UK

United Kingdom · Finance · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toVP, Financial Systems & Transformation
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as VP, Finance Automation · Head of Finance Transformation · Director, Finance Process Excellence

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Professional Solutions Architect ATHE Level 7 Diploma in Computing
Robotic Solutions OCNLR Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Professions in Digital Industries and Technology
Automation Systems and Industrial Robotics ETCAL Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Frontier Fluency the next wave, beyond mainstream AI
Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture
Trust Fluency keeping the digital world safe
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Professional Solutions Architect ATHE Ltd · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 7
  2. Robotic Solutions OCN London · covers 2 of 3 standards Level 2
  3. Automation Systems and Industrial Robotics ETC Awards Limited · covers 2 of 3 standards Level 3
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI Ethics & Responsible Automation Governance
  • Quantum Computing's Impact on Financial Modelling
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance) plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This job leads work to automate and rethink how a finance function operates, using technology to make it faster and more resilient.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

UiPath / Automation Anywhere (Enterprise Architecture) Expert

Architecting the enterprise RPA strategy, evaluating new platform features (e.g., AI Fabric), setting governance standards, and managing licensing/TCO across the organisation. You'll be making decisions, not building bots.

Celonis / Signavio (CoE Leadership) Expert

Owning the Center of Excellence (CoE) for process mining, driving enterprise-wide initiatives based on insights, and securing funding for large-scale transformation programmes. This means strategic oversight and advocacy.

Python / Enterprise Integration Frameworks Advanced

Defining the integration strategy, deciding when to use RPA vs. APIs vs. ETL for complex finance systems. Overseeing the development of reusable code libraries and frameworks across the team. You'll be setting standards and guiding the technical direction.

Microsoft Power Platform / Anaplan (Governance & Architecture) Advanced

Governing the 'citizen developer' ecosystem and architecting enterprise-grade solutions using platforms like Anaplan for connected financial planning automation. It's about control and strategic deployment.

SAP S/4HANA / Oracle NetSuite (Strategic Liaison) Advanced

Liaising with ERP functional leads and IT to advocate for API-based integrations, influencing ERP configuration to make processes more 'automation-friendly,' and ensuring our automation strategy aligns with core financial systems. You're bridging the gap.

Jira / Portfolio for Jira (Programme Management) Expert

Managing the entire automation programme portfolio, tracking ROI, resource allocation, and strategic alignment across all projects and teams. This means high-level oversight and strategic adjustments.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Strategic Automation Roadmap & Prioritisation No authority. Executes tasks from the roadmap. Proposes minor adjustments or optimisations to existing roadmap items. Leads the definition of specific workstream roadmaps; recommends significant changes to the overall roadmap to Director.
Budget Allocation & Spend Approval No authority. Logs hours and expenses. Authorises small purchases (e.g., software licences up to £500) within project budget. Approves project-level expenses up to £5K; recommends larger budget requests to Lead/Manager.
Team Hiring & Organisational Design No authority. Participates in interviews as requested. Provides feedback on junior candidates. Interviews and recommends candidates for junior and mid-level roles; provides input on team structure.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Program-Wide ROI on Automation Investments
The overall return on investment generated by our finance automation programme, considering both cost savings and value creation.
Target · Achieve a program-wide ROI of >200% within 24 months, growing year-on-year.

If we invest £1M in automation tools and resources, we'd expect to see at least £2M in quantifiable benefits (e.g., cost savings, error reduction, revenue uplift) over the same period.

Reduction in Month-End Close Cycle Time
The number of days shaved off our month-end financial reporting process, directly attributable to automation.
Target · Contribute to a 1-2 day reduction in the month-end close cycle within 18 months.

Moving from an 8-day close to a 7-day close, saving significant time and allowing earlier strategic insights.

Finance Department Operational Efficiency Improvement
The overall percentage improvement in the efficiency of key finance processes, measured by metrics like cost per transaction, processing time, or FTE redeployment.
Target · Improve finance department operational efficiency by 15% over 2 years, with specific targets for P2P, O2C, and R2R.

Reducing the average cost of processing an invoice by 20% through end-to-end automation, or automating 30% of manual journal entries.

Automation Adoption Rate Across Finance
The percentage of addressable finance processes that have been successfully automated and are actively delivering value.
Target · Increase automation adoption across finance from a baseline of 20% to 50% of addressable processes within 3 years.

Identifying 100 potential automation opportunities and successfully deploying solutions for 50 of them, ensuring they are stable and maintained.

Audit Findings Related to Automated Controls
The number and severity of audit findings specifically related to the design or operation of automated internal controls.
Target · Maintain zero critical audit findings related to automated controls and reduce minor findings by 50% year-on-year.

Ensuring that automated segregation of duties (SoD) checks are robust and that all bot activities are logged and auditable, preventing any control weaknesses.

Strategic Influence & Thought Leadership
Your ability to shape the broader finance technology strategy and be recognised as a leading voice in intelligent automation, both internally and externally.
  • Regularly invited to present to the Board or Executive Committee on automation strategy
  • sought out by other departments for advice
  • active participation and speaking engagements at industry conferences
  • successful publication of internal whitepapers or case studies.
Team Capability & Talent Development
The growth and retention of your automation team, ensuring we have the skills and structure to deliver on our strategic goals.
  • High retention rates within the automation team
  • clear career pathways and development plans for all team members
  • successful internal promotions
  • positive feedback in 360-degree reviews regarding leadership and mentorship
  • demonstrable improvement in team's technical and problem-solving skills.
Innovation Pipeline & Future Readiness
Your success in identifying, piloting, and integrating new automation and AI technologies into our finance roadmap, keeping us ahead of the curve.
  • Successful completion of 2-3 innovation pilots per year (e.g., Generative AI in forecasting, advanced process mining applications)
  • clear roadmap for adopting emerging technologies
  • positive feedback from business partners on the relevance and potential impact of new initiatives.
Stakeholder Satisfaction & Partnership
The strength of your relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment and collaboration on automation initiatives.
  • Regular, proactive engagement with CFO, IT leadership, and business unit heads
  • positive feedback in formal and informal surveys from key partners
  • successful resolution of cross-functional challenges
  • joint initiatives with IT or other departments that deliver shared value.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Driving Large-Scale Organisational Change

You'll spend your days working on multi-year roadmaps, presenting to executive committees, and seeing your strategic decisions ripple across the entire finance function. It's about shaping the future, not just fixing today's problems.

Successfully championing a £5M investment in a new process mining platform that fundamentally alters how we identify and prioritise automation opportunities across the business.

Building and Leading High-Performing Teams

A significant part of your role will be recruiting, mentoring, and empowering a large team of automation specialists and managers. You'll be building a capability, not just a collection of individuals.

Seeing a junior analyst you hired and mentored progress to a Lead Engineer role, directly contributing to the team's success and growing our internal talent.

Integrating Cutting-Edge Technology for Business Impact

You'll be constantly evaluating new AI tools, advanced RPA features, and process mining capabilities, figuring out how they can be applied to solve complex financial challenges and deliver measurable business value.

Successfully piloting and then rolling out a Generative AI solution that automates 70% of our quarterly financial commentary, freeing up senior FP&A analysts for deeper insights.

What frustrates people
  • Dealing with legacy systems that resist automation, requiring endless workarounds and fragile solutions.
  • Securing budget and resources for new initiatives in a competitive internal environment.
  • Overcoming resistance to change from teams who are comfortable with existing, inefficient processes.
  • The slow pace of enterprise-level decision-making compared to the speed of technological innovation.
  • Managing a large team with diverse skill sets and varying levels of experience, ensuring everyone is aligned and motivated.
What this role does not give you
  • Daily, hands-on coding or bot development (you'll be overseeing, not doing).
  • A highly predictable, routine work environment.
  • The ability to make unilateral decisions without significant stakeholder alignment.
  • Immediate, short-term project cycles with quick wins every week (though you'll aim for them, the big wins take time).

8Who you work with

You'll be directly responsible for driving significant improvements in financial efficiency, accuracy, and compliance across the entire organisation. This role shapes our operational capabilities, influences our technology roadmap, and frees up our finance professionals to focus on higher-value, strategic work. Your decisions will have a direct impact on our P&L, risk profile, and overall competitive advantage.

Inside the business
  • CFO and Finance Leadership Team
  • Heads of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
  • Heads of Accounting and Reporting
  • Head of Treasury
  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and IT Leadership
  • Head of Risk and Compliance
  • Internal Audit
Outside the business
  • External auditors
  • Regulatory bodies (e.g., FCA, PRA)
  • Key technology vendors (e.g., UiPath, Celonis, Microsoft)
  • Industry peers and automation forums

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A minimum of 16 years of progressive experience, with at least 8-10 years in a senior leadership role specifically driving finance automation or digital transformation programmes within a large, complex organisation.
  • Demonstrable experience managing large teams (25+ direct and indirect reports), including managers, and a proven ability to develop talent.
  • A track record of successfully managing multi-million-pound technology budgets and delivering measurable ROI on automation investments.
  • Proven ability to influence and present to C-suite and Board-level stakeholders, articulating complex strategies clearly and confidently.
  • Deep expertise in at least two major RPA platforms (e.g., UiPath, Automation Anywhere) and strong familiarity with process mining tools (e.g., Celonis, Signavio) from a strategic, architectural perspective.
  • Extensive experience with core financial processes (P2P, O2C, R2R) and how they integrate with major ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle).

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Low-Code/No-Code Governance & Scaling

The rise of citizen developers and low-code platforms (like Power Platform) means automation is democratising. Your challenge is to govern this explosion of activity, ensuring security, scalability, and alignment with enterprise standards, without stifling innovation.

Establishing a robust CoE for citizen development · Security and data loss prevention (DLP) policies for low-code · Lifecycle management for low-code solutions · Measuring the ROI of citizen development

  • This quarter: Review our current low-code governance framework and identify gaps.
  • Next 6 months: Develop a revised strategy for scaling citizen development safely, including training and support programmes.
  • Next 12 months: Implement new DLP policies and monitoring tools for our low-code platforms.
  • Ongoing: Regularly engage with citizen developers to understand their needs and challenges.

Quick win: Host a 'Low-Code Summit' for your finance teams to share best practices and identify common challenges that need central governance.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Active participation in industry forums and conferences focused on intelligent automation, AI in finance, and digital transformation (e.g., Gartner IT Symposium, Forrester Digital Transformation & Innovation Forum).
  • Regular engagement with technology vendors to understand their roadmaps and evaluate emerging solutions.
  • Mentoring junior leaders and contributing to internal knowledge sharing initiatives within the organisation.
  • Pursuing executive education programmes in areas like AI strategy, digital leadership, or organisational change management.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI Ethics & Responsible Automation Governance

As AI becomes more embedded in financial decision-making (e.g., credit scoring, fraud detection), ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability isn't just a 'nice to have'—it's a regulatory and reputational imperative. We need to build trust in our intelligent systems.

  • Bias detection and mitigation in AI models
  • Explainable AI (XAI) for financial decisions
  • Data privacy and security in AI pipelines
  • Human-in-the-loop (HITL) frameworks

Quantum Computing's Impact on Financial Modelling

While still nascent, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionise complex financial calculations, risk modelling, and optimisation problems that are currently intractable. As a Director, you need to be aware of its potential and how it might shape our long-term strategy.

  • Quantum algorithms for financial optimisation
  • Hybrid quantum-classical approaches
  • Quantum-safe cryptography
  • Early-stage quantum computing platforms

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Enterprise Automation Strategy & Architecture
  • Advanced Process Mining & Optimisation
  • AI/ML Integration for Finance
  • Financial Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Manager, Finance Process Automation (L5)

    3-5 years as an L5

    Skills to master

    • Mastering team leadership, managing a portfolio of automation projects, building strong stakeholder relationships, and demonstrating consistent ROI on departmental automation initiatives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully managed a team of 10-25 automation professionals, including other managers.
    • Owned a departmental automation P&L of £500K-£2M, consistently hitting targets.
    • Developed and executed a strategic automation roadmap for a significant finance sub-function (e.g., Accounts Payable, FP&A).
    • Demonstrated strong influencing skills with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
  2. 2

    Senior Consultant / Principal at a Big 4 or Specialist Automation Consultancy

    5-7 years at this level

    Skills to master

    • Leading large-scale finance transformation projects for multiple clients, developing automation strategies, managing complex client relationships, and building a strong reputation in the industry.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Led multi-million-pound finance automation engagements for Fortune 500 clients.
    • Developed and sold new service offerings in intelligent automation.
    • Managed project teams of 15-30 consultants and client staff.
    • Proven ability to navigate complex client organisations and deliver tangible business value.
  3. 3

    Director, Financial Systems or Head of Digital Finance in another large enterprise

    3-5 years in a similar Director-level role

    Skills to master

    • Managing a broader portfolio of financial systems, integrating automation with other digital initiatives, and leading significant technology investments.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed a large financial systems department (50+ people).
    • Successfully delivered enterprise-wide financial system implementations or upgrades.
    • Demonstrated strong leadership in integrating various financial technologies for business impact.
    • Proven track record of presenting to and influencing executive leadership.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to senior technology or operations leadership, such as chief operating officer or chief digital officer.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance) is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

Also named as a next step, with no page in the catalogue yet:

  • VP, Financial Systems & Transformation (L7)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Professional Solutions Architect, worked against Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance).

Professional Solutions Architect Level 7

Applied to your work in Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)

The objective of this unit is to equip learners with a thorough understanding of the system development life cycle and the role of a solutions architect. Learners will analyse the impact of choices made during the SDLC, explore the responsibilities and skills of a solutions architect, and evaluate the key considerations for planning feasible, scalable, and secure IT solutions.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

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See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)
  • Enterprise Automation Strategy & Architecture
  • Advanced Process Mining & Optimisation
  • AI/ML Integration for Finance
  • Financial Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance) is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. VP, Financial Systems & Transformation (L7)

    3-5 years

    This is the next natural step, moving from leading automation within finance to owning the entire financial systems landscape and driving broader enterprise-level transformation.

    • Deep expertise in enterprise resource planning (ERP) strategy and implementation across all business functions.
    • Strategic vendor management for all core financial systems, not just automation.
    • Leading large-scale data governance and analytics initiatives at an enterprise level.
    • Developing and executing a comprehensive digital transformation strategy for the entire company.

  2. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

    5-8 years

    This is a significant leap to the ultimate leadership role within the finance function, responsible for all financial aspects of the company.

    • Expertise in global tax strategy and optimisation.
    • Advanced corporate finance, including debt and equity financing.
    • Leading enterprise-wide risk management and internal control frameworks.
    • Developing and communicating financial strategy to investors and the market.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Director, your time is gold. Imagine if your team could spend less time on manual reporting, chasing data, or firefighting, and more time on strategic analysis, innovation, and driving value. That's exactly what AI-powered automation can deliver.

We're not talking about simple bots anymore. This is about integrating advanced AI and machine learning into your finance automation strategy to solve complex problems, predict future outcomes, and empower your team to operate at a much higher level. It's about leading the charge to a truly intelligent finance function.

AI for Strategic Planning & Forecasting

Use advanced AI models to analyse vast datasets, identify market trends, and generate highly accurate financial forecasts and strategic scenarios. This frees up your FP&A teams from manual model building to focus on interpreting insights and advising the business.

Intelligent Risk & Compliance Monitoring

Deploy AI-powered solutions to continuously monitor financial transactions for anomalies, fraud patterns, and compliance breaches. This allows your risk and audit teams to proactively identify issues, reducing exposure and ensuring regulatory adherence with far less manual effort.

Automated Performance & ROI Analysis

Leverage AI to automatically gather and analyse data on automation programme performance, calculating ROI, identifying bottlenecks, and suggesting optimisations. This gives you real-time insights to justify investments and refine your strategy.

AI-Assisted Communication & Reporting

Use generative AI to draft comprehensive board reports, executive summaries, and strategic presentations, synthesising complex financial data into clear, concise narratives. This saves your leadership team countless hours on documentation and allows them to focus on the message.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)?

Common routes in include Manager, Finance Process Automation (3-5 years as an L5), Senior Consultant / Principal at a Big 4 or Specialist Automation Consultancy (5-7 years at this level) and Director, Financial Systems or Head of Digital Finance in another large enterprise (3-5 years in a similar Director-level role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance) progress to?

This role can lead on to VP, Financial Systems & Transformation (3-5 years) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (5-8 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director, Intelligent Automation (Finance)?

Increasingly, AI Ethics & Responsible Automation Governance and Quantum Computing's Impact on Financial Modelling. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

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Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in finance

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills built here, in intelligent automation, large-scale change management, and technology integration, apply beyond finance. Similar leadership roles exist in other large enterprises in financial services, and in regulated sectors such as healthcare, telecommunications, or utilities. Experience transforming core business functions through technology is useful in any of these settings.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.