Group Chief Financial Officer

About Watsmen

Watsmen is building an engineering-led industrial group. We connect technical capability, disciplined execution and practical commercial judgement to deliver valuable industrial solutions.

Role Purpose

Build a financially controlled, decision-ready foundation for Watsmen as an engineering-led industrial group. Turn approved strategy into evidenced resource choices, reliable financial information and disciplined stewardship. Maintain clear separation between Group institutional expenditure and separately governed project, trade and acquisition capital, while preserving the accountability of each legal entity.

Key Accountabilities

• Deliver a controlled financial operating model identifying legal entities, accountabilities, accounting policies, approval routes and minimum control evidence; maintain an exceptions log showing unresolved gaps, owners and corrective dates.
• Present an integrated operating plan and rolling forecast with documented assumptions, hiring dependencies, cash requirements and variance explanations; distinguish requested resources from approved commitments and identify decisions before liquidity or capacity is constrained.
• Establish treasury oversight through evidenced cash visibility, payment controls and bank-authority records; define interim ownership until specialist capacity is appointed, with preparation, approval and reconciliation separated wherever practicable.
• Deliver dependable management and corporate reporting through a controlled close calendar, entity submissions, consolidation reviews and reconciliations; ensure material estimates, intercompany balances and unresolved items are visible to decision-makers.
• Provide financial challenge for commercial opportunities, platform proposals and investments through documented scenarios, working-capital implications and downside tests; confirm the appropriate funding and approval route before commitments are recommended.
• Maintain an assurance-ready finance function through tax and filing calendars, qualified local advice, control testing and capability development; report significant deficiencies candidly and retain evidence that agreed remediation has been completed.
• Own the economics and rolling cash plan for approved initiatives; establish funding readiness, identify uncovered requirements and resolve funding constraints with the COO and Commercial before execution is committed.

First 90 Days

• By day 30: Map financial obligations, available records, cash positions and current approval arrangements; agree a prioritised control-gap register and initial reporting calendar with the CEO and relevant entity owners.
• By day 60: Submit the first integrated forecast and management pack; establish documented payment and commitment controls, local-adviser responsibilities and a clear distinction between institutional costs and separately authorised capital.
• By day 90: Demonstrate a repeatable close and forecast cycle; present tested cash scenarios, aged control exceptions and a sequenced finance-capability plan, with accountable owners for unresolved issues. Demonstrate a reconciled initiative economics and cash view, with dated funding decisions, forecast variances and collection evidence.

Essential Requirements

• Demonstrated leadership of financial control and planning in an industrial, engineering or similarly complex operating environment
• Ability to reconcile accounting evidence, cash movements and commercial assumptions into clear executive decisions
• Practical command of multi-entity reporting, working capital, internal controls and oversight of jurisdiction-specific obligations
• Sound professional judgement, independent challenge and credible communication with technical and commercial leaders
• Evidence of building capable finance teams and proportionate controls during organisational growth

Desirable Experience

• Experience establishing an international group finance function
• Relevant professional accounting qualification or equivalent demonstrated competence

Authority And Decision Boundaries

• Propose financial standards, resource allocations and corrective action; exercise approval or expenditure powers only within a separately documented delegation.
• Escalate unsupported commitments, financial misstatement risks and control failures through the approved governance route; corporate title alone confers no bank, contracting or legal-entity signing authority.

Key Interfaces

Group Financial Controller and appointed local finance providers; General Counsel and Risk, Ethics & Compliance Manager; Technical Authority, Commercial Director and platform leaders; Anchor leaders and competent corporate authorities.

COO and Commercial on initiative economics and funding readiness; reporting remains to the Founder & Group CEO.

How Success Is Evidenced

• Reporting and forecast timeliness, reliability and explained deviations
• Cash visibility and closure of material reconciliation or control exceptions
• Quality of evidenced financial challenge and compliance with approved funding boundaries
• Forecast reliability, funded execution, collections and time to resolve funding constraints; capital raised alone is not a success measure.

Activation And Delivery Readiness

Assigned work requires confirmed resources, competent delivery capacity and the applicable approvals. The role operates within its documented delegation; appointment alone does not confer contracting, spending, technical-approval or system-access authority.

Location And Travel

Istanbul, Türkiye. Travel may support entity reviews, financial assurance and partner discussions. Specific travel requirements and frequency will be discussed before appointment.

Employment And Working Arrangements

Full-time employment, with annual performance reviews. Twelve-month renewable contracts where legally appropriate, with probation and renewal terms determined under local law.

Roles are on-site by default. Hybrid or remote working requires prior approval. No relocation assistance or visa support is provided.

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