FACES Finance Director

About FACES

Part of Chalhoub Group, FACES is a specialist beauty retailer in the Middle East, bringing together international and regional names in fragrance, skincare and makeup. Its identity combines an understanding of local beauty preferences with a contemporary, discovery-led approach to retail. As an employer, FACES offers a setting where beauty expertise, personalised service and commercial awareness intersect, with roles spanning retail operations, merchandising, marketing and digital commerce. Professionals contribute to an evolving customer experience across stores and online, representing a diverse brand portfolio while working within a group deeply established in the region’s luxury and beauty landscape.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead financial strategy and performance across markets and channels, driving profitable growth, financial discipline and commercial insight to inform business decisions.
• Partner with the Managing Director and senior leadership to optimize profitability, accelerate e-commerce performance, enable strategic investment and develop a future-ready finance function.
• Own the Faces budget, rolling forecast and long-range plan, including a reconciled P&L, balance sheet and cash view across markets and channels, and provide insights to guide decisions.
• Manage profitability across brands, categories and channels, including supplier terms, rebates and brand-funded income; discount and promotion economics; shrinkage and stock provisions; and the productivity of rent, marketing and payroll.
• Build and manage e-commerce and marketplace contribution P&L, unit economics, customer acquisition cost and lifetime value, fulfilment cost per order, and investment gates to achieve channel profitability.
• Oversee store-level profitability, leases and IFRS 16 impact; develop business cases for openings, closures, renovations and the Fragrance Bar rollout, including IRR, payback and post-investment reviews; and manage the CAPEX envelope.
• Partner with merchandising and supply chain on stock plans, days of inventory, aged-stock clearance, seasonal builds for Ramadan, Fragrance Month and festive periods, and cash conversion.
• Define omnichannel attribution rules, store and digital incentive economics, and customer KPIs to reward channels fairly without double-counting.
• Deliver decision-ready monthly reviews, KPI scorecards and variance insights with actions for the Managing Director, Group leadership and Board.
• Automate close, forecasting and reporting; embed AI and modern BI in daily workflows; and strengthen data quality and ownership alongside ERP and supply-chain systems rollouts.
• Safeguard IFRS, statutory, tax, zakat, VAT and e-invoicing compliance, as well as FX exposure—particularly EGP—across jurisdictions, in partnership with Group Finance and shared services.
• Build and mentor a small, high-calibre finance team across the Dubai and Jordan hub, and lead cross-functional leaders through insight rather than authority.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related field; CFA, CPA/ACCA or MBA strongly preferred.
• At least 12 years of progressive experience in FP&A, commercial finance or finance leadership, including at least 5 years in retail, e-commerce or marketplaces, consumer, luxury or beauty.
• Experience owning the P&L and forecast of an omnichannel business with $150M+ revenue, ideally across several emerging markets.
• A proven record of turning growth into profit through measurable margin, cost and CAPEX improvements.
• Strong retail finance foundations, including store P&L, leases (IFRS 16), inventory and working capital.
• Hands-on experience with e-commerce unit economics, including acquisition cost, lifetime value, contribution and fulfilment cost.
• At least 4 years of people leadership, with the executive presence to challenge a Managing Director and present to Group leadership and the Board.
• Advanced modelling, BI and ERP (SAP) skills, with a practical track record of automating finance work and applying AI.
• Marketplace (1P/3P) or omnichannel retail finance experience; loyalty and co-brand card programme economics are advantageous.
• Background in beauty, fragrance, luxury or specialty retail; experience negotiating with brand partners and managing supplier-funded income is advantageous.
• Middle East experience, especially in KSA and Egypt, is advantageous; Arabic is a plus.
• Experience leading an ERP or planning-system implementation is advantageous.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving, family-owned group where priorities shift and decisions are made quickly.

Skills

Experience

At least 12 years of progressive experience in FP&A, commercial finance or finance leadership, including at least 5 years in retail, e-commerce or marketplaces, consumer, luxury or beauty; at least 4 years of people leadership.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related field; CFA, CPA/ACCA or MBA strongly preferred.

Benefits

Health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies, exclusive employee discounts, learning and development opportunities, exposure to different assignments, and internal mobility.

Culture

FACES’ workplace culture is shaped by the dynamic world of beauty retail, bringing together product expertise, creativity and attentive customer service. Its teams work in a brand-rich environment where collaboration, an understanding of diverse beauty preferences and the ability to turn emerging trends into personalised advice are central to the employee experience.

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.