VP, Finance Business Partnering (Commercial & Operations)
Nscale · Toronto
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Role Overview
Nscale is seeking an experienced VP to lead financial support for a broad portfolio of corporate, commercial and regional functions.
The role will serve as the senior finance partner to the Operations leadership team, supporting Business Development, People, Communications, Global Policy, Marketing, M&A, and the EMEA and APAC regions.
The successful candidate will provide strategic financial insight, drive financial performance and cost discipline, and support commercial and operational decision-making across the organisation. The role will also play a key part in supporting Nscale's global headcount planning process, ensuring alignment between workforce investment, financial plans and business priorities.
Working closely with FP&A, Accounting, Treasury and other Finance teams, the VP will ensure robust financial planning, reporting and governance across the Operations portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Finance Business Partnering
- Act as the primary finance partner to the Operations leadership team, providing financial advice and commercial challenge across all supported functions.
- Support strategic decision-making through financial analysis, scenario modelling and evaluation of business initiatives.
- Partner with functional leaders to establish financial priorities, optimise resource allocation and support scalable growth.
Financial Planning & Performance Management
- Lead the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes for the Operations portfolio, working in close coordination with central FP&A.
- Drive monthly financial performance reviews, including variance analysis, cost trends, risks and opportunities.
- Establish clear financial KPIs and reporting frameworks to improve transparency, accountability and decision-making.
- Oversee operating expenditure, financial commitments and investment prioritisation across supported functions.
- Identify opportunities to improve operating efficiency and ensure appropriate cost discipline.
Corporate Functions Business Partnering
- Act as the dedicated finance partner to corporate functions, including People, Communications, Global Policy and Marketing, providing financial insight and support to functional leadership.
- Partner with functional leaders to develop budgets, forecasts and financial plans aligned with operational priorities.
- Provide financial analysis and challenge on headcount, discretionary expenditure, vendor commitments and resource allocation.
- Support the evaluation of key functional initiatives, ensuring appropriate financial visibility and understanding of cost implications.
- Drive financial accountability and cost discipline across corporate functions, identifying opportunities for efficiency and process improvement.
Global Headcount Planning & Analysis
- Partner with the People team and FP&A to support the global end-to-end headcount planning process, ensuring alignment with business priorities and financial objectives.
- Support the development and maintenance of consolidated workforce plans, including hiring forecasts, compensation costs and associated employee expenditure.
- Deliver headcount and personnel cost analysis, including actuals versus budget, hiring trends, vacancies and forecast movements.
- Support the development of consistent planning methodologies, reporting frameworks and financial controls across regions and functions.
- Provide financial insight to inform workforce investment decisions and optimise resource allocation.
Commercial Operations & Financial Integration
- Partner with Commercial and Operations teams to ensure alignment between the sales pipeline, deployment schedules and infrastructure capacity planning.
- Support the development of integrated processes connecting commercial demand, capacity availability and operational readiness.
- Drive financial oversight of the end-to-end order-to-contract and billing processes, ensuring appropriate controls, accuracy and timely execution.
- Work closely with Commercial, Finance and Operations teams to ensure effective handoffs from contract execution through service delivery, billing and revenue recognition.
- Identify and address operational gaps, process inefficiencies and financial risks across the commercial lifecycle.
- Support the development of scalable systems, reporting and processes to improve visibility and coordination across Commercial, Operations and Finance.
Business Development Support
- Provide financial business partnering support to Business Development leadership, helping translate strategic priorities into operational and financial plans.
- Support financial analysis and planning for business development initiatives, partnerships and other strategic opportunities.
- Coordinate with relevant Finance and operational teams to ensure appropriate financial oversight and execution of business development activities.
Regional Finance Support
- Provide senior finance business partnering support to regional Operations leadership across EMEA and APAC, acting as a bridge between regional teams and central Finance.
- Support regional budgeting, forecasting and ongoing financial performance management, ensuring alignment with group objectives.
- Drive visibility and accountability over regional operating expenditure, headcount costs and financial commitments.
- Ensure consistent financial reporting, budgeting methodologies and cost allocation practices across regions.
- Partner with regional Operations and Finance teams to improve financial processes, operational efficiency and cost discipline.
Financial Controls & Operational Excellence
- Promote strong financial discipline, governance and accountability across the Operations portfolio.
- Ensure appropriate oversight of operating expenditure, purchase commitments, vendor contracts and headcount costs.
- Partner with Procurement and functional stakeholders to identify cost efficiencies and improve commercial outcomes.
- Drive improvements in financial processes, reporting tools and automation to support Nscale's continued growth.
Experience & Qualifications
- Significant experience in senior finance business partnering, FP&A or operational finance leadership roles.
- Experience supporting complex, high-growth, international organisations, ideally within technology, cloud infrastructure or related sectors.
- Strong commercial acumen, with experience supporting corporate functions, business development and strategic decision-making.
- Demonstrated experience managing large operating budgets, global headcount planning and financial performance frameworks.
- Strong understanding of workforce planning, personnel cost forecasting and resource allocation.
- Experience working across commercial operations processes, including pipeline planning, order management, billing and financial reporting.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior executives and challenge constructively.
- Excellent financial modelling, analytical and communication capabilities.
- Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving and geographically distributed organisation.
Success Measures
- High-quality financial support and decision-making across the Operations leadership team.
- Accurate and timely budgeting, forecasting and management reporting.
- Effective global headcount planning, with strong visibility into workforce costs and hiring requirements.
- Strong cost discipline and financial accountability across supported functions.
- Effective alignment between commercial pipeline, infrastructure capacity planning, contracting and billing processes.
- Effective financial support for business development and regional operations.
- Consistent financial processes and reporting standards across EMEA and APAC.
- Improved financial visibility and resource allocation across the Operations portfolio.