Finance Manager- (Contract)

Smiths Group • Morton Grove, IL

8h • $85,000 - $105,000

About The Position

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. The Finance Manager will serve as the finance business partner for the Site Leaders and their leadership teams. This role involves increasing analytics, accuracy, standardization, and ensuring financial statements are in accordance with regulatory compliance, as well as ensuring compliance with the system of financial and internal controls. The position provides critical linkage between sales, operations, and shared services teams, ensuring all perspectives are comprehended and acted upon in the reporting, planning, and execution cycle. Responsibilities include collaborating with Shared Service for proper control and oversite of the balance sheet review and key accounts, and ensuring proper review of AP, AR, and Purchasing Aging reports. The manager will approve Supplier Payments and Customer Credits and Refunds in line with Smith Policies. They will also prepare reconciliations and support schedules to assist with tax return preparation and other compliance reports. The role involves leading the forecasting process for USA with responsibility for timely and accurate annual budgeting and forecasting. The Finance Manager will develop and lead financial analyses relating to growth initiatives, cost savings, pricing, profitability, investments, product development, and supply chain/operations initiatives. They will work collaboratively to establish a regular, standardized set of insightful reporting and analytics that drive fact-based performance metrics and implement key performance indicators with granular analysis of internal performance drivers and levers to employ. The role also includes working with Site Leaders and the central engineering team to develop annual Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) plans, develop compelling business and financial business cases for each initiative, ensuring projects stay within budget, and that all associated costs are accounted for properly. The Finance Manager will work with Cost Accounting to ensure regular inventory (cycle counts and annual / semi-annual full physical inventories) for raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods ensuring process compliance and appropriate approvals are completed. They will ensure the full leverage of all financial and consolidation systems, including assisting with system upgrades and roll-out of new system functionality with the Sites, which includes support for transactional and master data governance. Finally, the role involves leading and participating in cross functional teams implementing strategies for sustainable process improvements and the ability to build rapport, glean insights from, and influence project/product management and directors to deliver results. This is a temporary assignment for 3 to 6 months.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting
• Minimum of 5 years of experience with progressively increasing levels of responsibility within a manufacturing industry.
• Demonstrated ability to drive change across multiple functions.
• Value streams, operations, & cost accounting knowledge/experience required.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-motivated.
• Capable of monitoring and prioritizing competing tasks and projects.
• Team player attitude and adept at multi-level cross-cultural communication.
• Overall proficiency with software systems

Nice To Haves

• MBA or other applicable Masters-level degree preferred
• Experience with Oracle, QAD MFG Pro and consolidated reporting systems a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the finance business partner for the Site Leaders and their leadership teams.
• Increase analytics, accuracy, standardization and ensure financial statements are in accordance with regulatory compliance.
• Ensure compliance with the system of financial and internal controls.
• Provide critical linkage between sales, operations, and shared services teams ensuring that all perspectives are comprehended and acted upon in the reporting, planning and execution cycle.
• Collaborate with Shared Service to ensure proper control and oversite of the balance sheet review and key accounts, and ensure proper review of AP, AR and Purchasing Aging reports.
• Approve Supplier Payments and Customer Credits and Refunds in line with Smith Policies.
• Prepare reconciliations and support schedules to assist with tax return preparation and other compliance reports.
• Lead the forecasting process for USA with responsibility for timely and accurate annual budgeting and forecasting.
• Develop and lead financial analyses relating to growth initiatives, cost savings, pricing, profitability, investments, product development, and supply chain/operations initiatives.
• Work collaboratively to establish a regular, standardized set of insightful reporting and analytics that drive fact-based performance metrics.
• Implement key performance indicators with granular analysis of internal performance drivers and levers to employ.
• Work with Site Leaders and the central engineering team to develop annual Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) plans, develop compelling business and financial business cases for each initiative, ensuring projects stay within budget, and that all associated costs are accounted for properly.
• Work with Cost Accounting to ensure regular inventory (cycle counts and annual / semi-annual full physical inventories) for raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods ensuring process compliance and appropriate approvals are completed.
• Ensure the full leverage of all financial and consolidation systems, including assisting with system upgrades and roll-out of new system functionality with the Sites.
• Support for transactional and master data governance.
• Lead and participate in cross functional teams implementing strategies for sustainable process improvements.
• Build rapport, glean insights from, and influence project/product management and directors to deliver results.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Employee resource groups (ERGs) including Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity
• Smiths Excellence Awards
• Smiths Day

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees