Director, Finance & Corporate Services

Overview

1717 – Vacancy Notice. INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 196 Member Countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities, and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime. INTERPOL actively encourages applications from women and nationals of member countries that are currently unrepresented among our staff. Candidates from these countries are particularly encouraged to apply. INTERPOL’s recruitment process is merit-based; all hiring decisions are made considering the applicant’s qualifications and the Organization’s needs.

Job Title: Director, Finance & Corporate Services

Reporting To: Executive Director Resource Management

Location: Lyon

Type of contract: Fixed-term Contract

Duration (months): 36.00

Grade: 1

Number of post: 1

Level of Security screening: Enhanced

Deadline for application: 7 May 2026

Conditions applying for all candidates

Only professional experience for which candidates can provide official proof of employment will be considered. Candidates could be requested to provide copies of such official documents prior to interviews/test.

Tests/interviews in connection to this selection procedure will take place approximately 2 weeks after the deadline for applications. Applicants are kindly requested to plan their availability during this period accordingly, in case they are short-listed. Selected candidates will be expected to report for duty approximately two months or sooner after receiving an offer of employment. This selection exercise may be used to generate a reserve list of suitable candidates that may be used to address Organization\'s similar staffing needs in the future.

Summary of the assigned duties, including goals and objectives of the post

The Executive Directorate Resource Management (EDRM) is responsible for the strategic and operational management of INTERPOL’s financial, human, and corporate resources to ensure the effective delivery of the Organization’s global mission. The Directorate of Finance and Corporate Services (FCS) oversees all financial governance, budgeting, accounting, treasury, and control functions, ensuring compliance with IPSAS, financial regulations, and the decisions of INTERPOL’s governing bodies. It also manages corporate services in general services, procurement, contract, travel and events, and language services.

The Director, Finance and Corporate Services (D/FCS) is responsible for all financial governance, corporate services, and enabling functions under the EDRM. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Resource Management, the Director is accountable for strategic alignment, operational excellence, financial sustainability, and digital transformation of all FCS sub-directorates and units. The Director’s mandate is to optimize INTERPOL’s funding model by balancing statutory contributions, in-kind support, and external funding, ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment with the Organization’s strategic priorities. The Director leads modernization and digital transformation of FCS, embedding technology, data-driven decision-making, automation, and user-centric service delivery across all corporate functions. The Director also fosters a culture of financial ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement, empowering non-financial units to operate efficiently within clear financial boundaries while championing sustainability, equity, and digital inclusion.

Principal duties and activities

DUTY 1: Strategic Leadership and Integration of FCS Sub-Directorates and Units

1. Provide unified strategic vision, direction, and performance accountability for all FCS sub-directorates and units, ensuring coherence in goals, priorities, and resource allocation across financial, procurement, language, and facilities functions.
2. Bring together Assistant Directors and Heads of Units to align on priorities, resolve cross-cutting issues, and monitor KPIs.
3. Ensure all units operate under a common strategic framework aligned with INTERPOL’s Strategic Plan, the Financial Strategy, and the Digital Transformation Roadmap.
4. Drive cross-functional integration, ensuring digital integration and agile transformation.

DUTY 2: Optimize the Funding Model – Strengthening Financial Sustainability

1. Align funding strategy with strategic priorities: Ensure that all funding sources, statutory contributions, external grants and in-kind contributions are strategically aligned to directly enable the implementation of the INTERPOL Strategic Framework.
2. Optimize the balance between statutory and external funding: Position statutory contributions as the essential, non-negotiable foundation for core business continuity, resilience, and long-term sustainability.
3. Maximise the use of statutory contributions through data-driven allocation decisions and enhanced flexibility, allowing it to adapt dynamically to evolving operational needs, emerging priorities, and systemic risks.
4. Actively leverage external funding to expand impact and innovate service delivery.
5. Lead and monitor an efficient, institutionalized cost-recovery methodology, ensuring continuous improvement.
6. Collaborate cross-functionally with other Executive Directorates or Offices to proactively identify, co-design, and secure external funding opportunities that align with the strategic framework.

DUTY 3: Lead Digital Transformation Across FCS

1. Champion and oversee the Digital Transformation Strategy led by ICT in relation to all FCS requirements, with milestones for full migration to an integrated, cloud-based ERP platform, enabling real-time financial reporting, automated reconciliations, and unified data governance.
2. Procurement: Implementation of end-to-end e-procurement platform.
3. Language Services: Enterprise-wide translation memory and terminology platform, automated metadata tagging, AI-assisted minute-taking, document archive searchability; Global Facilities: Smart Building Management System, digital work orders, predictive maintenance, occupancy analytics, digital space booking, energy efficiency dashboards.
4. Ensure all initiatives and budgets are auditable under IPSAS and internal control frameworks.
5. Embed user-centred design principles in all digital tools — ensuring intuitive interfaces, multilingual support, and accessibility for staff across duty stations.
6. The ERP transformation is a cornerstone initiative of FCS’s modernization agenda and will require the Director’s direct, sustained leadership in collaboration with HRM and ICT teams.

DUTY 4: Financial Governance, Budget Oversight, and Resource Optimization

1. Oversee the preparation, consolidation, and submission of the Organization Annual Budget and Multi-Year Financial Plan, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and governance approvals.
2. Conduct detailed budget reviews for all sub-directorates at least biennially to eliminate redundancies and reallocate resources to high-impact initiatives.
3. Oversee the preparation of the Annual Financial Statements in line with IPSAS and INTERPOL Financial Regulations to ensure fair representation of INTERPOL activities.
4. Lead and oversee the entire lifecycle of the Annual External Audit, including pre-audit planning with external auditors; ensure full, timely, and secure access to all financial records and performance metrics; coordinate cross-functional responses to inquiries.
5. Lead cost-benefit analyses of outsourcing decisions, technology investments, and staffing models with clear thresholds for internal capacity vs. external procurement; ensure adherence to IPSAS and internal controls.
6. Implement a Corporate Services Cost Transparency Initiative: Publish annual service cost reports accessible to all departments, promoting accountability and informed decision-making.

DUTY 5: Lead the Secretariat and Strategic Coordination of the Advisory Group on Financial Matters (AGFM)

1. Serve as the primary officer responsible for the organization, preparation, and effective functioning of the AGFM, acting as its Secretariat Lead under the authority of the Executive Director, Resource Management.
2. Plan, coordinate, and execute the annual AGFM meeting cycle, including preparing the agenda in consultation with the Executive Director for Resource Management and the AGFM Chair; drafting necessary documents and ensuring alignment with IPSAS and INTERPOL Financial Regulations.
3. Oversee logistical arrangements (virtual and in-person), interpretation, and secure document distribution in accordance with confidentiality protocols.
4. Act as the principal liaison between the AGFM and INTERPOL leadership, ensuring recommendations are analyzed, prioritized, and integrated into the FCS work plan and budget cycle.

DUTY 6: Team Leadership, Performance Management, and Organizational Culture

1. Lead, mentor, and develop the FCS leadership team, setting annual objectives tied to strategic goals, digital adoption, cost efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction.
2. Implement a cross-functional performance dashboard for FCS, tracking outcomes that are timely, client-oriented, cost-effective, digitalized, and compliant.
3. Promote a culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning, including cross-unit shadowing and skill-sharing programs, recognition of excellence, and championing diversity, equity, and multilingualism.

DUTY 7: Stakeholder Engagement and External Representation

1. Serve as the primary representative of FCS in governing bodies including the Strategic Management Board, AGFM, Executive Committee, and General Assembly.
2. Represent INTERPOL at international forums on public sector financial innovation, digital transformation, sustainable facility management (ISO 41001), and AI in multilingual services.
3. Build strategic partnerships with international peers to benchmark practices, share tools, and co-develop procurement frameworks.
4. Advocate for corporate services within the General Secretariat, translating complex financial and operational constraints into clear guidance for program units.

DUTY 8: Financial Governance, Budget Oversight, and Resource Optimization

1. Ensure all FCS operations comply with legal, financial, security, and ethical standards, notably IPSAS.
2. Chair the Organization’s Business Continuity Steering Committee and oversee development and testing of FCS Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans.
3. Collaborate with CISO, OIOS, and Security Directorate to embed risk controls into digital systems and procurement processes.
4. Lead post-incident reviews for major service failures and implement systemic improvements.

DUTY 9: Other duties

1. Perform any other duties as assigned by the hierarchy.

Qualifications, Competencies And Skills

Education and qualification required:

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Finance, Public Administration, Business Administration, International Relations, or a related field.
• Professional certification in accounting (e.g., CPA, CFA, ACCA, PMP, CFM).

Experience required:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in financial management and corporate services within an international organization, multilateral agency, or large public or private sector entity.
• Experience in a senior management role overseeing multiple complex functions (finance, procurement, facilities, language services).
• Experience in digital transformation of corporate services; optimizing funding models across various sources; managing multi-site, multicultural teams; implementing ERP, e-procurement, and digital workplace systems; directing large-scale budgeting, audit, and compliance under IPSAS/IFRS; driving organizational change.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another official INTERPOL language (French, Arabic or Spanish) is an asset.

Abilities required:

• Strategic Leadership
• Financial Acumen
• Digital Transformation Expertise
• Change Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Cross-Cultural Intelligence
• Analytical Rigor
• Integrity and Discretion

Special aptitudes

• Personal and professional maturity in high-pressure, multicultural environments.
• Objectivity and logical reasoning.
• High initiative, creativity, and curiosity.
• Strong multicultural sensitivity and diplomatic acumen.
• Excellent listening and negotiation skills.
• Willingness to travel and work beyond normal hours as required.