Associate Director - Financial Planning Excellence & Governance
About the job
- A professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or an equivalent qualification, with relevant finance experience.
- Significant experience in FP&A, planning governance, forecasting excellence, finance operations, or finance transformation.
- Proven experience building, transforming, or maturing planning capabilities, Centers of Excellence, finance operations, or shared services functions within complex global organizations.
- Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, planning governance, and driver-based planning methodologies.
- Experience implementing planning frameworks, governance standards, and operating models.
- Demonstrated leadership experience during periods of organizational change and transformation.
- Proven ability to coach and develop future leaders and build sustainable organizational capability.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Experience working within complex, matrixed global organizations.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and translate strategy into practical execution.
- Experience driving planning process improvement, automation, and operational excellence initiatives.
- Ability to balance governance, control, delivery, and continuous improvement objectives.
- Demonstrated knowledge of financial systems including Oracle and SAP.
- Willingness to travel internationally, including to the headquarters in Dublin.
- Establish and mature the Planning Excellence capability within FP&A Operations.
- Design and embed sustainable planning governance, operating rhythms, and execution standards.
- Define clear accountabilities, handoffs, and ways of working across FP&A Operations, Corporate FP&A, and Finance Business Partnering.
- Build a scalable operating model that supports planning consistency and organizational growth.
- Create and implement a roadmap for capability maturity and continuous improvement.
- Own the enterprise-wide In-Year Budget Management and Rolling Forecast governance framework.
- Establish planning cadence, Working Day structures, freeze management processes, and exception governance.
- Ensure planning activities operate in a controlled, consistent, and disciplined manner.
- Act as the senior escalation point for planning governance issues and forecasting exceptions.
- Drive compliance with established planning frameworks and enterprise standards.
- Own and continuously improve forecasting methodologies, planning assumptions, drivers, and planning standards.
- Drive consistency across planning approaches and forecasting practices.
- Improve forecast quality, predictability, and transparency across actuals, forecast, and budget cycles.
- Establish best-practice planning disciplines and forecasting governance.
- Lead initiatives that improve planning effectiveness and organizational planning maturity.
- Establish and maintain governance over FP&A actuals processes, including accruals and allocations.
- Ensure alignment between actuals, forecast, and budget outputs.
- Maintain a strong planning and actuals control environment.
- Support SOX-relevant controls and governance requirements related to planning and reporting integrity.
- Act as an escalation point for planning control issues, audit observations, and process risks.
- Lead the evolution and maturity of planning capabilities across Global Finance.
- Support Oracle EPM adoption and ongoing planning process optimization.
- Drive process simplification, standardization, and automation opportunities.
- Partner with FP&A Data & Technology to improve planning tools, data quality, and planning processes.
- Identify opportunities to leverage technology and artificial intelligence to improve planning effectiveness and efficiency.
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately ten finance professionals, building capability, leadership readiness, and succession depth across the function.
- Build leadership capability across the function.
- Identify and develop potential future successors.
- Create development opportunities that broaden planning, governance, and leadership capabilities.
- Establish a sustainable capability that can continue successfully beyond the duration of the assignment.
- Contribute as a senior leader within FP&A Operations and support the continued evolution of the Global Finance operating model.
- Experience leading Planning Excellence, Forecasting Excellence, Planning Governance, or Finance Transformation initiatives.
About the company
Jazz Pharmaceuticals develops and markets therapies in neuroscience and oncology. Its products include Xyrem and the lower-sodium option Xywav for narcolepsy, Epidiolex for seizures in severe epilepsy, and oncology medicines Zepzelca for small cell lung cancer and Vyxeos for AML, with Epidiolex being cannabidiol-based. The company grows its portfolio through a mix of in-house R&D and strategic acquisitions that broaden its specialty-drug lineup and global reach. Its goal is to expand approved treatments and the pipeline to help patients with limited options by building a diversified, specialty-focused portfolio.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Dublin, Ireland
Founded
2003
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Q2 2026 revenue hit $1.21 billion; Jazz raised full-year guidance to $4.68 billion.
- Actio's ABS-1230 adds first-in-class KCNT1 epilepsy upside after the September 15, 2026 close.
- Oncology revenue exceeded $1 billion in 2025, driven by Zepzelca and Ziihera.
What critics are saying
- Xywav faces Lupin, Teva, and Tris patent fights; generic entry threatens 2027 cash flow.
- Xywav and EPIDIOLEX still dominate value; one patent loss or safety issue would crush earnings.
- Jazz paid $820 million for Actio before registrational proof; ABS-1230 can still fail.
What makes Jazz Pharmaceuticals unique
- Ziihera launched August 2026, targeting $3B-$5B across HER2-positive tumors.
- EPIDIOLEX holds exclusivity into the late 2030s and now funds four new trials.
- Xywav's low-sodium oxybate formulation keeps narcolepsy patients despite generic Xyrem pressure.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Paid Vacation
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
0%1 year growth
1%2 year growth
0%Jazz Pharmaceuticals reported its oncology revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2025, marking a 32% year-over-year increase. The growth follows three recent product launches, including zanidatamab, Modeyso and Zepzelca's FORTE regimen. The company raised zanidatamab's estimated peak-sales opportunity to $3 billion-$5 billion. Jazz aims to increase HER2-directed treatment adoption in gastroesophageal cancer, where only 60% of eligible HER2-positive patients currently receive such therapy. Jazz estimates the US incidence of HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma at approximately 8,000 patients, with a labelled population of 3,000 to 4,000 patients. The company is also developing zanidatamab for biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer. Jazz maintains commercial investment whilst preserving financial flexibility for acquisitions across oncology, epilepsy and sleep disorders.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals' stock has risen 29.7% over the past six months, outpacing the S&P 500 by 17 percentage points to reach $240.49 per share. However, analysts point to concerning trends in the company's fundamentals. The company's adjusted operating margin has declined by 2.6 percentage points over five years, despite revenue growth that should have improved economies of scale. Its trailing 12-month adjusted operating margin stood at 41.7%. Additionally, Jazz Pharmaceuticals' five-year average return on invested capital was just 2.7%, below the typical cost of capital for healthcare companies. This suggests mediocre efficiency in deploying capital for growth. The stock currently trades at 9.6× forward price-to-earnings ratio. Analysts consider this valuation reasonable but believe the company's weakening fundamentals present downside risk.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals has priced an upsized $1.1 billion private offering of 1.875% exchangeable senior notes due 2032, up from the previously announced $1.0 billion. The offering, conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiary Jazz Investments I Limited, is expected to close on 31 August 2026. The notes will mature on 15 September 2032 and are exchangeable at an initial rate of 2.8150 ordinary shares per $1,000 principal amount, equivalent to an exchange price of approximately $355.24 per share. This represents a 42.5% premium above the last reported sale price on 26 August 2026. The company will use net proceeds of approximately $1,079 million for general corporate purposes. Concurrently, Jazz Pharmaceuticals agreed to repurchase approximately $225 million of its ordinary shares from note purchasers at $249.29 per share, using existing cash on hand.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals has launched Ziihera in the US following FDA approval for first-line treatment of HER2-positive, unresectable or metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. The drug can be used with tislelizumab and chemotherapy, or with chemotherapy alone for certain patients. In the Phase III HERIZON-GEA-01 trial, Ziihera-based regimens reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 35%. The triplet regimen extended median overall survival to 26.4 months, a 28% reduction in death risk versus trastuzumab. Jazz estimates the US addressable market at 3,000–4,000 patients annually and raised Ziihera's peak sales outlook to $3 billion–$5 billion. The company plans to leverage existing commercial infrastructure whilst pursuing additional cancer indications and international regulatory filings.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals reported a strong second quarter with revenue of $1.21 billion, beating analyst estimates of $1.12 billion and representing 15.5% year-on-year growth. The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to $4.68 billion from $4.38 billion. CEO Renée Galá attributed the performance to strong demand for flagship products like Xywav and Epidiolex, alongside accelerating uptake of new oncology therapies. Operating margin improved to 20.5%, up from negative 65.6% in the prior year quarter. However, adjusted earnings per share of $5.71 missed analyst expectations of $6.18. During the earnings call, analysts focused on Epidiolex's growth drivers, Xywav's sustainability amid potential generic competition, and zanidatamab's upcoming approval prospects.