Finance Business Partner EMEA

We are seeking a collaborative and strategic Finance Business Partner EMEA to oversee Compensation Management across the EMEA region. This is a senior role within the EMEA Finance Team, responsible for delivering financial insight, governance, and strategic alignment of compensation programs. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated with deep business knowledge, capable of building relationships and fostering alignment with senior management across multiple functions and geographies.

The EMEA organisation operates in diverse, complex markets across the region. They should have the ability as a specialized subject matter expert to actively influence day-to-day discussions shaping strategy that impacts business results. They must be able to use analytical skills to provide detailed insights and facilitate. The person will also be actively involved in continuous process improvement activities and expected to be an Advocate for continuous improvement.

• Strategic Business Partnering:
• Act as the primary finance liaison for HR and business managers on all compensation-related matters.
• Provide financial leadership and insight into compensation planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Partner with senior collaborators across EMEA and globally to align compensation strategies with business goals.  
• Compensation Management:
• Oversee financial planning and analysis for base pay, bonuses, equity, and benefits.
• Support annual compensation cycles, including merit reviews, bonus planning, and long-term incentive programs.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Financial Governance & Reporting:
• Build and maintain robust compensation models and dashboards.  
• Deliver accurate and timely reporting to support decision-making at the executive level.
• Look for ongoing improvement in financial processes and systems related to compensation.  
• Leadership & Collaboration:
• Represent Finance in cross-functional forums and compensation projects.
• Mentor junior finance team members and contribute to the broader EMEA finance strategy.
• Oversee or support special projects, including M&A, organizational design, and workforce planning.

The successful candidate is likely to have the following competencies:

• Pro-active – a Confident decision-maker and self-starting mind-set, able to look ahead, innovate and continually improve agility and adaptability – is comfortable that change is a constant and can adapt actions and thinking to suit different conditions or situations.
• Collaboration & teamwork – possess the ability to listen, share information and work optimally with team members to accomplish goals. Builds effective networks and collaborates across teams.
• Communication – able to express ideas clearly, effectively and with meaning. Enables effective communication across the function or team. Ability to influence decisions by convincingly communicating clear facts.
• Problem solving - Demonstrates significant judgment and freedom to act when selecting methods and techniques for obtaining major business results.
• Creativity – Capable of applying creative and non-traditional resolutions to highly complex problems.   Able to assume significant risk in determining how to interpret new findings and apply them to the organization.
• Business Knowledge – Good understanding of life sciences business, uses knowledge to make sound judgements and is Comfortable making independent decisions. 
• Strategic Agility - Can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately, has broad knowledge and perspective, thinks ahead, can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods.  

Knowledge, Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (MBA or professional qualification preferred).  
• 8+ years of progressive finance experience, with a strong focus on compensation or HR finance.
• Proven experience collaborating alongside senior leadership in a matrixed, multinational environment.  
• Strong analytical, modelling, and storytelling skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High level of initiative, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Experience with S4 Hana, Analysis for Office, PBI or similar HRIS/financial systems is a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, and additional European languages would be beneficial.
• Good presentation skills are an advantage.

Location & Travel:

This position can be based anywhere in Europe, close to an international airport and a Waters facility. The person must be prepared to travel internationally, not only during working hours but also occasionally at weekends.

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in analytical instruments, separations technologies, and software, serving the life, materials, food, and environmental sciences for over 65 years. Our Company helps ensure the efficacy of medicines, the safety of food and the purity of water, and the quality and sustainability of products used every day. In over 100 countries, our 7,600+ passionate employees collaborate with customers in laboratories, manufacturing sites, and hospitals to accelerate the benefits of pioneering science. 

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.