - with critical solutions that keep vessels safe, efficient, and compliant.

We are now looking for an analytical, competent and pragmatic Finance Director to manage and shape our complex, global finance structure – spanning over 40 legal entities and operations in more than 70 countries. Our financial set-up is instrumental for WSS to deliver a consistent and convenient purchasing experience for our customers, enabling a highly integrated operating model where tasks are centralized and shared across borders. The right person is comfortable in making decisions even when dealing with new topics, unfamiliar countries or unknown accounting, VAT or tax rules. You thrive in cross-functional collaboration to ensure the correct financial setup for new business models and revenue streams in WSS.

Further, the role will be instrumental in the follow-up of the deliverables from Wilhelmsen Global Business Services (finance shared service function) towards WSS, including reporting and control, accounts payable, treasury, financial governance and operational effectiveness.

You will report to the Senior Vice President Finance & ESG, and you will lead a team of three, with a Global Tax Manager, an Indirect Tax Manager and a Business Controller reporting to you. The role will be located at our global head office at Lysaker, Norway.

Key responsibilities and tasks: 

• Ensure global tax and VAT compliance across all WSS entities
• Maintain and evolve WSS’s global legal entity structure and associated trading models
• Own and manage the service deliveries and costs from global finance shared service function (SLA management)
• Own process for quality assurance and review of balance sheet judgments & internal documentation (e.g. bad debt accruals, obsolete stock, intangible assets etc.)
• Follow-up that segregation of duties is implemented in WSS processes and maintain chart of authority
• Review and advise on proposed dividends to be paid from WSS entities or refinancing proposals
• Be a resource in business case/process evaluations, post-merger integrations and M&A projects from a finance perspective
• Participate in ad-hoc projects related to financial set-up for new business models
• Support cash flow analysis/forecasting for WSS group and subsidiaries
• Represent WSS on the Board of Directors of select subsidiaries
• Lead and develop a small team of specialists within tax and business controlling
• Ad hoc tasks and projects

 

Desired qualifications and experience:

• Master’s degree in finance, accounting or business administration
• Minimum 8-10 years of relevant experience from audit and/or finance functions, ideally in an international and complex business setting
• Strong leadership skills and experience
• Solid understanding of accounting, reporting, business processes and systems
• Good command of Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience with outsourced finance functions or shared service setup is a plus
• Excellent English communication skills with ability to communicate complex challenges in a clear way and structure decision making material

Personal characteristics we are looking for:

• Analytical nature and strong problem-solving skills
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions and seniority levels
• Ability to navigate ambiguity with confidence and pragmatism while driving decisions

What we offer:  

Working at Wilhelmsen offers a culture and work environment of strong leadership, career development, work-life balance and a job that is both challenging and stimulating. Our organization thrives by using modern tools and is eager to utilize the business opportunities that arise with new digital tools and skills.

• Flexible working conditions (home-office, flexible hours etc.)
• Modern office facilities with our own in-house canteen, gym facilities and parking
• Multiple activity offers (e.g. kayaks, bandy, football team, boot camps etc.)
• Multiple cabins in e.g. Norwegian mountains, Swedish coast, Spain, only available for Wilhelmsen employees

Beyond this, we offer a competitive benefits package, including a  generous pension and insurance scheme.

For further information regarding the position, please contact Svenn-Erik Warholm, Partner at FinancePeople, at +47 917 37 272 or email: svenn-erik.warholm@financepeople.no.

All inquiries will be treated confidentially, and all applications will be processed on a continuous basis.

Founded in Norway in 1861, Wilhelmsen is now a comprehensive global maritime group providing essential products and services to the merchant fleet, along with supplying crew and technical management to the largest and most complex vessels ever to sail. Committed to shaping the maritime industry, we also seek to develop new opportunities and collaborations in renewables, zero-emission shipping, and marine digitalisation. Supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace, with thousands of colleagues across more than 60 countries, we take innovation, sustainability and unparalleled customer experiences one step further.