Finance Partner - Operations Finance (Sws) Job Details | Bekaert NV

Be part of something bigger!

As the world and the way people live is changing, we at Bekaert believe it's our responsibility to contribute to finding new solutions for the future. With a 140+ year old heritage of excellence, innovation, and a future-focused mindset, we strive to create value for our customers and society. We aim to do this through innovative solutions and sustainable practices. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of steel wire transformation and coatings whilst also leveraging our expertise to develop innovative solutions with new materials and services in a safe, smart, and sustainable way. Our focus extends to markets such as new mobility, low-carbon construction, and green energy.

As a dynamic and growing company with over 19 000 employees worldwide, 75 nationalities, a retention rate above 90% and € 3,7 billion in combined revenue in 2025, we are looking for someone like you to join our team as we continue to shape a safer, more efficient, and connected world!

I. Purpose of the Role

The Finance Partner - Operations Finance - is accountable for the delivery of reporting, analysis and controlling activities related to the relevant Business Unit or Plant. The person in this role will maintain a strong relationship with the SSC/ARC Manager and BU / Plant counterparts, to understand expectations on service delivery and work towards them.

The position will require developing a good understanding of manufacturing process and will involve working closely with plant functional teams to drive better financial performance.

This role mainly focuses on:

o Standard costing & inventory revaluation

o Period end closing, controlling and financial analysis

o Management Reporting & Business Analysis

o Budgeting, CAPEX & Working Capital Support

II. Roles and Responsibilities

Standard Costing & Inventory Revaluation

• Create and maintain standard costs for new materials, including cost simulations for process changes and business cases.
• Perform annual tariff calculations, activity rate planning (machine/man hours), cost center planning, and SAP tariff uploads.
• Execute periodic standard cost revaluations, including transport fees, duties, import costs, BOM updates, and inventory valuation reviews.
• Analyze standard cost movements, BOM usage, and master data integrity in collaboration with plant teams.
• Communicate cost impacts and cost fluctuations to Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Plant stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment with global costing standards and provide cost breakdowns for pricing and transfer pricing requirements.

Period Closing & Controlling Activities

• Support cross-functional reporting requirements (BMS, SHE, Quality).
• Manage inventory accounting activities including material balance reconciliation, stock movement validation, production order settlements, stock ledger reconciliations, and balance sheet reviews.
• Perform sales and margin analysis, revenue recognition reviews, sales reconciliations, and cost-of-sales cut-off validation.
• Conduct cost variance analysis covering manufacturing, labor, utilities, maintenance, commercial costs, BOM impacts, PPV, and accruals.
• Execute month-end closing activities including accruals, prepayments, allocations, overhead assessments, internal order settlements, and profitability analysis adjustments.
• Ensure SAP CO master data and transaction quality through regular controls and reconciliations.

Management Reporting & Business Analysis

• Maintain the Plant Balanced Scorecard and other key operational performance reporting tools.
• Prepare weekly and monthly management reports covering production, efficiency, cash costs, conversion costs, inventory, and financial KPIs.
• Support maintenance cost reporting, inventory evolution analysis, SLOB monitoring, and non-quality/scrap reporting.
• Prepare contribution and performance analyses for monthly financial reviews with BU and Plant leadership.
• Monitor and report operational and financial performance, CAPEX utilization, and CWIP status.
• Deliver actionable financial insights and recommendations to support decision-making, optimization, and performance improvement initiatives.

Budgeting, CAPEX & Working Capital

• Support annual budgeting through preparation of templates, consolidation of departmental inputs, bridge analyses, management presentations, and depreciation simulations.
• Manage CAPEX reporting, project monitoring, actual versus budget analysis, and CWIP tracking.
• Support working capital management through stock rotation analysis, inventory master data monitoring, AP follow-up, and resolution of GR/IR-related issues.

III. Skills & Competencies

• Education: Master's in Accounting/Finance; Cost Accountant preferred.
• Technical: Expertise in SAP (including CFIN, SAC), MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint; knowledge of Power BI and automation tools is an advantage.
• Soft Skills: Strong business acumen, analytical thinking, problem-solving, prioritization, communication, and cross-functional collaboration. Ability to work under pressure and drive process improvements.

Be bold and take the leap!

We're looking for individuals who are not afraid to take risks and explore new ideas. If you are passionate about personal growth and bringing your authentic self to work, we want you on our team!

At Bekaert, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

To learn more about us and our exciting career opportunities, visit Bekaert Careers