Position Summary:

The Finance Director - Operations will serve as the primary financial business partner and liaison to the operations leadership, including the Operations Head, Director Supply Chain, and all other operational leadership inclusive of the quality, fulfillment, farm, procurement and maintenance functions. The Operations Finance Director will partner in driving operations, supply chain, fulfillment and procurement strategy development and execution through the modeling of financial scenarios/impacts, working proactively with the business to develop and communicate business cases, KPI’s, and ad hoc analyses to allow for review, analysis and management of financial drivers and performance. This role will support the operations leads and functional team through the direction and coordination of financial planning and budgetary management for the operations organization, inclusive of costing activities, inventory tracking, annual operational and long- range planning, and budget and forecast development. The role shall also ensure adherence to all Company principles, policies and procedures in relation to manufacturing, cost of goods sold, transfer pricing, inventory management, distribution and capital expenditures.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations Controlling:

• Support operations strategy and decision support through analysis of key business risks and opportunities, demonstrating solid skills in complex financial modeling and analysis of business scenarios, developing options and enabling appropriate decision making based on strategic business need
• Develop and maintain an accurate operational reporting system in order to evaluate operating results, performance against budget and/or forecast, plant optimization and efficiency and other matters bearing on the fiscal soundness and operating effectiveness of the factory.
• Drive financial performance and business activity, to deliver and communicate performance and business planning submissions and to advise senior management on key drivers
• Develop and maintain the company’s cost accounting system to support cost analysis and financial modeling for production output. Analyze actual labor, material and overhead costs against standard/budget. Research and explain variances. Update standard labor and overhead rates on a periodic basis.
• Partner in developing reliable operational and financial forecasts, ensuring resources are allocated to maximize value creation for the business. Partner with operational leadership in supporting ES&OP outputs.
• Partner in the review & development of short & long-term strategy and maintain accountability to understand all developments which may affect the organization’s operations and policies, advising stakeholders of all relevant financial matters to achieve business requirements and objectives
• Negotiate and communicate effectively across teams and external parties to achieve a positive outcome, encouraging others to demonstrate flexibility when considering options and assessing business impact
• Promote the implementation and best usage of technology, tools and applications to drive accuracy and efficiency in managing operational data and outputs.
• Effectively assess the relevant input required to support the operations teams in evaluating business decisions
• Maintain joint accountability with the business for the accuracy of forecasts, using a good understanding of the business model and financial drivers, to challenge and influence the key cost drivers. Continually work with the business to identify and drive through opportunities for efficiencies
• Highlight sensitivities and risks in delivering timely, accurate and granular reporting, linking business drivers to actual spend and forecast
• Provide leadership in identifying and driving process improvement and productivity while maintaining compliance and adherence to company policies.
• Develop, control and ensure robust evaluations of capital investment plans and requests. Oversee reporting of capital expenditure requests and tracking in compliance with company requirements.
• Prepare monthly/quarterly close journal entries and general ledger reconciliations.
• Assist in the preparation, analysis and dissemination of internal and external reports (managerial and board P&L reporting, inventory details by product).
• Effectively liaison with key external partners (audit, tax, consulting) to deliver agreed up results timely and in accordance with corporate standards.

Manager Oversight, Continuous Improvement, Coaching & Governance:

• Directly manage cost accountant resource, ensuring working practices and processes are accurate, effectively support operations activities and appropriately capture financial results across the organization
• Identify opportunities to improve working practices and processes in Finance and support their implementation across the Finance organization
• Communicate governance and compliance standards and statutory regulations to non-specialists in a way that is understandable and relevant and relays the risk of commercial decisions effectively
• Lead the development and management of insightful and proactive risk management processes to ensure that the organization’s regulations, rules and processes are adhered to effectively. Promote continuous improvement in the robustness of processes, sharing best practice across the business.

Key Internal Relationships:

Head of Operations, Director of Supply Chain, all Operational Leadership inclusive of Procurement, Fulfillment, Quality and Regulatory functions, Finance organization

Key External Relationships:

Supply partner relationships, Co-manufacturing relationships, Licensing relationships, Customer interactions, audit & tax relationships

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Manage Cost Accountant, providing oversight, coaching, and development as required

Experience & Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Economics required; Master’s degree and/or CPA certification preferred
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in senior level finance or operations controlling position
• Prior experience in finance partnering role or equivalent, preferably from a business in the nutritional supplement manufacturing industry

Skills & Knowledge Requirements:

• Super User knowledge in use of financial applications, including Excel, Power Point and Business Intelligence Tools including Power BI and Adaptive
• Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles
• Knowledge of automated financial solutions and accounting reporting systems
• Direct knowledge of applicable accounting principles (GAAP, other applicable)
• Knowledge of nutritional supplement industry:
• Commercial, manufacturing and operations processes
• Regulatory understanding, including planning and implementation
• Understanding of cGMP requirements a plus
• Solid knowledge of Compliance, Quality, Costing, Supply Chain
• Internal and external best practices in same and other industries, knowledge of R&D pipeline, knowledge of Supply Chain and their initiatives
• Knowledge of HR policies, procedures and tools including succession planning and employment law.
• Specific elements to understand: all relevant company principles; Finance & Cost Management; Regulatory Affairs; Demand and Supply Planning processes
• Team player with professional written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to motivate teams to produce quality materials within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage multiple projects
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Able to lead or implement change effectively
• Ability to participate in and lead group meetings
• Service minded and capable of working in a high pace environment
• Capable of translating business ideas and thoughts to clear and value-added overviews
• Possess a practical approach to understanding figures and can quickly get an overview without losing attention to detail
• Display a strong work ethic and core values
• Work proactively in a structured and systematic way; meeting deadlines comes naturally
• A self-starter who demonstrates total quality in their approach
• Ability to lead, contribute, and influence others in a team-based organization
• Capable of conveying information clearly and concisely to groups or individuals either verbally or in writing to ensure that they understand the information and the message
• Aptitude to explore alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of all parties
• Strong leadership skills including the ability to implement change, influence business strategies, and resolve conflicts
• Can lead teams through ambiguous situations
• Ability to develop and coach others

Pay & Benefits:

401k Retirement Savings Plan

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Generous Paid Time Off

Employee Perks:

Lunch Program

Veggie Program

Product Discounts

Partner Discounts