Senior Manager, Commercial & R&D Finance

Mars•Chicago, IL

2d•$153,600 - $211,200•Onsite

About The Position

Accelerator is Mars Snacking’s growth engine, focused on high-potential categories and brands. The Better For You portfolio includes KIND®, RXBAR®, Nutri-Grain®, Special K Bars®, and Pure Organic®; Tasty & Wholesome includes Eggo, Rice Krispies Treats, and Pop Tarts. The business combines Mars’ scale with the agility of a growth business, with a focus on innovation, performance, data, automation, and AI-enabled solutions. The Senior Manager, Commercial & R&D Finance will influence financial decisions involving material costs, innovation investment, margin protection, and productivity savings across a diverse brand portfolio. Reporting to the VP, Supply & R&D Finance, this position partners with Commercial, Procurement, Research & Development, and Supply Chain teams to turn complex financial information into practical business choices. The role involves detailed cost analysis and strategic discussions about sourcing decisions, product launches, recipe reformulations, and packaging changes. The position is based on-site at the Chicago Wells Street office and involves approximately 35% travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field.
8+ years of progressive finance experience.
Strong foundation in operations finance and cost management.
Experience in volume/mix analysis, commercial business partnering, and ingredient or product-cost analysis.
Understanding of standard costing, bills of materials, and purchase price variance.
Experience evaluating product pipelines and validating structural cost savings.
Advanced financial modeling and scenario-planning skills.
Proficiency in SAP or comparable ERP systems, planning software, and business intelligence reporting tools such as Power BI.
Demonstrated success influencing cross-functional stakeholders and translating detailed analysis into clear recommendations.
Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and establish processes where there is no existing playbook.

Nice To Haves

MBA, CPA, or CMA.
Experience with Stage-Gate or comparable innovation pipeline frameworks.
Interest in using automation and AI to improve financial analysis and reporting.

Responsibilities

Lead material-cost forecasting and performance analysis, including bottoms-up inflation forecasts and consolidated visibility into ingredient spend, inflation, and productivity across business units.
Deliver monthly and quarterly material-cost and cost-of-goods-sold analyses, track Direct Purchase Price Variance, and recommend actions based on performance drivers.
Develop predictive models to assess financial impacts of global tariffs, duty changes, and trade policies; partner with Procurement, Supply Chain, and Finance on scenarios and margin-protection and cost-avoidance strategies.
Own financial models, costing methodology, and margin-feasibility analysis for R&D pipeline projects, connecting innovation plans with financial outcomes and profitability requirements.
Apply standard costing, bill-of-materials, and purchase-price-variance analysis to evaluate costs and financial trade-offs across innovation and supply-chain initiatives.
Provide financial leadership for R&D and supply-chain projects, including recipe reformulations and packaging redesigns, balancing regulatory, operational, and profitability objectives.
Establish and govern tracking, auditing, and validation of productivity and Value Leadership initiatives across Commercial and R&D; verify benefits and distinguish projected savings from realized results.
Establish consistent reporting and ways of working across legacy businesses, and support Commercial and R&D overhead-budget management.
Partner with Commercial and R&D teams and translate cost variances, inflation impacts, and forecasts into clear business narratives, risks, opportunities, and actionable recommendations.