Head of Finance

Job Description

Role Summary

The Group Head of Finance is responsible for leading FP&A, monthly MIS reporting, Budgeting & Forecasting, Commercial Finance and Business Partnering across the Group, embedding Finance Business Partners within each Business Unit to drive profitable, cash-generative growth.

Reporting directly to the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the incumbent will lead the Finance Business Partner network, drive monthly reporting, vehicle and portfolio profitability, own capital allocation and investment evaluation, and strengthen budgeting forecasting and performance management, with particular focus on dealerships, vehicle trading, pre-owned vehicles, rent-a-car, and fleet operations.

The role requires a highly analytical, commercially astute finance leader capable of turning financial insight into business decisions and championing Finance as an active partner in driving profitable growth and enhancement of financial performance across the Group.

About Legend Holding

Legend Holding Group is a diversified enterprise headquartered in Dubai, operating across the Middle East and African region. With a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, the group manages a growing portfolio of companies in automotive, trading, energy, Travel and Tourism and mobility services.

Rooted in Loyalty, Excellence, and Progress, we lead innovation and technology to seamlessly connect the physical and digital worlds.

Our goal is to become a leader in intelligent, data-driven solutions because Together We Grow.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Finance Business Partnering Leadership

• Build, lead, and develop the network of Finance Business Partners embedded within each Business Unit, including automotive trading, dealerships, rent-a-car, aftersales, commercial vehicles, logistics, travel, and energy.
• Champion Finance as an active partner in business decision making, moving beyond a pure control function to influence commercial and operational outcomes while ensuring proper governance
• Ensure Business Unit decisions on pricing, product mix, and investment are grounded in rigorous, data-driven financial analysis.
• Act as the primary finance interface between the CFO and Business Unit leadership on commercial performance matters.
• Partner with CFO, Head of Finance CoE and Finance Business Partner to identify opportunities to digitalised and streamlined processes to enhance efficiencies, governance and client service levels

FP&A, MIS and monthly reporting cycle

• Drive the central FP&A function including the responsibility of the monthly MIS reporting process in partnership with the Head of Group Head of Accounting/Shared Service center and in line with Group reporting calendar deadlines
• Drive detailed review of variance analysis and deep dive analytics to investigate the drivers of such variances so that corrective actions plans can be promptly activated in partnership with the commercial teams and the finance business partners
• Lead implementation of EPM and digitalised solution to streamline and accelerate the monthly MIS closing process while also improving the quality of performance real-time analytics to enhance quality of support and timely decision making process to enhance Group financial performance

Vehicle & Portfolio Profitability Management

• Partner with Business Unit leadership to maximise lifetime value per vehicle across the full lifecycle: procurement, inventory, retail sale, fleet deployment, aftersales, used cars, and replacement.
• Drive product mix optimisation, pricing discipline, and gross margin management across dealership, trading, and pre-owned vehicle operations.
• Oversee fleet and mobility economics, including fleet utilisation, lease-to-own profitability, vehicle replacement strategy, and total lifecycle economics for rent-a-car and fleet units.
• Manage residual value strategy, including used car pricing, inventory ageing management, and trade-in optimisation.
• Improve aftersales performance through workshop productivity, parts profitability, and customer retention initiatives.

Cash Generation & Working Capital Excellence

• Own the Group’s profitability-to-cash value chain: EBITDA, working capital (inventory, receivables, payables), cash generation, and shareholder value.
• Drive inventory excellence, cash conversion cycle improvement, and capital efficiency initiatives across all Business Units.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for return on capital employed (ROCE), cash generation, and inventory turns by Business Unit.
• Identify and lead working capital improvement opportunities in partnership with Business Unit Finance Partners.

Strategic Capital Allocation & Investment Evaluation

• Lead the evaluation and prioritisation of Group growth investments, including major facility and automotive hub expansions, through structured business cases.
• Apply rigorous ROI, IRR, NPV, payback, and cash return analysis to all investment decisions.
• Own the Investment Committee submission process, ensuring disciplined capital allocation aligned with long-term shareholder value creation.
• Support scenario modelling, risk assessment, and funding strategy for major Group investments.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Management

• Lead the annual budgeting and rolling forecast process for all Business Units in partnership with Finance Business Partners.
• Drive implementation of EPM and digitalised solution to streamline budgeting process
• Own the Group KPI Dashboard and lead structured Business Performance Review cycles with each Business Unit.
• Provide the CFO with forward-looking insights, variance analysis, and early-warning indicators on commercial performance.

Governance & Investment Discipline

• Support the CFO in embedding Delegation of Authority, approval and escalation frameworks, and Investment Committee governance across the Group.
• Enforce Business Case Standards and the Capital Allocation Framework across all Business Units.
• Ensure clear performance accountability and KPI ownership at Business Unit level.

Tax & Treasury Alignment

• Partner with the Group Finance Hub (Tax and Treasury) to ensure Business Unit transactions, pricing, and structures are tax-efficient and compliant with UAE Corporate Tax, VAT, and Transfer Pricing requirements.
• Provide commercial input into Group tax planning and cross-border or related-party transactions from a Business Unit perspective.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Finance Business Partner community across the Group.
• Support the Group Finance Competency Framework and the Legend Finance Academy in building commercial finance capability.
• Build a succession pipeline for Finance Business Partner and senior commercial finance roles.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Master’s Degree or MBA in Finance or Business is highly preferred.

Professional Certifications

One or more of the following certifications is highly preferred:

• CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
• ACCA
• CA (Chartered Accountant)
• CIMA (Chartered Management Accountant)

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of progressive finance experience, in advanced finance environments including at least 5 years in a senior commercial finance or finance business partnering leadership role.
• Proven track record within the automotive or mobility sector, including dealership finance, vehicle trading, pre-owned vehicle operations, rent-a-car, or fleet/leasing businesses.
• Demonstrated experience embedding a Finance Business Partner model within a multi-Business Unit group or conglomerate.
• Strong background in capital allocation and investment appraisal, including ROI, IRR, NPV, and business case development.
• Solid experience in working capital and cash flow management, with a track record of improving cash conversion cycles.
• Experience operating within an advanced Finance Hub-and-Spoke operating model or shared service digitalised finance operating model is preferred.
• Exposure to group-level companies, holding companies, or multinational organizations with multiple subsidiaries.

Technical Competencies

Commercial Finance Business Partnering

Vehicle Lifecycle & Dealership Economics

Capital Allocation & Investment Appraisal (ROI, IRR, NPV)

Working Capital & Cash Flow Management

Budgeting, Forecasting & FP&A

KPI & Business Performance Management Frameworks

Automotive & Mobility Finance

Business Case Development & Investment Governance

UAE Corporate Tax & VAT Awareness

ERP and Financial Systems Proficiency

Advanced Microsoft Excel & Financial Modelling

Mergers, Acquisitions & Feasibility Analysis

Behavioral Competencies

Strong Business and Commercial Acumen

Strategic Thinking and Decision Making

Leadership and Team Development

High Analytical and Problem-Solving Ability

Exceptional Attention to Detail

Effective Stakeholder Management and Influence

High Integrity and Professional Ethics

Ability to Work Under Pressure and Meet Deadlines

Excellent Communication and Presentation Skills

Adaptability Across Multi-Industry Environments

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Business Unit EBITDA and Gross Margin Growth

Cash Conversion Cycle Improvement

Working Capital Efficiency (Inventory, Receivables, Payables)

Investment ROI/IRR Achievement Against Approved Business Cases

Budget vs Actual Variance Control

Finance Business Partner Coverage Across Business Units

Group KPI Dashboard Adoption and Timeliness

Business Case and Investment Governance Compliance

Tax Efficiency of Business Unit Structures

Team Development and Retention

Authority

The Group Head of Finance shall have full access to financial records, systems, and data across all Group entities necessary to perform the role. The role shall operate under the direct supervision of the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), with close working alignment with Business Unit leadership and the Group Finance Hub on all commercial finance matters.