Senior Director of Finance

About Zep Inc.

Zep Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cleaning solutions for businesses and consumers with operations across the U.S, Canada, and Europe. Our purpose is to make the planet cleaner, safer, and more productive. To fulfill our purpose, we focus on understanding and solving cleaning needs for consumers, as well as business customers across a variety of segments including transportation, industrial, institutional, and food & beverage. We also have a strong presence in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) segment, where we develop products to help consumers and businesses maintain a clean and safe environment. Our products can be found online and at retail shelves at outlets like Home Depot, Amazon, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, Grainger, HD Supply, Walmart, and many others. We market our products under well recognized and established brand names, such as Zep, Enforcer, Misty, TimeMist, TimeWick, and Country Vet. Zep was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. In 2021, Zep became the official cleaning partner of Atlanta United FC.

Job Description:

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Finance - Commercial Division serves as the strategic finance leader for the Commercial business, partnering closely with executive leadership to drive profitable growth, optimize financial performance, and support business decision-making. This role has full P&L responsibility for the division and will provide financial leadership and guidance across revenue management, pricing, forecasting, budgeting, commercial investments, and strategic planning while ensuring strong financial controls and operational discipline.

As a trusted business partner, the Senior Director translates financial insights into actionable recommendations, enabling the Commercial organization to achieve its financial and strategic objectives. This leader builds strong relationships across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Corporate Finance. The Senior Director will also work closely with Senior Leadership and ownership to translate strategy into financial results and metrics.

Responsibilities

Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary finance partner to the Commercial leadership team.
• Provide financial guidance to support strategic initiatives, customer investments, pricing strategies, product portfolio decisions, and growth opportunities.
• Influence key business decisions through financial modeling, scenario planning, and data-driven insights.
• Challenge assumptions and provide recommendations that improve profitability and shareholder value.

Financial Planning & Analysis

• In conjunction with the Corporate Finance team, lead the annual operating plan, quarterly forecasts, long-range planning, and monthly financial reporting for the Commercial Division.
• Analyze revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and profitability drivers.
• Identify risks and opportunities and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Develop executive-level dashboards and KPIs to monitor business performance.

Commercial Finance Leadership

• Lead financial analysis supporting pricing, promotions, trade spending, customer profitability, and sales incentive programs.
• Evaluate capital investments, new products, acquisitions, and strategic initiatives.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to optimize customer investments and maximize return on commercial spending.
• Drive continuous improvement in forecasting accuracy and financial analytics.

Performance Management

• Monitor financial performance against budget and forecast.
• Lead monthly business reviews with executive leadership.
• Develop actionable recommendations to improve revenue growth, margins, and operating income.
• Support productivity initiatives and cost optimization efforts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Accounting, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, IT, HR, and Corporate Finance.
• Ensure financial alignment across cross-functional initiatives.
• Support ERP, reporting, and business intelligence enhancements.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with company financial policies, internal controls, and accounting standards.
• Support internal and external audit activities.
• Promote sound financial stewardship throughout the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field.
• MBA and/or CPA preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive finance experience with increasing leadership responsibility.
• Experience supporting commercial, sales, or business unit leadership with an emphasis on understand Go-to-Market strategies and Strategic Pricing optimization
• Strong background in financial planning and analysis, forecasting, budgeting, and business partnering.
• Advanced financial modeling and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills.
• Experience working with ERP systems and business intelligence tools; SAP experience preferred
• Experience in consumer products.
• Knowledge of pricing strategy, revenue management, and customer profitability analysis.

Success Measures

Within the first 12 months, the Senior Director will:

• Improve forecast accuracy and financial visibility across the Commercial organization.
• Strengthen business partnership with Commercial leadership.
• Deliver actionable financial insights that improve revenue and margin performance.
• Enhance executive reporting and KPI dashboards.
• Develop and strengthen the Commercial Finance team.

Support strategic initiatives that contribute to profitable growth

Our Values

At Zep, we have developed a set of values focused on bringing even greater cohesion to our workplace. As part of this plan, we introduced a values framework called S.P.E.E.D. to align with our purpose of making the planet cleaner, safer, and more productive.

• Stewardship: We continuously improve the safety of our people and products, and we protect the planet by innovating solutions to reduce our environmental impact.
• Passion for Problem Solving: We listen to our customers and actively work to find solutions for unique situations. We think creatively to innovate and seize opportunities that will drive growth and make all our customers' and consumers' lives better.
• Empowerment: We encourage and lead our people to be accountable by equipping them to make decisions and own the outcome
• Expertise: We create innovative solutions and partnerships that are relevant to service our communities and customers.
• Doing the Right Thing: We expect our people to understand ethical boundaries and be inclusive of other backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives. Demonstrating honesty, respect and integrity in all actions is always expected.

Zep Inc. is an organization that is committed to diversity within its workforce and encourages all interested candidates, including women, minorities, & former military personnel to apply. It is the policy of Zep Inc. that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.

As an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, Zep Inc. provides full employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, ancestry, or veteran status or any other distinction outlined in all applicable federal, state, and local laws.