What are the responsibilities and job description for the Operations Finance Controller position at Superior Essex?
The Operations Finance Controller serves as a strategic financial partner to Manufacturing and Operations leadership, providing financial leadership, analysis, and accountability across manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for translating operational performance into financial results, ensuring accurate reporting, driving cost optimization initiatives, and supporting plant profitability.
Working closely with Plant Managers, Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Corporate Finance, the incumbent leads financial planning, forecasting, cost analysis, performance reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives. The role plays a critical part in identifying risks and opportunities, improving operational efficiency, and promoting financial accountability throughout the organization.
The ideal candidate possesses deep knowledge of manufacturing operations, cost accounting, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), inventory management, and operational performance metrics, with the ability to effectively communicate financial insights to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
- Serve as the primary finance partner to Plant Leadership and Manufacturing Operations.
- Provide financial guidance and decision support to improve operational and financial performance.
- Lead monthly financial reviews with plant and operations leadership teams.
- Promote financial accountability and understanding throughout manufacturing operations.
- Communicate financial performance, risks, and opportunities to operational and executive leadership.
- Prepare, analyze, and communicate monthly plant financial results, including variances to budget, forecast, and prior year.
- Lead the annual operating budget process and monthly forecasting activities for manufacturing operations.
- Support long-range planning and strategic manufacturing initiatives.
- Analyze financial performance trends and recommend corrective actions where necessary.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting of manufacturing financial results.
- Analyze manufacturing costs, including labor, materials, utilities, maintenance, supplies, and overhead.
- Monitor key operational and financial metrics, including:
- Plant P&L performance
- Cost per pound
- Conversion cost per pound
- Labor efficiency and labor cost per pound
- Overtime
- Manufacturing overhead
- Material usage, scrap, and yield
- Production volume and utilization
- Downtime and operational efficiency
- Inventory turns and working capital
- Capital spending and cost savings initiatives
- Evaluate the financial impact of production volume, product mix, utilization, process improvements, and operational changes.
- Analyze profitability by plant, production line, product, customer, and other operational dimensions.
- Partner with Operations to identify opportunities for productivity improvements, cost reductions, and margin enhancement.
- Quantify financial benefits associated with Lean Manufacturing, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Develop meaningful performance metrics and KPI dashboards that connect operational performance to financial results.
- Drive standardization of accounting practices, financial reporting, forecasting methodologies and operational KPI definitions across all manufacturing facilities.
- Consolidate key financial issues, risks and opportunities from all manufacturing slides and provide clear summaries to Finance leadership.
- Assist in developing and monitoring action plans to close performance gaps and achieve operational objectives.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, internal controls, and SOX requirements.
- Review manufacturing-related journal entries, accruals, allocations, and account reconciliations.
- Support month-end close activities and financial reporting processes across all manufacturing facilities, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of financial reporting.
- Ensure proper inventory valuation and product costing.
- Partner with Corporate Accounting on manufacturing-related accounting matters.
- Support internal and external audits and investigate unusual transactions or financial variances.
- Utilize ERP systems, OneStream, and reporting tools to analyze and communicate manufacturing performance.
- Improve the accuracy, timeliness, and consistency of financial and operational reporting.
- Support the development and implementation of standardized reporting, dashboards, and analytics.