Director (m/f/d) Financial Planning

Hapag-Lloyd's global liner shipping business is modernizing its financial planning and monthly closing across a large, enterprise platform (>600 users, multiple use cases). While moving to the cloud, we introduce new controlling concepts and steering hierarchies, and are impacted by the digital transformation of adjacent systems (FIS, S/4HANA, central DWH EDWARD). Your task is to drive the robust, user‑centric transformation of our financial planning and result platform making controlling data reliable, interoperable across BI tools, and AI‑ready. With your people and process mindset, you lead a diverse team, listen to the Future Controller’s needs and partner with Controlling Systems and Data Analytics and the central IT and Analytics (DIA) functions to make this happen.

What You'll Do

• Lead, coach, and develop a diverse team, driving the transformation from Business Intelligence to modern software engineering through clear feedback and a compelling growth vision.
• Drive the transformation of planning, forecasting, budgeting, and closing processes by implementing new business logic, simplifying workflows, and increasing automation, transparency, and data quality.
• Own and govern the enterprise planning platform (ideally BOARD) and its integration with SAP S/4 HANA, FIS, and the central DWH, ensuring robust data models, ETL processes, and user‑centric solutions.
• Influence and align stakeholders across Business, IT, Analytics, and Controlling, fostering effective collaboration and driving decisions through transparent communication of trade‑offs.
• Act as a trusted partner to Controllers and business stakeholders, translating business needs into intuitive system capabilities while challenging and improving existing ways of working.
• Manage the platform as a strategic product, balancing innovation with simplicity and ensuring sustainable, scalable, and business‑oriented solutions.
• Modernize and professionalize the platform by establishing engineering best practices, including coding standards, documentation, CI/CD, automated testing, code reviews, and release management.
• Design and manage scalable data architectures, interfaces, and cloud‑based data pipelines, ensuring data quality, security, governance, lineage, and cost‑efficient operations.

What Makes You A Fit

• University degree in business, finance, logistics, engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Proven experience leading international, diverse teams; excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Customer‑centric mindset; excellent listening and consulting skills; ability to distill complex requirements into clear product increments
• Familiarity with planning/BI tools (e.g. BOARD, SAP Analytics Cloud, Anaplan, Qlik, PowerBI), experience with modern cloud data platforms like Databricks preferred
• Solid background in enterprise financial planning platforms and BI/analytics; experience with transformations involving SAP S/4 HANA and data warehouses is a plus
• Strong understanding of ETL, data modelling, DevOps, and software engineering best practices for governance and coaching (hands‑on coding not primary)
• Analytical and strategic mindset; ability to balance innovation with simplicity and maintainability; resilience under change
• Fluent English (written and spoken); German is a plus

What We Offer You

• Exciting challenges, real responsibility, and the opportunity to make your own ideas visible in a wide range of projects
• Individual development through our Hapag‑Lloyd LEARNING CAMPUS, international perspectives, and mentoring programs that genuinely advance your career
• Attractive compensation (14 monthly salaries) as well as strong social benefits in a financially stable company
• 30 days of vacation, flexible working hours, capital forming benefits, and a future oriented pension plan (MYPENSION)
• A modern hybrid work model (3 days office / 2 days remote) and a workplace in a prime downtown location at Ballindamm
• Mobility benefits such as subsidies for public transportation, as well as bicycle leasing via JobRad
• Comprehensive health and sports offerings (e.g., yoga, sailing, company doctor) plus EGYM Wellpass
• A company restaurant with freshly prepared meals every day and a coffee bar with a wide selection