What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Financial Analyst position at First Search Inc.?
Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst
Manufacturing Finance | Cost Accounting | Operations Finance
Location: Little Rock, AR
A leading heavy industrial manufacturer is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst to support plant operations, cost accounting, financial planning, and operational performance across a complex manufacturing environment.
This role serves as a key business partner to executive leadership, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing teams, helping drive profitability, cost control, inventory accuracy, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will have strong manufacturing finance experience with deep exposure to standard costing, inventory accounting, ERP systems, and plant operations.
Key Responsibilities
Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting
- Manage and maintain standard costing systems, including BOM reviews, cost rollups, and overhead allocations
- Analyze manufacturing variances including labor efficiency, material usage, purchase price variance, and overhead absorption
- Support inventory valuation, WIP analysis, inventory controls, and COGS reconciliation
- Partner with operations leadership to identify cost reduction opportunities and improve plant profitability
- Monitor manufacturing KPIs and provide actionable recommendations to improve operational performance
Financial Planning & Analysis
- Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning activities
- Develop financial models supporting revenue, cost, margin, and cash flow analysis
- Perform monthly variance analysis and communicate results to leadership
- Support executive reporting and business performance reviews
Operations Partnership
- Serve as a finance business partner to manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and plant leadership teams
- Support capital project analysis, ROI evaluations, and investment decisions
- Assist with operational improvement initiatives and financial impact assessments
Systems & Reporting
- Utilize ERP systems to analyze operational and financial performance
- Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and financial models
- Support reporting automation, data integrity, and continuous improvement initiatives
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field
- 5 years of manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or operations finance experience
- Strong standard costing and manufacturing cost accounting background
- Experience supporting plant operations and manufacturing leadership
- ERP experience (SAP strongly preferred)
- Advanced Excel skills including financial modeling and data analysis
- Ability to translate financial information into actionable operational recommendations
Preferred Background
- Steel, metals, pipe, tubular, oil & gas, forging, foundry, fabrication, industrial equipment, building products, chemical, paper, or other heavy manufacturing environments
- SAP FI/CO experience
- Power BI, Tableau, or advanced reporting tools
- Multi-site manufacturing support
- CPA, CMA, or MBA
This is a highly visible role offering direct interaction with executive leadership and significant opportunity to influence operational performance, manufacturing efficiency, profitability, and strategic growth initiatives.