Operations Finance Lead

Primary Objective of Position:

As an Operations Finance Lead, they will be a critical leader in the oversight and management of the daily operations finance responsibilities. As a Business Partner, they will partner with business leaders and proactively identify opportunities for improvements and implement short and long-term strategies to improve efficiencies and profitability. In addition, they will lead a team of 4 employees, and they will develop policies and procedures to ensure results are complete and accurate and controls are executed to ensure compliance.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Finance Leader -

• Lead and develop process improvements to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the cost accounting team and the overall performance of the plants and maintain process mapping and documentation.
• Manage the month-end closing process for inventory and cost of goods sold within defined deadlines.
• Review and analyze labor reporting and cost, material costs, manufacturing overhead, production variances, and inventory levels including capitalization of inventory, and explain results.
• Develop, interpret, and report financial information for the plants in a timely manner to the business unit leadership teams and corporate finance in compliance with specified requirements.
• Develop the annual plan and forecasts for the business.
• Serve as the final review and approval for the costing and inventory control function within the ongoing ERP implementation project.

Business Partner -

• Assist the business leaders to improve business acumen at all levels of the business.
• Serve as a member of the business unit leadership team and support them in making financially sound business decisions that allow for profit maximization or cost minimization.
• Maintain and develop key performance measures and tracking systems for the plants to measure progress and identify focus areas for improvement.
• Partner with the business leaders to develop cost reduction or profit maximization strategies to meet the short and long-term objectives of the business.
• Work closely with the business leaders to provide appropriate ad-hoc analyses and data needed to drive the business model forward and enable effective decision-making.

Plant Controller -

• Responsible for ensuring adherence to company policies and internal controls at the plant and auditing their effectiveness. Direct the compiling of information needed for auditors and others.
• Ensure the accuracy of the physical inventory and reported results. Investigate and explain the book to physical adjustments. Develop processes to mitigate the need for such adjustments.
• Ensure the bill of materials and costings accurately reflect production operations and are properly reflected in the unit costing levels.
• Maintain a costing system that provides timely feedback to the business.
• Determine material standards, direct labor and overhead rates, and freight and over-usage percentages for the manufacturing process.
• Ensure adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Policies and compliance with internal controls. Resolve questions of GAAP and internal controls with Enterprise Finance.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated problem-solving and analytical ability accompanied by knowledge of corporate finance and manufacturing costing principles - understands P & L and balance sheets and financial journal entries, vouchers, and transactions.
• Demonstrated skills in root-cause analysis and developing interim and permanent corrective actions.
• Adept at demonstrating financial/operational expertise to develop clear and compelling recommendations.
• Continuous improvement and customer service approach.
• Ability to operate strategically and operationally to meet business unit goals and objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to teach and communicate in a simple, but impactful manner.
• Demonstrated strong communication (written & oral); ability to lead meetings and steer discussions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills necessary to interface with a wide variety of internal and external contacts; ability to work well in a team environment and lead by example.
• Must possess strong prioritization skills; flexibility and ability to multi-task.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a relevant discipline is required; MBA is preferred.
• CPA, CMA, or equivalent is required.
• 5-10 years experience as Controller and/or Accounting Manager in a $500M+ manufacturing organization.
• Must be proficient in all MS Office programs, with advanced skills in Excel.
• Proven finance leadership within a manufacturing operation.
• Successful record of mentoring, coaching, and developing finance teams.
• Experience with standard costing.
• Experience with bills of materials (BOMs) and labor routes configured in ERP systems.
• High level of proficiency with ERP/MRP systems; Power BI and Microsoft Dynamics 365 are a plus.
• Experience delivering continuous improvement initiatives.
• Operating in a diverse range of economic conditions (i.e., expansion, contraction, stable).
• Experience managing within a matrix organization is a strong plus.