Regional Chief Financial Officer — Transit-Technology Business

The mandate

The regional business delivers ticketing, control-room and passenger-information systems through long public-infrastructure contracts. Revenue is recognised against technical and acceptance milestones, while specialist subcontractors carry installation and integration work.

The Regional CFO will lead finance across approximately 600 employees and material partners, covering controllership, project finance, treasury, tax, commercial governance, procurement control and regional planning. They will work with project directors in the UAE and wider Gulf and report to the Group Chief Executive and relevant board committee. The remit includes authority to challenge bid assumptions and to protect undisputed supplier obligations from being used as informal working-capital finance.

The business needs a contract-by-contract view from scope through acceptance, claim, cash and warranty. Aggregate regional margin hides which programmes are consuming cash and which partners remain exposed. The CFO must create a credible baseline, resolve disputed accounting and restore confidence without conceding legitimate customer or contractual positions.

Regional financial mechanics add further complexity. Performance bonds, advance guarantees, retention, withholding tax, import VAT and currency terms can turn an apparently profitable milestone into a funding demand. These instruments require one register linked to project events and expiry dates. The CFO must know where cash is legally restricted, which guarantees can be released and when group support is truly required.

Why this seat is open

This urgent new regional role was created when the group concluded that remote finance oversight could not manage the project and partner complexity. Country controllers remain in place. The appointee will integrate their work and add board-grade commercial challenge before several bids and milestone settlements are agreed.

What you will own

• Reconstruct project economics by contract, including approved scope, change requests, milestone evidence, liquidated damages, claims, warranty and cash.
• Establish acceptance governance so revenue, invoicing and supplier release use the same technical facts.
• Separate disputed from undisputed partner invoices and enforce timely payment of valid obligations.
• Build a rolling regional liquidity view that connects project events to cash and group funding needs.
• Review new bids for inflation, localisation, bonding, tax, currency, partner capacity and acceptance risk before approval.
• Strengthen revenue-recognition, journal, procurement and project-cost controls with independent evidence.
• Lead customer and partner financial negotiations alongside delivery executives, documenting positions and settlement authority.
• Develop project finance leaders able to challenge programme directors early rather than explain variance after completion.

The first 12 months

In 90 days, review the twelve largest contracts and sample milestone and supplier evidence. Quantify cash trapped in disputed acceptance, overdue valid partner payments and claims at risk of expiry. Agree urgent payment and control actions, then present a risk-ranked project baseline to the board committee. Reforecast the year without assumed settlements unsupported by dated customer evidence.

By month six, establish joint technical-financial acceptance forums, resolve the oldest material disputes and implement project cash forecasting. New bids should pass enhanced commercial review, and high-risk manual adjustments should receive independent approval. Meet key subcontractors directly to rebuild terms and clarify evidence expectations.

At twelve months, reduce overdue undisputed partner invoices by 80%, bring project cash forecasting within 10% monthly accuracy and cut unbilled accepted milestones over 60 days by 50%. Achieve audit closure of high-risk revenue findings, maintain required bond and liquidity headroom, and ensure every priority contract has a finance-signed completion and warranty forecast.

What the board will measure

• Cash conversion by project and reduction of disputed or unsupported balances.
• Partner payment fairness and continuity of critical delivery capability.
• Revenue and margin integrity through milestone and change-control evidence.
• Bid quality, including downside and localisation consequences.
• Timeliness of financial escalation before contractual rights expire.
• Strength of regional controllers and project-finance succession.

The person

You have 22–28 years in project, regional or divisional finance across transit systems, engineering, technology implementation, construction services or other milestone-contract environments. You have negotiated with public customers, governed revenue judgement and corrected a cash problem that was being hidden by accounting margin.

Your background should include at least AED 2.5 billion of accountable contracts and leadership of 400 employees and partners. You understand Gulf contracting, tax, bonds and localisation, or can demonstrate rapid transfer from another international project market. The board will probe whose invoices you released, which revenue you deferred and how you maintained executive support after challenging a popular bid.

The role is onsite in Dubai with wider regional travel and regular board committee access.

Compensation and terms

Fixed remuneration is AED 1.9–2.7 million plus annual incentive and long-term incentive, with measures spanning cash, control quality, partner treatment, bid economics and leadership. This permanent onsite Dubai position reports to the Group Chief Executive and relevant board committee. Urgency may favour earlier availability, but a notice period up to six months remains possible.

Confidentiality

The employer, authorities, projects, claims and suppliers are confidential. Detailed contract information is available after role fit, conflicts and a mutual undertaking are confirmed. Values are approximate and the scenario composite; candidates must not seek confirmation through government, contractor or professional networks.