Executive Director Finance Spain

Job Description

Position Summary

The Exec Director Finance is responsible for leading the finance function to develop and execute finance strategy to support business growth in Spain.

Acting as a business partner with an enterprise mindset, this role is expected to demonstrate strong finance and business leadership by working closely with other leadership team members and by leading a strong finance team that focuses on business partnering, value creation, compliance, stewardship and talent development.

Primary Activities: Main responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Leading high performing finance team inclusive of direct and indirect reports, that provides Human Health (HH) business support in addition to financial stewardship and statutory support for all legal entities based in Spain.
• As a member of Spain HH Leadership Team, leverage your business acumen and provide financial perspectives to support the decision making of Spanish Managing Director and Spanish Leadership Team.  Active participation in the Country Council.

• Actively partner with business leaders to develop business strategies relevant to achieving long-range goals, identify business opportunities and prioritize investment and resources to deliver profitable growth and continued improvement of business / financial performance.
• Business partnership and support extended to other divisions of the company.
• Drive stakeholder alignment across functions and divisions as an enterprise leader (BSC, CoE, local and regional teams, and various corporate divisions).
• Actively participate in the Compliance Committee, ensuring compliance and strong internal control environment, including that the company's financial and tax matters are managed effectively and efficiently and comply with accounting principles, tax rules and government regulations.
• As a Statutory board member of Spain legal entities, responsibility for ensuring accuracy and compliance in reporting financial results (US GAAP and local statutory).
• Establish a high level of credibility and manage strong working relationships with internal and external partners including tax authorities.
• Develop an effective, and high-performing organization; guide the leadership development process, ensuring succession for key positions in finance organization.
• Build a culture throughout the organization which emphasizes diversity and inclusion, collaboration and teamwork, personal accountability and continuous improvement.

Background Requirements and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Accounting or Finance, MBA and/or other professional qualifications are desirable.
• 10+ years of professional experience, with a track record in financial leadership and strong people management, P&L and budget management experience.
• Highly valuable experience in FP&A, Tax and Controlling areas including working capital management.
• Strong Digital and data skills / mindset are desirable and be able to foster these skills through the organization.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership and communication skills, showing strong influencing skills to be critical in an enterprise environment.
• Good knowledge of US GAAP and experience with SAP/COMET/ATLAS.
• Fluency in Spanish and English.
• Location: Madrid – Spain.

Skills:

Critical competencies and skills include but are not limited to:

• Ability to analyze seemingly independent information to understand interdependencies, trends, issues and opportunities; able to synthesize complex information and translate into mid-to-long-range goals and plans.
• The ability to handle high levels of pressure, approach challenges with a positive attitude, lead transformation and commit to decisions.
• High learning agility, effectively adjusts to new, changing and unpredictable situations, solicits and responds effectively to feedback and coaching.
• Demonstrates strategic and financial stewardship to partner with Spanish Leadership Team to deliver company’s short- and long-term goals.
• Demonstrates motivation, commitment, and accountability to support company’s success. Team player who works well across different business environments and profiles.
• Demonstrates strong influencing skills and an ability to work in a variety of settings, and with a diverse set of people and/or functions.
• Demonstrates commitment to planning and supporting the development of team individuals’ knowledge, skills and abilities so that they can fulfill current or future responsibilities more effectively.
• Coaches and developments others for success, providing feedback and development guidance to help others excel in their current and future job responsibilities.
• Demonstrated strong communication skills and ability to interact in both direct and virtual format, across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrates a strong knowledge of the market’s external finance environment and is able to make an assessment of possible impacts from changes in fiscal and monetary policies on the company’s future performance.
• Has a relevant understanding of the Spanish external healthcare environment, including key government initiatives in the healthcare space, regulatory and access environment, implications on development and growth of different segments, and changes in competitive landscape.

• Demonstrates relevant awareness and application of market specific strategies and key initiatives to drive company performance in areas such as product life cycle and portfolio prioritization, Go-To-Market models, patient access, pricing and affordability and investment optimization / efficiency improvement.

Required Skills:

Business, Business, Business Acumen, Business Opportunities, Business Performance Management, Business Strategies, Commercial Banking Relationship Management, Compliance Reviews, Customer-Focused, Detail-Oriented, Ethical Compliance, Finance, Financial Analysis, Financial Modeling, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Identifying Sales Opportunities, Interpersonal Relationships, Investments Analysis, Leadership Training and Development, Management Process, Market Research, Negotiation, People Leadership, Positive Attitude, Preparation of Financial Reports {+ 4 more}

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

11/23/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.