Finance Director - Global FP&A

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way.  

Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong.  Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.   

Role summary

This is a Global FP&A finance role focused on working capital. It supports how working capital is measured, planned, reviewed and improved across segments and countries.

The work covers analysis of DSO, DPO; annual target setting as part of the operating plan; a monthly review cadence with segment leadership; a pipeline of improvement initiatives; partnership with Treasury; reporting and dashboards; and direct partnership with segments on opportunities to improve.

What you'll do

Own the enterprise view of working capital

• Lead the analysis of DSO, DPO, unbilled receivables, deferred revenue, pass-through and client-fund balances and the resulting cash conversion cycle — by segment, business line, region and major client where it matters.

• Explain why working capital moved, not just where it sits: separate structural drivers (contract terms, billing models, business mix) from operational ones (billing timeliness, collections, dispute resolution, payment timing).

• Build and maintain the driver-based working capital model that supports the rolling forecast, the annual operating plan and the free cash flow walk.

Run and improve free cash flow forecasting

• Run the monthly free cash flow forecasting process end to end: collecting segment inputs, challenging assumptions, consolidating the enterprise view and explaining the movement versus prior forecast, plan and prior year.

• Lead the design and build of a technology solution for free cash flow forecasting — defining requirements, data sources and forecast logic, selecting the approach with JLL Technologies and the FP&A team, and taking it from business case through build to adoption.

• Implement a driver-based forecast that ties working capital assumptions to the cash outcome and gives segments a consistent way to submit and review.

• Improve forecast accuracy over time: track variance to actuals, identify where the model or the inputs are wrong and close the gap.

Set and govern targets

• Run annual working capital target setting as part of the AOP — proposing enterprise and segment targets for DSO, DPO and net working capital that reconcile to the free cash flow plan, and negotiating them with segment CFOs.

• Define the metric standards (definitions, calculation methodology, data sources, cut-offs) used across JLL, so every segment measures the same thing the same way. Recommend changes to policy and procedure where current practice gets in the way of the result.

• Track actuals against targets monthly and quarterly and own the variance explanation to the CFO and Head of Global FP&A.

Run the monthly leadership reporting and reviews  

• Design and run monthly working capital reviews with each segment CFO and their finance leadership: results, trends, root causes, actions and owners.

• Prepare the consolidated working capital section of the CFO forecast outlook and quarterly board and investor materials, in a manner the audience can act on.

• Act as the escalation point when a segment or region is off plan — diagnosing the issue, agreeing the recovery actions and holding owners to dates.

• Partner with the FP&A analytics lead and data science team to build the working capital dashboards and standard reporting on the enterprise data platform — enterprise through to client and invoice level, refreshed on a cadence the business trusts.

• Define the data requirements, work through data quality issues at the source and retire manual reporting as the governed view takes over.

• undefined

Lead improvement initiatives and Business Partnership

• Build and prioritize the pipeline of working capital initiatives (contract terms, billing cycle, collections process, dispute management, payment terms, intercompany settlement) with a quantified cash impact and owner for each.

• Lead or sponsor cross-functional initiatives from business case through delivery, working with segment finance, billing and collections operations, procurement and JLL Technologies.

• Work with Global Treasury on the connection between working capital and liquidity: translating the working capital forecast into cash forecasting inputs, supporting supply chain finance, receivables financing and payment-timing decisions, and aligning on how client funds and pass-through balances are treated.

• Work with segment finance and operating leaders to identify where working capital can improve — new contract structures, pricing and payment terms on major pursuits and renewals, billing model changes — and quantify the cash and P&L trade-offs.
  

What you'll bring

Required

• Significant experience in FP&A, corporate finance, treasury or working capital management in a large, multi-country organization, including management experience leading a team.

• Deep understanding of working capital mechanics: receivables, payables, unbilled and deferred balances, pass-through and client-fund arrangements, and how contract and billing structures drive them.

• Track record of setting enterprise or segment-level financial targets and running an operating cadence that holds senior leaders accountable to them.

• Experience leading cross-functional improvement initiatives from diagnosis through delivery with a measurable cash result.

• Strong analytical and modeling skills, with experience specifying and using enterprise data platforms and BI tools (e.g., Databricks, Power BI or equivalent) with a data or analytics team.

• Clear, direct communication — able to put a complex cash story in front of a CFO, segment leadership or the board in a page and defend it.

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity: this is a newly formed remit and you'll be defining the standards, not inheriting them.

• Familiarity with Treasury instruments relevant to working capital (supply chain finance, receivables financing, in-house banking).

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics or related field. Master's degree or professional qualification (CPA, CFA, CTP, ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent experience.

Compensation:

• The compensation listed below is just base compensation. This role is eligible for a discretionary bonus that is subject to individual and company performance. This is not guaranteed.

This position does not provide visa sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Expected compensation for this position:

145,000.00 – 175,000.00 USD per year

Final compensation packages are determined by various considerations including but not limited to candidate qualifications, location, market conditions, and internal considerations.

Location:

On-site –Chicago, IL

Job Tags:

If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet all the requirements.  We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!

Personalized benefits that support personal well-being and growth:

JLL recognizes the impact that the workplace can have on your wellness, so we offer a supportive culture and comprehensive benefits package that prioritizes mental, physical and emotional health. Some of these benefits include:

• 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Care
• Paid parental leave at 100% of salary 
• Paid Time Off and Company Holidays
• Early access to earned wages through Daily Pay

At JLL, we harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently accelerate meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. Using AI capabilities, we analyze your application for relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications to generate valuable insights about how your unique profile aligns with the specific requirements of the role you're pursuing.

JLL Privacy Notice

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading global provider of real estate and investment management services. We take our responsibility to protect the personal information provided to us seriously. Generally the personal information we collect from you are for the purposes of processing in connection with JLL’s recruitment process. We endeavour to keep your personal information secure with appropriate level of security and keep for as long as we need it for legitimate business or legal reasons. We will then delete it safely and securely.

For more information about how JLL processes your personal data, please view our Candidate Privacy Statement.

For additional details please see our career site pages for each country.

For candidates in the United States, please see a full copy of our Equal Employment Opportunity policy here.

Jones Lang LaSalle (“JLL”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process – including the online application and/or overall selection process – you may email us at [email protected]. This email is only to request an accommodation. Please direct any other general recruiting inquiries to our Contact Us page > I want to work for JLL.

Pursuant to the Arizona Civil Rights Act, criminal convictions are not an absolute bar to employment.

Pursuant to Illinois Law, applicants are not obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest.

Pursuant to Columbia, SC ordinance, this position is subject to a background check for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. Only job-related convictions will be considered and will not automatically disqualify the candidate.

California Residents only

If you are a California resident as defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) please view our Supplemental Privacy Statement which describes your rights and disclosures about your personal information. If you are viewing this on a mobile device you may want to view the CCPA version on a larger device.

Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, JLL will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Accepting applications on an ongoing basis until candidate identified.