Principal Specialist, Finance AI & Automation Enablement

About us As the third largest data center provider, we operate over 150 data centers in more than 20 countries and regions. We understand that every business – large and small – has its own unique needs and goals. We offer local-to-global data center expertise, aligned with our connected platform of AI-ready data centers to create solutions that enable our clients to seamlessly scale their digital businesses, anywhere and anytime. Your role at a glance The Principal Specialist, Finance AI and Automation Enablement (m/f/d), is a hands-on Finance transformation role focused on helping NTT GDC Finance identify, shape, test, and adopt practical AI-enabled productivity, process improvement, reporting, and decision-support use cases. Positioned within Finance, the role translates real Finance pain points into clear business requirements, controlled proof-of-concepts, reusable templates, prompt libraries, adoption materials, value measures, and executive-ready recommendations. As NTT GDC expands into new geographies and grows its data center development pipeline, this role helps surface Finance process, reporting, data-definition, approval, and control implications early so they are clearly framed for Finance leaders, process owners, and technology partners. This role is Finance-led and business-outcome focused; it does not own enterprise technology strategy, architecture, production deployment, or platform governance. Key Responsibilities * AI, Automation \& Finance Use-Case Enablement * Identify and prioritize AI and automation opportunities by grounding use cases in real workflow friction, manual effort, recurring reporting needs, and data-quality pain points. * Scope Finance use cases, create low-risk prototypes, mockups, examples, or proof-of-value materials using approved enterprise tools, and coordinate with technology owners before any broader deployment or production use. * Develop business-owned templates, analytical models, trackers, prompt libraries, reporting concepts, and workflow improvement ideas that improve Finance speed, consistency, and transparency. * Apply practical product-style ways of working to Finance use cases, including user stories, backlog prioritization, iterative testing, user feedback, adoption planning, and value measurement. * Document business purpose, Finance requirements, data sources, assumptions, limitations, control considerations, adoption needs, and handoff requirements for sustainment or scaling. * Finance Process, Data \& Technology Partnering * Represent Finance business needs by translating process pain points, reporting gaps, control considerations, and user requirements into clear Finance-side inputs for technology, data, reporting, and automation partners. * Assess current-state Finance pain points, process dependencies, data flows, reporting gaps, and manual workarounds to inform Finance Transformation priorities and technology-enabled improvement opportunities. * Support Finance stakeholders in articulating requirements for ERP, reporting, automation, AI, and data-definition initiatives, ensuring Finance process, reporting, and control needs are represented. * Promote stronger Finance data discipline by helping teams define trusted sources, standard definitions, reporting logic, quality checks, and ownership expectations across Finance processes. * Partner with technology, data, ISO, and change teams where appropriate to ensure Finance use cases are reviewed, governed, tested, adopted, and sustained through the right channels. * Strategic Initiatives, Governance \& Executive Storytelling * Support strategic Finance initiatives that connect organization, process, systems, data, and business-growth priorities into executable plans. * Translate ambiguous business needs into problem statements, solution options, value cases, and decision-ready recommendations. * Develop executive-ready narratives for Finance Transformation–what changed, why it matters, what value is being created, and what decisions are required. * Create high-quality materials for CFO, Finance leadership, and SteerCo audiences, including transformation updates, business cases, roadmaps, and value-realization reporting. * Maintain a prioritized backlog of AI, automation, and strategic-initiative opportunities, and run disciplined governance routines (cadence, RAID and decision logs, dependency and benefit tracking, escalation). * Capability Building, Adoption \& Value Realization * Build practical AI and automation capability across Finance through peer learning, office hours, use-case showcases, templates, and hands-on experimentation sessions. * Coach Finance users on responsible AI and automation use–data sensitivity, review discipline, tool limitations, control requirements, and appropriate human judgment. * Partner with Change Management and Communications so new tools and process changes are clearly explained, adopted, and sustained. * Define and track success metrics–adoption, cycle time, manual-effort reduction, decision speed, data quality, and business value. * Identify risks to value capture (low adoption, unclear ownership, weak data quality, limited IT support) and drive mitigation with initiative owners. Knowledge \& Attributes * Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Information Systems, Analytics, Engineering, Economics, or related discipline (or equivalent experience). * Multiple years of progressive experience across finance transformation, finance systems, strategic initiatives, FP\&A, controllership, business operations, process improvement, analytics, or technology-enabled Finance change. * Multiple years of supporting enterprise-scale transformation involving Finance processes, ERP or adjacent Finance systems, automation adoption, reporting, operating-model change, or shared services. * Demonstrated experience shaping, testing, documenting, or operationalizing Finance use cases, templates, dashboards, workflow concepts, automations, or AI-enabled prototypes, in partnership with technology owners where appropriate. * Demonstrated experience translating business needs into problem statements, Finance requirements, use-case briefs, roadmaps, KPIs, adoption plans, and executive-ready materials. * Experience representing Finance users in technology-enabled initiatives by clarifying requirements, validating outputs, coordinating testing feedback, supporting adoption, and tracking business value. * Experience in a global, matrixed organization; experience in a data center, infrastructure, real estate, construction, or other capital-intensive, high-growth environment preferred. * Strong understanding of Finance transformation, operating-model design, process standardization, ERP-enabled change, automation adoption, reporting, controls, and value realization. * Intermediate-to-advanced practical fluency with AI-enabled work, prompt design, approved low-code tools, workflow concepts, and data visualization. * Strong Finance data literacy, including working with structured data, defining business requirements,