In 1966, in Marseilles, while the world was talking about Star Trek 🚀, Sodexo was serving its first customers, launching our journey in Quality-of-Life Services, led by the visionary Pierre Bellon.

Since then, we have continued to grow, providing essential everyday solutions and improving the lives of millions worldwide. Supported by 400,000 dedicated colleagues in 64 countries, we keep expanding and innovating.

About Sodexo Business Services (SBS)

Portugal is no exception! 7 years ago, we established Sodexo Business Services (SBS), our shared service center. Here, you will have the opportunity to join various Financial teams such as Record to Report, Order to Cash, Purchase to Pay, Financial Analysis, and Master Data, supporting European markets and ensuring business growth.

Join Us!

We are looking for talented professionals to be part of our team, bringing unique skills and perspectives to help us grow even further.

Opportunity: Continuous Improvement Global Projects Lead

Sodexo’s finance back-office activities are centralized in four Finance Shared Service Centers (SSCs): Bogotá, Porto Alegre, Porto, and Mumbai.

The Porto SSC has led Continuous Improvement (CI) initiatives for several years, focusing on optimizing and harmonizing Finance SSC activities across O2C, R2R, P2P, MDM, and EPM processes.

In October 2023, the Global Projects area within the CI team was established to serve a broader scope beyond Porto’s finance operations. With the current department lead stepping down, we are seeking a new leader to manage and develop a high-performing team, driving global, end-to-end improvement projects supporting the GBS organization and future transitions to Porto.

What will you do?

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of project managers and CI professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.

Project Leadership

• Lead and coordinate the project management team, ensuring effective task allocation and resource management.
• Monitor project progress, manage risks, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality outcomes.
• Facilitate clear communication among team members and stakeholders.
• Oversee change management, stakeholder engagement, and comprehensive project documentation/reporting.

Process Improvement

• Investigate country-specific activities impacting end-to-end process performance.
• Identify improvement opportunities, support solution design, and prioritize initiatives bridging finance and supply processes.
• Lead diagnostic projects, including root cause analysis and the development of actionable recommendations.

Solution Design

• Drive solution design and action planning through workshops with multidisciplinary teams.

Strategic Initiatives

• Help developing GBS organization namely supporting clients to identify best initiatives relevant for strategical service quality and efficiency improvements.
• Support GBS in the scoping exercises for projects selection and score, to prioritize and manage projects pipeline.
• Support the Botticelli project (Sodexo Legal Entity Reduction) under CFO sponsorship:

Continuous Support

• Undertake additional actions to maximize the impact of SSC Continuous Improvement.

What you'll need to succeed?:

• Fluent in English (French or German is a plus)
• 8+ years of professional experience, including 3+ years in project management
• Engineering or Management background preferred
• Advanced knowledge of Continuous Improvement / Lean methodologies (Green, Yellow, or Black Belt preferred)
• Proficient in Lean and problem-solving tools (VSM, PDCA, SIPOC, A3, Ishikawa, 5 Whys, 5S, etc.)
• Strong understanding of process logic, value stream optimization, and process improvement
• Proven ability to lead, manage, and develop teams while building alignment among diverse stakeholders
• Familiarity with accounting, finance, supply chain, or operations processes
• Experience working in large multinational environments, ideally with finance exposure
• Strong analytical mindset, with proven experience in data analysis, KPI development, and reporting
• Knowledge of SAP ECC and S/4HANA, and experience with Power BI, Power Query, VBA, or SmartSheet (is a plus)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage and influence at all organizational levels
• Organized, analytical, and detail-oriented, with strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Adaptable and curious, eager to learn across different business contexts and processes
• Resilient, proactive, and positive, thriving in dynamic and changing environments
• Collaborative and supportive team player, comfortable working under pressure
• Motivated by international work and aligned with Sodexo’s values
• Willingness to travel occasionally

What we have to offer you?

• Hybrid working model;
• Flexible working hours;
• Health & Life Insurance;
• Meal allowance paid in Meal Card;
• Additional Days off: extra vacation day, employee’s birthday, volunteering day;
• More than 6000 free online courses;
• Opportunity to grow professionally inside the Company;
• Possibility to participate in multicultural projects;
• Several internal activities aiming to promote our team´s wellbeing.

📩 Apply now! Send your CV to [email protected] with the job title in the subject line. Explore all our career opportunities here: Sodexo Careers.

Learn more about Sodexo: YouTube - Sodexo.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Sodexo is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit.

🔒 Data Privacy:

We respect your privacy. Your personal data will be used exclusively for recruitment purposes, processed under GDPR regulations, and treated confidentially. For further details, contact [email protected].