Operation Finance

Applied Materials•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Operational Finance will serve as the primary finance business partner for a newly established organization with broad operational and strategic responsibilities. This role will provide financial leadership, decision support, and governance across operating expenses, capital investments, and resource planning. The successful candidate will bring strong operational finance experience, establish greater accountability for financial commitments, and help leadership make well-informed decisions in a complex, cross-functional environment. The role also supports the SPG Group CFO as the FP&A lead for groups reporting under her. The role requires a hands-on finance leader who can operate effectively across organizational boundaries, constructively challenge assumptions, and translate complex financial and operational information into clear recommendations for senior leadership.

Requirements

10-15 years of progressive experience in operational finance or senior finance business partnership roles.
MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Strong understanding of Opex, Capex, forecasting, financial controls, investment analysis, and management reporting.
Demonstrated ability to support complex organizations and initiatives that span multiple business units or functions.
Experience working with senior business and finance leaders in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Strong financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to convert complex information into clear, concise, and actionable recommendations.
Experience with enterprise planning, reporting, and financial systems preferred.
Confident and constructive in challenging assumptions and influencing senior stakeholders.
Able to operate effectively when organizational structures, priorities, or processes are evolving.
Collaborative and skilled at navigating competing priorities across organizational boundaries.
Proactive and capable of identifying financial risks before they require escalation.
Strong executive communication skills and the ability to maintain composure and credibility in high-visibility discussions.
Consistent commitment to quality, accuracy, and disciplined execution.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary finance partner to the organization’s leadership team, providing timely, practical, and objective financial guidance.
Develop a strong understanding of business priorities, operating requirements, and investment needs.
Translate organizational strategies into clear financial plans, funding requirements, and decision frameworks.
Support leadership reviews with concise financial narratives, scenarios, risks, and recommendations.
Provide independent financial perspective and constructively challenge assumptions to improve business outcomes.
Lead planning, forecasting, and financial review processes, with particular focus on Opex and Capex.
Establish clear ownership and accountability for budgets, spending decisions, and financial commitments.
Provide visibility into actual and forecasted performance, including key variances, emerging risks, and required corrective actions.
Drive disciplined bottoms-up planning and ensure resource and investment requests are supported by clear business rationale.
Partner with leadership to balance operational priorities with affordability, financial prudence, and broader enterprise objectives.
Evaluate investment proposals through financial analysis, scenario modeling, and risk assessment.
Ensure significant spending decisions are supported by appropriate financial diligence, approvals, and ongoing performance tracking.
Identify opportunities to improve cost, scope, timing, and resource allocation.
Help leadership prioritize investments across competing requirements and constrained budgets.
Strengthen financial discipline by ensuring commitments remain aligned with approved plans and expected business outcomes.
Coordinate with finance and business teams across the organization where responsibilities, resources, or financial ownership overlap.
Clarify funding responsibilities, cost ownership, and financial accountability for cross-functional activities.
Build effective relationships across Finance, Operations, Engineering, and other business functions.
Partner with centralized finance teams to ensure planning accuracy, reporting consistency, and effective financial execution.
Navigate organizational complexity and resolve financial issues through influence, transparency, and fact-based recommendations.