Head of Business FP&A — Lonza
- Location
- Basel
- Contract
- full-time
- Posted
- Yesterday
Role overview
Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents.
While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it.
Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people.
- Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents.
- While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it.
- Key Responsibilities
- Lead Group business performance management across business platforms and key functions, translating commercial and operational developments into clear financial implications, insights, and management actions.
Main responsibilities
- Key Responsibilities
- Lead Group business performance management across business platforms and key functions, translating commercial and operational developments into clear financial implications, insights, and management actions.
- Own and continuously improve core FP&A cycles, including target setting, strategic and long-range planning, forecasting, outlooks, performance reviews, and executive reporting.
- Provide independent challenge and insight on key value drivers, including sales growth, business mix, Core EBITDA margin, Free Cash Flow, CapEx execution, inventory, and trade working capital.
- Deliver high-quality analysis, performance narratives, and decision materials for the CFO, CEO, Executive Committee, Board, and Audit Committee, ensuring transparency on results, risks, mitigations, and outlook.
- Partner with business platform leadership and Finance teams to strengthen forecast quality, risk and opportunity transparency, milestone tracking, and execution discipline across critical business priorities.
- Connect financial forecasts with operational execution by partnering across Operations, Supply Chain, Program Management, Commercial, and Quality on capacity, customer demand, campaign timing, batch releases, and key milestones.
- Support Investor Relations and Corporate Communications with fact-based performance narratives, ensuring consistency between internal performance expectations and external messaging.
- Lead strategic and operational Finance initiatives spanning business steering, cash and working capital, KPI governance, reporting simplification, process standardization, digitalization, and automation.
- Act as a trusted advisor and analytical thought partner to senior leadership, anticipating risks and opportunities, framing strategic options, recommending actions, and ensuring timely escalation of material performance deviations.
Company and context
- 12+ years of progressive Finance experience, with significant expertise in enterprise FP&A, corporate finance, business performance management, planning, and forecasting within high-profile multinational organizations.
- Proven experience steering financial performance in a large, global, matrixed, and operationally complex business, ideally within life sciences, pharmaceuticals, CDMO, manufacturing, or a similarly complex industry.
- Deep business and commercial acumen, with a strong understanding of the drivers of growth, margin, cash, CapEx, inventory, working capital, capacity utilization, productivity, and business mix.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing and operational economics, with the ability to connect customer demand, capacity, campaign timing, operational milestones, and execution performance to financial outcomes.
- Advanced analytical, financial modelling, and scenario-planning capabilities, with the ability to translate complex information into clear insights, recommendations, and executive-level narratives.
- Demonstrated experience leading planning, forecasting, performance management, KPI governance, process simplification, standardization, and digital or automation initiatives.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to independently challenge, influence, and advise C-suite executives and senior business and Finance leaders.
- Proven people leadership experience, including leading senior Finance professionals, developing talent, and building collaborative, high-performing teams across matrixed organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to operate with significant autonomy in dynamic and high-pressure environments, navigating ambiguity while maintaining delivery discipline, accountability, and a strong focus on results.
- Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline required;
Additional details
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of senior Business Partners while strengthening analytical quality, business partnering, accountability, collaboration, and talent across the broader FP&A community.
Questions about this listing
What salary does Lonza offer for this role?
Lonza lists CHF 85'500 - 129'500 gross per year for this position in Basel. This is the salary published in the original listing (or, when the employer omits a figure, a realistic estimate for the role and sector) — the calculator on this site converts it to your actual net take-home once cross-border tax and social contributions are applied.
Is this a full-time role, and what type of contract does Lonza offer?
This listing is a full-time position. The contract type shown here comes directly from the employer's original posting; always confirm exact hours, notice period and probation length with Lonza during the application process, since these details can vary by role even within the same contract category.
Do I need a cross-border work permit for a role in Basel?
EU/EFTA residents living in the border zone of the country adjoining Canton Basel can apply for a G permit; the Swiss employer files it with that canton's migration office after the contract is signed. Border-zone rules and processing times vary by neighbouring country and canton, so confirm the specifics with Basel's cantonal migration office or with HR during the application.
How do I apply for this position at Lonza?
Use the "Apply now" button on this page — it links directly to Lonza's original listing at lonza.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com, so your application goes straight to the employer's own applicant-tracking system. Frontaliere Ticino does not collect or forward applications itself.
