Enterprise Transformation Modelling Lead - Finance & People

WPP is embarking on a pivotal, multi-year enterprise-wide transformation program focused on modernizing and optimizing our Finance and People functions to unlock significant value. We are seeking an exceptional and analytically rigorous Enterprise Transformation Modelling Lead - Finance & People to own and evolve the core financial case model that underpins this critical initiative.

This role will have end-to-end accountability for developing, maintaining, and socializing the transformation’s integrated financial model. Working in close partnership with the Head of Enterprise Transformation PMO - Finance & People, transformation workstream leads, and key business stakeholders, this role ensures that decisions on scope, sequencing, investment, and delivery are supported by robust modelling, scenario analysis, and credible assumptions. The successful candidate will be instrumental in translating transformation ambition into an evidence-based, decision-ready financial case, in line with leading value-anchored transformation and FP&A practices.

This role requires a leader with financial modelling capability, commercial judgment, and the ability to simplify complexity into clear choices for senior stakeholders. They will create confidence in the model, drive consistency in assumptions, test scenarios and sensitivities, and enable iterative dialogue with workstream owners.

• Build and own the end-to-end transformation financial case model, including structure, logic, assumptions, outputs, and version control, ensuring it remains accurate, transparent, and useful throughout the life of the program. The model must cover (though not necessarily be limited to) cost-to-implement, run-rate impacts, benefit timing, phasing, dependencies, and financial risks across the Finance & People transformation portfolio.
• Establish modelling standards, documentation, and controls so that key assumptions, formula logic, and scenario outputs are auditable, repeatable, and easy for stakeholders to understand and challenge constructively.

• Support scenario planning across the program, modelling alternative scope, timing, sequencing, adoption, and delivery pathways to inform executive choices and investment decisions.
• Run sensitivities on and validate key assumptions such as savings timing, implementation cost, vendor spend, headcount impacts, and transition risks to assess downside, upside, and confidence ranges.
• Support scenario planning across the program, modelling alternative scope, timing, sequencing, adoption, and delivery pathways to inform executive choices and investment decisions.
• Run sensitivities on and validate key assumptions such as savings timing, implementation cost, vendor spend, headcount impacts, and transition risks to assess downside, upside, and confidence ranges.
• Translate complex modelling outputs into clear options, trade-offs, and recommendations that support fast, fact-based decision-making.

• Partner with workstream leads to convert initiative concepts into robust, quantified business cases with clear assumptions, dependencies, and benefit mechanisms.
• Socialise the model and its outputs with stakeholders across Finance, People, PMO, and delivery teams, using structured challenge and iteration to improve accuracy, ownership, and delivery confidence.
• Support stage gates and governance forums by stress-testing proposals, identifying modelling gaps, and helping initiative owners refine scope or sequencing to improve ROI and achievability.

• Ensure clear and compelling executive-ready outputs from the model, including scenario summaries, bridge analyses, value waterfalls, and implications for financial performance.
• Provide a single, trusted analytical view of transformation value to support prioritization, reforecasting, and performance discussions across leadership forums.
• Highlight key modelling risks, assumption changes, and emerging variances early, and recommend actions to preserve value and maintain confidence in the transformation case.

• Work closely with the Enterprise Transformation Finance Lead and Head of Enterprise Transformation PMO - Finance & People to ensure the integrated roadmap remains grounded in financial logic and measurable value creation.
• Partner with FP&A, Controllership, HR/People Finance, procurement, and workstream teams to align assumptions, validate inputs, and ensure consistency with enterprise reporting and planning processes where appropriate.
• Strengthen modelling literacy across the program by providing practical templates, guidance, and coaching to initiative owners on assumptions, benefits estimation, and scenario construction.

• 8+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate finance, transformation finance, transaction services, strategic modelling, management consultancy, or enterprise performance management, with a strong record of building complex business-case models.
• Demonstrated experience supporting large-scale transformation, operating model redesign, shared services, or ERP/HCM programs.
• Proven track record of partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to iterate assumptions, challenge proposals, and turn ambiguous transformation activity into quantified financial cases.
• Experience developing executive-level materials that translate modelling outputs into clear recommendations for governance, prioritization, and investment decisions.

• Advanced financial modelling capability, including experience in a transformation context.
• Strong commercial judgment with the ability to connect operational drivers, delivery assumptions, and organizational dependencies to financial outcomes.
• Highly structured thinker with strong attention to detail, able to balance precision with pace and pragmatism in a fast-moving environment.

• Excellent communicator who can explain complex modelling concepts and financial implications clearly to senior non-finance stakeholders as well as finance specialists.
• Strong influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions constructively and the credibility to build alignment across multiple workstreams.
• Collaborative operator with experience working across global, matrixed teams and balancing competing stakeholder priorities.

• High ownership and resilience, with the ability to manage multiple modelling cycles, deadlines, and governance requirements without compromising quality.
• Outcome-focused and resilient, able to operate in a fast-paced environment where plans evolve and evidence must be updated continually.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related analytical field.
• MBA or relevant Master’s degree preferred.

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CFA, CPA or equivalent professional qualification.