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Director of Shared Services, Europe

Role Overview:

Our Shared Services organization offers business support across EA’s organization, assisting with payroll services, end-to-end vendor management, and credit and collections. We achieve this through rigorous processes and effective relationships with external partners as well as internal stakeholders.

An established subject matter expert, the Director of European Shared Services is a leader who manages a team distributed across Europe and delivering business support in relation with Procure to Pay, Hire to Retire and Order to Cash processes.

The Director of European Shared Services will play a leadership role in coordinating efforts with EA’s Global Finance Shared Services Center located in Hyderabad to maintain performance and global alignment. In addition, the Director of European Shared Services shall work closely with their peers in Asia and North America and be comfortable handling relationship across a matrix organization.

This role reports to the Sr Director, Controllership and Shared Services, Europe.

Key Responsibilities:

• Management of the European Payroll team
• Responsible for the payroll function across Europe (20 entities, approx. 4,000 employees), establishing consistent processes that ensure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with local requirements.
• Remotely supervise the processing of monthly payrolls pan-Europe, including all payroll and pension regulatory filings and declarations.
• Derive and drive strategy for Europe Payroll Function, while working closely with other Regional Payroll leads on opportunities for a Global Strategy.
• Create a sense of team amongst those responsible for payroll pan–Europe (9 team members).
• Lead change throughout European Payroll, role modelling the approach to change and uncertainty.
• Create a team focus on the review and optimisation of payroll processes, identifying key opportunities for harmonisation.
• Lead the team in projects in partnership with key stakeholders such as People Experience (PE), Total Rewards, and Mobility teams.
• Management of the European Accounts Payable team
• In charge of all accounts payable activities for EA’s European entities, ensures correct processing, timely payments of vendor invoices and expense vouchers, and maintains accurate records and control reports.
• Responsible for proper control environment over Accounts Payable and Travel & Entertainment expense (T&E) processes in collaboration with Controllership and Treasury, seeking alignment on best practices with North America, Hyderabad and Asia.
• Oversight of Europe Purchase Card program, ensuring timely submissions and policy adherence
• Approver for non-standard terms, rush payments and prepayments
• Responsible for the compliance with Source to Pay policies across European entities, delivering trainings to business teams to maintain process efficiency and ensure compliance.
• Manage T&E monitoring of Exceptions and act as decision maker for out of policy items.
• Management of the North America and Europe credit and collections team
• Responsible for credit and collection risk in relation with EA Inc and across European entities (namely EA Swiss, EA Limited, EA Poland, EA Mexico).
• Accountable for the management of the corresponding account receivable balances and bad debt provision. Management and reporting of credit risk, including direct control of biannual credit limit review process.
• Responsible for compliance with credit insurance policy terms at all times.
• Providing credit and collection expertise during contract reviews and to key projects.

Major Functions & Related Activities:

• Exercise control over the documentation of procedures. Constantly seek to improve EA’s policies and controls in relation with Hire to Retire, Source to Pay, and Order to Cash. Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP, Sarbanes Oxley and any other country regulations
• Be a thought leader to improve and simplify processes, drive global alignment, and build scalable systems to support business growth
• Act as the point of contact for issue escalation and resolution
• Identify priorities and help the team identify solutions that achieve results
• Provide regular updates on key tasks and projects
• Lead strategic projects in partnership with key stakeholders (e.g. Business Partners, Controllership, IT) and support senior leadership on ad hoc projects
• Be a team leader enabling performance and offering development opportunities

Experience / Capabilities:

• 10+ years working within the Finance organization of a large multinational company
• Self-motivated, demonstrates initiative, flexibility, maturity under pressure & anticipates and resolves problems before they develop.
• Ability to make decisions and resolve complex business issues.
• Effective communicator to executive audiences in person, written, and through clear presentations.
• Awareness of pan-European payroll processes, systems and regulations.
• Awareness of taxation implications of share option and share save schemes, benefits-in-kind, and other tax compliance requirements
• Previous experience of outsourced processes with shared service centers.

Team-Related:

• Influence, motivate and collaborate with your partners and team members
• Create a center of excellence and implement best practices, processes, and standards
• Work closely with our business and finance partners across Commercial, Studios and Corporate functions.
• Manage a team of individuals located globally

Technical Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree (Finance / Accounting related field preferred), or equivalent working experience.
• Proficiency in Accounting and general GAAP knowledge preferred,
• Demonstrated experience leading and working in cross-functional project teams to deliver large projects of significant value to a Finance organization
• Knowledge in Oracle.
• People management & developing a strong team.