Finance Director

Would you like to step into a role where you can genuinely shape and professionalize an entire finance function from the ground up? Are you motivated by the challenge of bringing structure, visibility, and control into a fast-evolving operational business environment?

Company Overview

Our client is an international industrial and renewable infrastructure business operating across multiple locations, backed by long-term investment partners and currently undergoing a significant transformation and professionalization phase. The organization combines operational manufacturing and production activities with sustainability-driven infrastructure projects, creating a highly dynamic and evolving environment.

Following recent investment activity and a strong focus on operational improvement, the business is entering a new stage where finance plays a critical role in creating structure, visibility, governance, and operational control across the organization. The environment is entrepreneurial, hands-on, and fast-moving - offering high visibility, direct impact, and close collaboration with senior leadership and investors.

This is not a traditional corporate finance setup. The current finance structure is still developing, with many processes, reporting flows, and controls requiring further optimization and professionalization. As a result, this role will suit someone who enjoys building, improving, and bringing clarity into complex operational environments.

Role Overview

As Finance Director, you will play a pivotal role in the transformation and professionalization of the finance organization. In this role you are a key finance leader for the business and the primary point of contact for investors, banks, and Board-level stakeholders.

This role combines operational finance leadership with transformation management, governance implementation, cash flow oversight, and strategic business partnering. During the first phase, the focus will strongly revolve around creating structure, improving visibility, strengthening controls, and building scalable finance processes across the organization.

You will work closely with operational teams and leadership on-site to gain a deep understanding of the business, production processes, operational spend, and profitability drivers. The position requires a highly hands-on approach, particularly in the early stages, where direct involvement in finance operations and process improvement will be essential.

Location: Zwolle area

The ideal candidate understands how to operate within a private equity-backed environment and is comfortable balancing strategic leadership with pragmatic execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the transformation and professionalization of the finance function across the organization
• Improve financial visibility, reporting accuracy, governance, and internal controls
• Build scalable finance processes, structures, and operational reporting capabilities
• Drive cash flow management, liquidity oversight, and working capital optimization
• Act as the main finance contact towards investors, Board stakeholders, and banking partners
• Support negotiations with banks, financing partners, and external stakeholders
• Create clearer operational and financial oversight across production and manufacturing activities
• Develop stronger forecasting, budgeting, and accrual methodologies
• Identify operational inefficiencies and support cost optimization initiatives across the business
• Partner closely with operational leadership to understand factory performance, production drivers, and spending patterns
• Support broader business transformation, restructuring, and operational maturity initiatives
• Ensure finance governance aligns with the expectations of institutional investors and future growth plans
• Lead and develop the finance organization while maintaining a collaborative and pragmatic leadership style
• Spend regular time on-site to build operational understanding and strong stakeholder relationships across the business

Whom We Are Looking For

For this Finance Director role we are looking for an experienced and operationally strong finance leader who thrives in transformation-driven environments and enjoys building structure where it does not yet fully exist.

You likely bring:

• Proven experience in a Finance Director, Head of Finance, or Senior Finance Manager role within a manufacturing, industrial, infrastructure, production, or process-driven environment
• Strong exposure to private equity-backed or investor-driven organizations
• Hands-on experience professionalizing finance operations, reporting structures, and controls
• Strong understanding of cash flow management, banking relationships, financing structures, and Board-level reporting
• Experience operating in evolving or less mature finance environments where pragmatism and ownership are essential
• A strong operational mindset with the ability to understand production environments, operational spending, and factory dynamics
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to operate confidently across all organizational levels
• A calm, structured, and balanced leadership style — someone who can maintain control and accountability while building trust and collaboration internally
• Strong governance awareness and understanding of working within regulated and investor-led structures
• The willingness to be operationally involved on-site multiple times per week, particularly during the initial transformation phase

What’s In It For You?

• Opportunity to play a key leadership role in a business transformation and growth journey
• High level of ownership, visibility, and direct impact on business performance
• Exposure to investors, Board-level stakeholders, and strategic decision-making
• Ability to shape and build a finance organization for the future
• Dynamic international environment with operational and strategic complexity
• Long-term growth potential as the organization continues to scale and mature
• Competitive compensation package

Next Steps

If you are excited by the opportunity to build, transform, and lead within a highly operational and evolving environment, we would be happy to discuss the opportunity further over the meeting. Please apply directly or contact us via mentioned email.

Robert Walters Netherlands is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.