Vice President of Finance & Operations

About the Role

Our client, a distinguished luxury fine jewelry brand known for artistic and high-quality designs, is expanding globally. The company, guided by its founder, stands out in the luxury market with its presence in top global retailers and a fast-growing direct-to-consumer platform. They seek an entrepreneurial Vice President of Finance & Operations to collaborate directly with the CEO to establish the financial and operational framework essential for supporting international growth while preserving the unique agility of a founder-led luxury brand.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of financial strategies and operational infrastructure for expansion into Europe and the Middle East, including market entry planning, legal entity establishment, compliance, and risk management.
• Manage VAT registrations, reporting, and tax compliance across diverse international jurisdictions.
• Collaborate with external legal advisors on matters involving international commercial law, employment, corporate regulations, consumer protections, and import/export controls.
• Design and implement scalable logistics, fulfillment, and distribution systems to enhance wholesale and direct sales growth worldwide.
• Develop and maintain operational systems, internal controls, and business processes to facilitate sustainable scaling on a global level.
• Optimize inventory management, product allocation, supply chain transparency, and stock controls covering retail, wholesale, and international channels.
• Enhance ERP and reporting systems to support better operational insights and executive decision-making.
• Serve as the internal expert on finance, operations, legal, and compliance matters related to cross-border activities.

Additional Responsibilities

• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, cash flows, and reporting.
• Manage accounting functions, banking relationships, accounts payable/receivable, and financial controls.
• Develop robust operational procedures and controls that accommodate company growth.
• Drive efficiency in retail, wholesale, logistics, and inventory operations.
• Integrate and optimize ERP tools and workflows.
• Collaborate across departments such as Retail, Wholesale, Marketing, Product Development, and executive leadership.
• Provide financial and operational analyses that inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure adherence to all relevant financial, legal, HR, and regulatory standards.
• Maintain strong partnerships with external auditors, legal counsel, banks, payroll services, tax specialists, IT vendors, and other critical partners.
• Recruit, guide, and nurture a skilled finance and operations team.

Candidate Qualifications

• 8 to 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in finance, operations, or combined finance and operations roles.
• Proven track record of supporting international business expansion, especially in Europe and/or Middle Eastern markets.
• Comprehensive knowledge of VAT rules, international taxes, customs, import/export regulations, and compliance across borders.
• Expertise in managing global logistics, fulfillment processes, inventory control, and distribution operations.
• Experience coordinating with international legal, tax, banking, and regulatory advisors.
• Strong skills in financial planning, accounting principles, budgeting, forecasting, and operational oversight.
• Experience with ERP implementation or improvements; familiarity with Odoo is advantageous.
• Background in luxury sectors such as jewelry, fashion, beauty, premium consumer products, or lifestyle brands is highly desirable.
• Experience within founder-led, entrepreneurial, or high-growth environments is preferred.