Lead, Finance Business Partner

Newell Brands•Huntersville, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead, Procurement Finance serves as a key financial partner to Brand Cost, Supply Chain, Sourcing, FP&A, and Operations teams, providing financial leadership and strategic insight across material cost performance and procurement initiatives. This role serves as a financial steward for high-profile direct material categories, driving visibility, accuracy, cost optimization, risk assessment, and forward-looking decision support. The Lead is responsible for leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and translating financial and operational information into actionable recommendations for Finance and business leadership. The role influences cost strategy, supplier decisions, productivity initiatives, scenario modeling, automation, process improvement, and strategic planning. The Lead operates with a high degree of independence and professional judgment, managing complex projects and assignments that may impact multiple functions. This role serves as a trusted Finance representative on cross-functional workstreams, establishes analytical approaches and processes, and provides guidance and support to less experienced team members.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field
4+ years of experience in financial planning, analysis, financial modeling, procurement finance, or a related discipline.
Advanced Excel and Power BI capabilities, with strong experience in financial modeling
Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex assignments, influence across functions and organizational levels, lead projects, solve complex problems, communicate with senior leaders, and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

SAP and Hyperion preferred.
Experience with AI-enabled analytics, raw commodities, direct materials, supplier pricing, or inflation-driven cost structures is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead analysis, reporting, and interpretation of Material Price Variances (MPV), developing models that identify cost drivers, trends, opportunities, and financial risks across assigned direct material categories.
Provide financial stewardship and forward-looking insight on major direct material categories, translating complex cost and business scenarios into actionable recommendations for Procurement and Finance leadership.
Influence cost strategy by connecting financial performance, supplier pricing, market dynamics, productivity, and operational drivers while establishing consistent analytical and reporting approaches.
Lead complex cross-functional projects involving Sourcing, Supply Chain, Brand, FP&A, Operations, and Finance to drive cost optimization and strategic business initiatives.
Serve as the primary Finance representative on assigned workstreams, independently managing stakeholders, dependencies, priorities, financial rigor, and timely delivery of milestones.
Partner with Sourcing and business leaders to evaluate supplier pricing, cost structures, market dynamics, negotiations, scenario models, and financial trade-offs.
Lead opportunities to automate, streamline, and simplify financial processes, reducing manual effort while improving speed, accuracy, scalability, and decision support.
Lead development and enhancement of financial tools, dashboards, and reporting frameworks, including Power BI, to increase visibility and enable faster decision-making.
Standardize analytical methodologies, templates, and reporting processes while evaluating emerging technologies, including AI-enabled solutions, to improve Procurement Finance effectiveness.
Provide forward-looking financial insights to support strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and risk assessment across major procurement and material cost initiatives.
Assess and communicate the financial implications of business decisions, cost pressures, supplier changes, market conditions, and strategic initiatives, including risks and opportunities affecting multiple functions.
Partner with leadership to develop recommendations that balance cost, operational requirements, financial performance, and strategic priorities.
Serve as a subject-matter resource for Procurement Finance processes, analytical methodologies, financial tools, and best practices.
Provide guidance, training, and assistance to less experienced team members while sharing knowledge that strengthens the team's analytical capabilities and effectiveness.
Lead projects, processes, or workstreams and coordinate team members and cross-functional partners to achieve objectives while maintaining a high standard of quality and accountability.