What are the responsibilities and job description for the Finance Business Partner position at Kerry?
About Kerry
Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.
About the role
The Finance Business Partner will directly report to the Finance Director of the Extruded Proteins Business in North America and is responsible for supporting the end-to-end finance agenda for Extruded Proteins, both operationally and commercially through FP&A and end-to-end margin analysis support.
The Finance Business Partner is accountable for translating operational and commercial information into insight and foresight, including end-to-end margin and profitability analysis and functional cost analysis, to drive plant performance, cost discipline, capital effectiveness, and value creation.
This role partners closely with the Plant Manager, site leadership team, and Extruded Proteins leadership team to ensure strong financial governance, transparent performance reporting, and robust decision support to the business. The Finance Business Partner is expected to influence operational KPIs and continuous improvement outcomes beyond finance.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, ambitious finance professional to strengthen commercial and strategic capabilities, build plant leadership and commercial finance experience, and gain exposure to business leadership. The environment is fast-paced, challenging, and results-driven. The preferred location for this role is Blue Earth, MN. Please note that we are open to considering candidates in Blue Earth, MN and Beloit, WI.
Key responsibilities
Financial Performance & Decision Support
- Act as the primary finance partner to the Plant Manager and site leadership team.
- Own and explain operational and commercial performance, including cost, yield/waste, inventory, productivity, and asset utilization.
- Build and communicate end-to-end margin bridges, including price, mix, volume, and cost drivers.
- Deliver weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance analysis versus budget and prior year with actionable insights.
- Identify, quantify, and track margin improvement, cost reduction, and value creation opportunities.
- Challenge sales, margin, and operational performance through strong partnership with Commercial and Operations teams.
Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting
- Lead the annual budget process for the Extruded Proteins business.
- Own forecasting and budgeting processes in collaboration with Sales, Pricing, Operations, and centralized teams.
- Analyze and explain budget and forecast variances while driving corrective actions.
- Support strategic planning and capacity planning initiatives.
Reporting, Close & Financial Governance
- Own daily, weekly, and monthly reporting processes for operational and commercial performance.
- Lead month-end close activities, including accruals, balance sheet management, inventory reconciliations, and fixed asset tracking.
- Serve as the site finance gatekeeper, ensuring compliance, controls, and risk management.
- Support leadership presentations, reviews, and executive reporting requirements.
- Ensure adherence to Kerry financial policies, standard processes, and best practices.
Costing, Inventory & Working Capital
- Partner with centralized costing teams to ensure product costing accuracy.
- Drive inventory management and working capital performance.
- Support cycle count accuracy, excess and obsolete inventory management, and process improvement initiatives.
- Develop a deep understanding of end-to-end plant operations to support decision-making.
Capital & Strategic Projects
- Support development and evaluation of capital investment business cases.
- Track capital spending and benefits realization.
- Partner with regional and functional stakeholders on strategic initiatives.
- Provide financial stewardship for transformation, productivity, and margin-improvement programs.
Ways of Working & Continuous Improvement
- Support commercial effectiveness routines and profitability improvement programs.
- Partner with GBS, FP&A, and central teams to leverage standardized processes.
- Provide ad hoc financial and commercial analysis.
- Drive a high-performance culture and accountability for business results.
Qualifications and skills
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field from an accredited institution.
- 4–6 years of finance experience, preferably supporting manufacturing or operations environments.
- Advanced Excel skills and strong proficiency with financial analytics and reporting tools.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and business partnering capabilities.
- Excellent communication, organizational, prioritization, and time management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- CPA, CMA, or equivalent professional certification.
- SAP experience.
- Experience with FP&A, strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Experience with margin management and profitability analysis, including price/mix, volume, and cost driver analysis.
- Experience leading cost management and productivity initiatives.
- Experience supporting capital investment analysis and reporting.
- Knowledge of financial reporting, balance sheet management, accruals, and fixed assets.
- Understanding of audit and technical accounting fundamentals.
The pay range for this position is $88,100 - $144,800 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and location.
In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation.
Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement.
This job posting is anticipated to expire on September 30, 2026.
We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and employment decisions are made by human recruitment and leadership teams.
Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).
Benefits:
Vacation & Paid Time Off, Health Insurance, 401K PlanSalary : $88,100 - $144,800