Senior Associate – Enterprise Performance Management (EPM)

Job Overview

This position entails ownership of platforms supporting three fundamental Group finance functions: financial consolidation, taxation, and financial planning and analysis, covering Aldar and subsidiary entities. The scope includes multiple platforms across the Enterprise Performance Management sphere, particularly Oracle EPM and Anaplan.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the Enterprise Performance Management systems’ configuration, maintenance, and continuous development supporting consolidation, tax, and financial planning processes.
• Maintain an integrated overview of the platform ecosystem, understanding process distribution and driving landscape convergence or evolution.
• Provide input on strategic roadmaps to adopt new platform features and optimize platform rationalization.
• Engage directly with Group Finance and Tax teams to translate business requirements into platform-based solutions while balancing standardization and entity-specific needs.
• Promote adoption and effective utilization of EPM capabilities across finance and tax functions throughout the Group and subsidiaries.
• Oversee enhancement requests, defining specifications, testing, and coordinating releases through outsourced service providers and platform vendors.
• Ensure strict adherence to release schedules respecting finance and tax cycle timelines to prevent disruption during critical periods.
• Align platform developments with corporate architecture, security, and integration standards.
• Manage the integrations among EPM platforms, Oracle ERP, and other data systems, ensuring dependable, accurate, and reconciled data transfers.
• Safeguard master data consistency and data integrity across consolidation, taxation, and planning functions.
• Ensure uniformity of outcomes between platforms where processes overlap, such as actual results influencing plans and consolidation outputs affecting tax data.
• Offer priority operational support during financial close, filing, budgeting, and forecasting activities, coordinating with Technology Operations, managed services, and external vendors.
• Handle incident management and service requests promptly to protect crucial finance and tax deadlines.

Role Clarifications

• This role transcends single-vendor focus, encompassing the entire EPM environment including Oracle EPM and Anaplan platforms.
• The position is not responsible for direct development but works through outsourced build and configuration teams.
• Process ownership remains with Group Finance and Tax, while this role manages the supporting platforms.

Experience and Expertise

• At least 6-8 years of direct experience managing Enterprise Performance Management platforms, specifically Oracle EPM and Anaplan.
• In-depth knowledge of financial consolidation, tax compliance and provisioning, as well as budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Experience with specifying and testing vendor or outsourced model deliverables.
• Background with multi-entity or group financial environments is preferred.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong process-oriented mindset focused on consolidation, tax, and financial planning deliverables across platforms.
• Ability to perform reliably under strict calendar constraints related to financial close, filing, and budgeting deadlines.
• High accuracy and attention to data quality and cross-platform data reconciliation.
• Proactive approach to identifying and proposing improvements and rationalization within the EPM landscape.

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline is mandatory.
• Certifications in Oracle EPM and/or Anaplan are advantageous.

Additional Information

This role is restricted exclusively to UAE Nationals. The organization may utilize artificial intelligence techniques during the recruitment process to assist with application review and candidate assessment; however, final hiring decisions are made by human evaluators. Applicants can request further information about data usage during recruitment if desired.