Finance Director – Marketing, Portfolio & Technology

Location: Slough, UK

Company

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, provides mission-critical flow control solutions, including mechanical seals, couplings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies, for energy and process industries.

What you will do

• Provide strategic financial leadership across Technology, Portfolio, and Marketing, partnering with senior leaders on growth and innovation priorities.
• Own consolidated portfolio performance analysis, including product profitability, vitality, lifecycle value, and new product development business cases.
• Lead financial support for pricing strategy, margin expansion, marketing investment effectiveness, channel ROI, and spend optimisation.
• Establish governance frameworks and financial criteria for capex, NPD, EPD, and innovation investments.
• Oversee stage-gate financial governance, scenario modelling, business case quality, and value tracking for new product innovation.
• Lead the Finance Business Partnering structure and develop a high-performing finance capability focused on forecasting, insight, and decision impact.

Requirements

• University degree-level education and a recognised accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent.
• Extensive experience in senior finance leadership roles within global organisations.
• Strong background in commercial finance, FP&A leadership, and strategic business partnering.
• Deep expertise in marketing ROI, portfolio management, and investment appraisal.
• Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders and shape strategic outcomes.

Culture & Benefits

• Permanent, full-time employment within a global organisation operating across more than 50 countries.
• Inclusive environment supported by employee resource groups covering veterans, pride, racial diversity, women at work, and neurodiversity.
• Recognition through the annual Smiths Excellence Awards and Smiths Day global celebration.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.