Lead, Finance, Chief Digital & Transformation Office
About Astellas:
At Astellas, experience is coupled energised with a relentless challenger spirit.
Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division.
We are unusual in our ability to combine the experience, expertise and resources of an established company with the agility, flexibility and tenacity of a start-up. Relentless curiosity and a hunger for discovery flows throughout our entire organisation.
We harness the latest technology and insights from big data with our research expertise to create powerful solutions that could transform the way doctors and nurses treat and care for their patients. We are accelerating product development, driving operational efficiencies and gaining a better understanding of the needs of patients and their healthcare providers.
We partner and collaborate with academic research institutes and biotechnology companies who share our passion for bringing breakthrough discoveries to patients.
The Opportunity:
As the Lead Finance, CDTO Office (Chief Digital & Transformation Office), you will provide strategic financial leadership and decision support to the DigitalX and Transformation Office (DXTO), ensuring financial clarity and accountability across transformation initiatives. As a key enabler of DXTO’s strategy, the position also fosters innovation in financial processes and builds a high-performing team to sustain long-term value creation.
The role will report into the Chief of Staff to CDTO and will be managing circa 5 direct reports in a global environment. This position is based out of Addlestone, UK.
Hybrid Working:
At Astellas we recognise the importance of balancing your work and home life. This role offers a remote working solution so you can optimise the most productive work environment for you to succeed and deliver.
Key Activities:
- Partner with DigitalX and Transformation Office (DXTO) leaders to deliver strategic financial guidance that informs decision-making and aligns with organisational priorities.
- Coordinate the financial planning cycle in partnership with Corporate Finance, ensuring alignment with global standards, timelines, and templates.
- Drive forecasting and budgeting processes, challenging assumptions to ensure realistic projections and surfacing risks and opportunities that enable strategic investment reallocation.
- Champion continuous improvement by questioning existing processes and introducing innovative solutions including AI to strengthen financial management across DXTO.
- Act as a key enabler of DXTO’s strategic initiatives by ensuring financial clarity and timely delivery of transformation outcomes.
- Lead the financial dimension of business case development, ensuring all key financial, competitive, and strategic factors are considered to enhance business performance.
- Conduct risk and opportunity analyses, challenge underlying assumptions, and identify actionable strategies to close performance gaps.
Essential Knowledge & Experience:
- Proven finance experience, including senior-level business partnering and team leadership with a global multinational.
- Expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis.
- Strong people management skills with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and partner across enterprise-wide functions.
- Proficiency in management reporting tools; advanced Excel skills.
- Excellent communication, business acumen, and decision-making capabilities.
- Comfortable driving change and working in fast-paced, complex environments.
Preferred Experience:
- Strong interpersonal, communication & collaboration skills working cross-functionally within matrix structures.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or equivalent.
- Relevant professional qualification (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CIMA) preferred.
Additional information:
- This is a full time, permanent position.
- This position is based in our Addlestone office in the United Kingdom.
- This position follows our hybrid working model. Role requires a blend of home and a minimum of 1 day per quarter in our Addlestone office. Flexibility may be required in line with business needs.
What We Offer:
- A challenging and diversified job in an international setting.
- Opportunity and support for continuous development.
- Inspiring work climate.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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