Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst

Manufacturing Finance | Cost Accounting | Operations Finance

Location: Little Rock, AR

A prominent heavy industry manufacturer is looking for a Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst to provide support for plant operations, cost accounting, financial planning, and operational performance within a complex manufacturing setting.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with executive leadership, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing teams to drive profitability, control costs, ensure accurate inventory, and make strategic decisions. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in manufacturing finance, with a solid understanding of standard costing, inventory accounting, ERP systems, and plant operations.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting

• Oversee and maintain standard costing systems, including BOM reviews, cost rollups, and overhead allocations
• Analyze manufacturing variances such as labor efficiency, material usage, purchase price variance, and overhead absorption
• Assist with inventory valuation, WIP analysis, inventory controls, and COGS reconciliation
• Collaborate with operations leadership to identify opportunities for cost reduction and enhance plant profitability
• Monitor manufacturing KPIs and offer recommendations to enhance operational performance

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning initiatives
• Create financial models to support revenue, cost, margin, and cash flow analysis
• Conduct monthly variance analysis and deliver results to leadership
• Support executive reporting and business performance reviews

Operations Partnership

• Act 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 projects 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 efforts

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field
• 5 years of manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or operations finance experience
• Solid background in standard costing and manufacturing cost accounting
• Experience supporting plant operations and manufacturing leadership
• ERP experience (SAP strongly preferred)
• Advanced Excel skills for financial modeling and data analysis
• Ability to translate financial data into actionable operational recommendations

Preferred Background

• Experience in steel, metals, pipe, tubular, oil & gas, forging, foundry, fabrication, industrial equipment, building products, chemical, paper, or other heavy manufacturing industries
• SAP FI/CO experience
• Proficiency in Power BI, Tableau, or other advanced reporting tools
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations
• CPA, CMA, or MBA qualifications

This role offers high visibility and the chance to directly engage with executive leadership, influencing operational performance, manufacturing efficiency, profitability, and strategic growth initiatives.