Sr. Finance Mgr. - Bus Finance & Accounting Leader

Smurfit Westrock•Nicholasville, KY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a Business Finance & Accounting Leader for its Nicholasville, KY, manufacturing plant. This role reports to the General Manager and is responsible for providing insights, recommendations, and analysis to drive improvements in operations, sales, and the plant’s overall profitability. The individual will serve as a business partner to the site General Manager and will be accountable for the facility’s bottom-line results.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration; CPA and/or MBA preferred.
Progressive experience in corporate or operations finance, with 10 or more years of relevant experience.
Experience in the paper and packaging industry or another manufacturing or operations environment is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience managing and influencing diverse teams, with full responsibility for hiring, development, and performance management.
Strong analytical skills and business perspective, with a willingness to examine details.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, along with demonstrated experience serving as a business partner to operational leaders.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.
Self-motivated and self-directed, with a passion for continuous improvement and the ambition to take on greater levels of responsibility.
Strong computer skills, including knowledge of AS400, BPCS, Radius, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, pivot tables, and data mining.
Prior Hyperion experience is desired.

Nice To Haves

CPA and/or MBA preferred.
Experience in the paper and packaging industry or another manufacturing or operations environment is strongly preferred.
Prior Hyperion experience is desired.

Responsibilities

Prepare the annual budget and quarterly forecasts in partnership with the Plant General Manager, with a focus on forecast accuracy.
Use KPIs and plant initiatives to project future plant growth opportunities and encourage analysis beyond traditional product costs.
Collaborate with Commercial Business Leaders to challenge and validate top-line revenue expectations.
Create simplified budgeting and reporting processes.
Balance financial and nonfinancial indicators.
Clearly report and articulate the key items affecting business results.
Serve as a consultant to business partners to help develop action plans for improvement.
Support, review, and track cost takeout initiatives.
Partner with the General Manager on future and long-range capital needs to sustain and/or grow the site’s business opportunities.
Understand competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
Oversee all internal controls and control failures at the site.
Ensure decisions are made by individuals with the appropriate authority.
Ensure key processes follow documented company policies.
Ensure adequate control over the company’s local assets and financial reporting.
Balance value creation with effective and efficient controls.
Optimize processes through IT improvements and implementation.
Drive process improvements by applying best practices across the organization.
Use data systems to provide ongoing customer profitability analysis and help identify and correct margin erosion.
Facilitate open discussions among business leaders about driving additional margin through volume, pricing, or operational changes.
Actively review and validate plant work in process (WIP), finished goods, and raw material values.
Create and/or review monthly site journal entries.
Review P&L accounts and identify necessary cost reclassifications.
Facilitate and assist with plant inventory counts, count verifications, and reconciliation processes.
Perform other tasks as deemed necessary.
Facilitate decision-making with business partners to drive working capital improvements and prevent negative impacts.
Perform ad hoc analysis.
Compare plant performance with similar plants or businesses.
Support profitability improvement programs when the plant is on an improvement plan.
Compile and deliver plant-visit presentations to senior leadership during onsite or Microsoft Teams meetings.