Located in Little Rock, AR, a top-tier industrial manufacturing company seeks a seasoned expert to maneuver the financial landscape of a sophisticated manufacturing setting. Serving as a pivotal connector between executive leadership and operations, this position is crucial in optimizing profitability, enforcing cost control measures, and supporting inventory precision through strategic insights. The candidate is expected to possess extensive experience in manufacturing finance, with a firm grasp of standard costing, inventory tracking, ERP systems, and plant-level operations.
**Core Areas of Focus**
#### Finance and Cost Management in Manufacturing:
- Oversee and refine costing processes, including BOM assessments, costing roll-ups, and allocation of overheads.
- Delve into production discrepancies like labor use efficiency and material expenditure to enhance accuracy.
- Aid in valuating inventory, analyzing work-in-progress, and reconciling cost of goods sold.
- Collaborate with operations to unveil cost-saving strategies and profitability enhancements.
- Track key performance indicators and suggest actionable performance improvements.
#### Strategic Financial Planning and Analysis:
- Steer activities related to financial forecasting, budgeting, and strategy planning.
- Design financial models to support analyses in revenue streams, expenses, profit margins, and cash flow.
- Conduct monthly variance examinations and deliver findings to senior leadership.
- Contribute to executive reporting and business review processes.
#### Collaborative Operations Support:
- Act as the financial liaison for teams in manufacturing, supply chain, and plant management.
- Evaluate capital projects, assess returns on investments, and assist with investment decision-making.
- Support initiatives for operational enhancement and assess the financial implications.
#### Systems Utilization and Reporting:
- Employ ERP systems to scrutinize operations and financial metrics.
- Create reporting tools, develop dashboards, and financial modeling tools.
- Foster systemic improvement in reporting automation and ensure data quality.
**Qualifications Needed**
- Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline.
- Over 5 years of experience in manufacturing finance or operations finance settings.
- Profound knowledge of costing systems in a manufacturing environment.
- Proficiency in ERP systems with a preference for SAP.
- Mastery of Excel for financial modeling and data scrutiny.
- Communicate financial metrics effectively to aid operational strategies.
**Preferred Skills**
- Experience in heavy manufacturing areas such as steel or industrial equipment.
- Familiarity with SAP FI/CO modules.
- Expertise in Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent data visualization tools.
- Support across multi-site manufacturing operations.
- Professional accreditations like CPA, CMA, or advanced degrees such as an MBA.
This paramount role promises extensive engagement with top executives and offers a unique opportunity to steer operational performance, manufacturing productivity, and fiscal growth strategies.