Business Unit Business Manager - Houston, TX

S&B Engineers and Constructors•West, TX

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Unit Finance Manager/Finance Business Partner serves as the primary finance partner to the assigned Business Unit Vice President and leadership team. The role translates operating and project performance into forward-looking financial insights, leads business-unit planning and reporting, and supports decisions that improve growth, margin, cash flow, and returns on resources. It connects the Business Unit with Corporate Finance and Corporate Accounting to support accurate reporting, disciplined forecasting, strong financial controls, and continual improvement of finance and accounting processes. The position leads budgeting, periodic forecasting, and long-range planning; oversees monthly financial reporting and performance reviews; and partners with Project Controls and project leaders on project forecasts, margin, cost to complete, cash flow, billing, collections, and commercial exposure. It also supports strategic and commercial decisions, improves financial processes and systems, and promotes financial accountability and forecast discipline across the Business Unit. The role may lead, supervise, or provide functional direction to financial analysts or other finance support resources.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
At least 8 years of progressive experience in Financial Planning & Analysis, finance business partnering, project finance, corporate finance, accounting, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated ownership of budgets, forecasts, month-end reporting, variance analysis, management reporting, and executive presentations.
Strong understanding of project financials, revenue and margin forecasting, cost to complete, backlog, cash flow, working capital, and SG&A expense management.
Working knowledge of U.S. GAAP, financial controls, and the relationship between operational activity and accounting results.
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.
Strong analytical judgment, commercial awareness, executive communication skills, and ability to influence without direct authority.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet tight reporting deadlines, and work effectively in a matrixed environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Teams, including virtual meetings, chat and channels, document sharing, and coordination with distributed teams.
Ability to use digital tools for project coordination, reporting, scheduling updates, and communication across engineering, procurement, construction, and client teams.
Willingness to adapt to evolving company systems, software platforms, and digital workflows.
Comfort working in a technology-enabled construction environment using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices to access drawings, schedules, procedures, and project data.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex financial data, technical documentation, policies, and regulatory guidance, and communicate findings through reports, dashboards, and presentations.
Ability to apply mathematical concepts such as percentages, ratios, statistical measures, trend analysis, and financial modeling; analyze large datasets and translate quantitative results into actionable insights.

Nice To Haves

MBA, CPA, CMA, or another relevant advanced degree or professional certification.
Prior leadership experience.
Experience in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), energy, oil and gas, industrial services, construction, or another project-based environment.
Experience with OneStream, Oracle, Power BI, or comparable ERP, EPM, and business intelligence tools.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Business Unit Vice President and leadership team to evaluate financial performance, priorities, resource needs, commercial opportunities, and operating risks.
Provide decision-oriented analysis of revenue, gross margin, overhead, backlog, project execution, cash flow, working capital, and key performance indicators.
Identify performance gaps and opportunities, recommend actions, and support business cases, investment decisions, organizational changes, pricing, and commercial evaluations.
Lead the annual Business Unit budget, periodic forecasts, and long-range financial planning in alignment with Corporate Finance guidance and timelines.
Coordinate with Business Unit leaders, Project Controls, operations, and functional owners to develop financial and operating assumptions.
Maintain an integrated, driver-based forecast; conduct scenario and sensitivity analysis; and communicate risks, opportunities, and outlook changes.
Monitor actual results against budget and forecast, explain material variances, and drive corrective actions and forecast updates.
Develop the Business Unit finance calendar and coordinate month-end reviews with Corporate Accounting, Project Controls, and operational stakeholders.
Review financial results for completeness, accuracy, and business reasonableness, including project forecasts, revenue and margin, accruals, costs, overhead, working capital, and cash flow.
Prepare monthly reporting and executive commentary for Corporate Finance and the Business Unit Vice President.
Lead monthly Business Unit performance reviews and support project reviews, tracking financial issues, owners, and follow-up actions.
Provide quarterly review materials, annual budget presentations, KPI reporting, and ad hoc analysis for Corporate Finance and executive leadership.
Partner with Project Controls and project leadership to validate forecasts, gross margin, cost to complete, change orders, contingency, cash flow, billing, collections, and commercial exposure.
Promote accountability for as-sold margin and early identification of margin leakage, execution risk, and forecast volatility.
Analyze backlog, bookings, book-to-burn, project mix, utilization, client concentration, and other Business Unit performance drivers.
Support financial aspects of contract and subcontract decisions, claims, client negotiations, and risk mitigation, engaging relevant corporate functions as appropriate.
Work with Corporate Accounting to resolve close and accounting issues, improve data quality, strengthen controls, and ensure consistent application of accounting policies.
Lead finance and accounting process improvements to simplify work, reduce cycle time and manual effort, and improve forecast and reporting accuracy.
Standardize Business Unit reporting, definitions, templates, and review routines while maintaining clear ownership and documentation.
Partner with Corporate Finance, Corporate Accounting, Project Controls, and systems teams to improve OneStream, Oracle, Power BI, and related processes.
Support internal and external audits and ensure financial information is complete, timely, and well supported.
Build relationships across the Business Unit and corporate functions and serve as an accessible finance advisor.
Communicate complex financial matters in practical language for operational and executive audiences.
Promote financial accountability, forecast discipline, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Coach Business Unit leaders and project teams on financial drivers, reporting expectations, and decision-support tools.
May lead, supervise, or provide functional direction to financial analysts or other finance support resources.