- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Director
- Department
- IT & Technology Systems
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Oct 29, 2026
About Chanel
Chanel is one of the world’s most revered luxury houses, founded by Gabrielle Chanel and distinguished by an enduring vision of elegance, freedom, and modernity. As an employer, the House brings together métiers ranging from haute couture, fashion and leather goods to fragrance, beauty, watches, and fine jewelry, offering employees the opportunity to contribute to a legacy defined by exceptional craftsmanship and creative audacity. Chanel values excellence, discretion, collaboration, and long-term development, fostering an environment where talent is nurtured and heritage is continually reinterpreted for contemporary clients. Its teams are united by a commitment to quality, innovation, and the timeless spirit of the brand.
Chanel seeks a Head of Finance IT to lead its global finance technology strategy, architecture, project portfolio, operations, vendors and teams in London and Paris. The role partners with finance and technology leaders to drive transformation across ERP, reporting, planning, procurement, risk and treasury, while managing a three-year roadmap and budget. The position is full-time.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define the global technology strategy and future-state architecture for finance capabilities in partnership with finance stakeholders.
- Engage global finance and regional technology teams to secure sponsorship, align work toward shared outcomes, simplify processes and eliminate duplication.
- Build a three-year roadmap, shape business cases and secure investment and stakeholder commitment for transformation initiatives.
- Architect an interconnected finance technology ecosystem and end-to-end process flows across systems.
- Establish architectural governance and develop solution architecture documentation for core platforms with CorpFIT Enterprise Architecture.
- Shape and implement the future-state integration architecture with CorpFIT Enterprise Architecture and the Global Innovation and Transformation Integration Competency Centre.
- Deliver portfolio projects to agreed timelines, costs, scope and roadmap commitments; manage forecasts, actuals and budgets.
- Partner with Architecture, Cyber, Legal, Compliance and Data Privacy to ensure portfolio technology follows best practices; record and manage risks, issues and deficiencies.
- Identify opportunities to apply AI to automate and support finance processes; refine governance models and develop scalable, high-impact use cases with the Finance innovation team.
- Manage production IT services in line with IT Service Management best practices for global, regional and local finance teams and business users of company-wide applications.
- Maximise systems investment through continuous improvement and service evolution, prioritising high-value enhancements with business and product owners.
- Improve the strategic Application Managed Services provider's services to increase cost efficiency, variable capacity and scope.
- Lead software vendor negotiations to maximise investment value, develop vendor relationships and identify opportunities; manage vendor performance and service quality and oversee contracts with Indirect Procurement and Legal.
- Lead and mentor internal and external IT professionals in London and Paris, fostering growth, excellence, collaboration, innovation and continuous learning.
- Build strong collaboration with other Corporate Functions technology teams, breaking down silos and strengthening team spirit.
- Define strategic directions and oversee associated budgets with partners.
- Support business and IT teams in defining and implementing processes related to new technology solutions.
- Partner with TECH colleagues across People & Organisation, Legal, Data Analytics, Intelligent Automation and Infrastructure.
- Champion a customer-centric culture, nurture cultural change and develop the associated change management programme.
- Supervise and coordinate team members supporting existing solutions and new projects.
- Support Finance's vision to be a great place to work and serve the business through finance processes, systems and innovative solutions.
- Promote the principles and values of the IT Federated Model.
Qualifications
- At least 10 years of IT experience, including at least 3 years in a management role.
- Significant experience implementing IT roadmaps and building and/or leading finance solutions for the business.
- In-depth knowledge of finance technology and processes.
- Excellent communication, analytical, problem-solving, negotiation and organisational skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills; ability to collaborate, manage conflict and challenge in a matrix environment.
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a changing environment.
- Passion for user-centricity, design thinking and agile methodologies.
- Strong interest and curiosity in incubating cutting-edge people technologies.
- Energy, enthusiasm and critical thinking to improve ways of working, simplify and operate across divisions and geographies.
- Significant IT leadership experience, including people management, business relationship management and delivery responsibilities.
- Exceptional project management capabilities and strong vendor management skills.
- Strong knowledge of finance technology solutions and processes, especially accounting, consolidation, management reporting, procurement, planning, tax and treasury.
- Degree in Finance, IT Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent.
- Solid understanding of IT security and data protection regulations and principles.
- Strong financial and business acumen.
- English is required; French or another language is a plus.
Skills
Experience
At least 10 years of IT experience, including at least 3 years in a management role.
Education
Degree in Finance, IT Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in London, England, UK.
Explore jobs in England or in the UK.
Benefits
Access to world-class training programmes; opportunities for professional growth within a luxury brand landscape; inclusive and collaborative work environment.
Culture
Chanel fosters a culture of timeless creativity, exacting craftsmanship, and quiet excellence, where employees are encouraged to uphold the house’s heritage while contributing to its continued innovation. The workplace environment is refined, collaborative, and deeply committed to quality, offering professionals the opportunity to grow within a globally respected maison that values discretion, artistry, and long-term vision.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Chanel, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Finance IT Director», «Head of Finance Technology», «Finance Systems Director», «Finance IT Lead», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.