VP, Finance

ATS Automation•Orange Township, OH

About The Position

The Vice President, Finance serves as the strategic finance leader for the Packaging & Food Technology (PFT) platform — a multi-business, multi-geography portfolio with operations across North America, Europe, UK and Asia. Reporting to the Group President, this role is the financial conscience of the division, driving performance, enabling decisions, and elevating the quality of financial management throughout the organization. With a strategic focus on organic growth and operational efficiency, the VP Finance builds the financial architecture to translate enterprise objectives into operating actions — creating accountability, improving decision quality, and expanding the financial capability of business leaders across PFT.

Requirements

Post-secondary degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
15+ years of progressive finance leadership experience, including senior-level roles within complex, multi-site, multi-currency global businesses.
Demonstrated experience leading finance across decentralized, multi-business platforms — industrial, manufacturing, or technology-driven environments preferred.
Proven track record in strategic finance and performance management: KPI architecture, driver-based forecasting, capital allocation, and scenario planning.
Strong understanding of enterprise value creation, growth algorithms, ROIC, cash generation, and shareholder return metrics.
Hands-on M&A experience across the full deal lifecycle: investment thesis, due diligence, valuation, integration, and synergy realization.
Experience across diverse manufacturing models (engineer-to-order, configure-to-order, make-to-stock) and their implications for working capital, pricing, and margin management.
Track record of developing high-performing finance teams and elevating business unit finance leaders as genuine strategic partners.
Board-ready communication skills — ability to distill complex financial issues clearly and succinctly for senior executive and board audiences.

Nice To Haves

CPA, CFA, or MBA designation strongly preferred.
Experience with recurring revenue models, aftermarket businesses, or service-based revenue streams is an asset.

Responsibilities

Own the financial performance management system for PFT, including monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting cadences across multiple business units, geographies, legal entities, and currencies.
Build and maintain robust KPI architecture, driver-based forecasting, and scenario planning capabilities to drive decision quality at every level of the organization.
Create visibility from enterprise strategy to operating actions, ensuring financial management is consistent and effective across the decentralized PFT platform.
Balance local operating requirements with enterprise performance objectives, maintaining discipline without compromising divisional agility.
Partner closely with the Group President and divisional leadership teams as a trusted financial advisor and strategic thought partner.
Translate shareholder expectations and enterprise growth algorithms into operational financial targets and resource allocation decisions.
Lead capital allocation planning — ensuring investment decisions reflect ROIC discipline, strategic alignment, and value creation potential.
Build deep understanding of PFT's value creation drivers, cash generation dynamics, and CRI metrics to enable timely and effective decision making.
Act as a strategic advisor to the Group President on growth investments, geographic expansion, capacity deployment, and portfolio decisions.
Develop and lead enterprise scenario modelling to stress-test strategic assumptions and assess portfolio risk and return profiles.
Lead the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) process across PFT, aligning divisional plans with enterprise objectives and ensuring financial commitments are rigorous and achievable.
Drive operational efficiency initiatives through financial analysis, identifying opportunities to reduce cost, improve margins, optimize working capital, and deploy capacity effectively.
Ensure strong financial close processes, governance, compliance, and internal controls across all PFT entities.
Oversee resource allocation, including SG&A management, operational spend, and capital deployment, to maximize return on invested resources.
Support pricing strategy, margin management, and capacity planning across diverse manufacturing environments including engineer-to-order, configure-to-order, and make-to-stock businesses.
Lead financial analysis and evaluation for potential acquisitions, including investment thesis development, white paper creation, due diligence, and valuation.
Oversee integration processes post-acquisition, including financial systems alignment, synergy tracking, and performance reporting.
Evaluate strategic alternatives and portfolio fit for existing and prospective business units.
Partner with corporate M&A, legal, and operational teams to ensure rigorous and timely execution of transactions.
Build a high-performing finance organization across PFT — elevating business unit finance leaders from scorekeepers to strategic business partners.
Develop and coach divisional finance teams, creating deep bench strength and expanding financial capability throughout the operating organization.
Establish consistent financial standards, tools, and best practices across all PFT divisions to enable scalable growth.
Foster a finance culture grounded in accountability, transparency, and value creation.
Support the development and financial architecture of recurring revenue streams including service businesses, parts, and subscription-like models.
Quantify and communicate the valuation and resiliency benefits of aftermarket and lifecycle revenue to operating leaders and the Group President.
Evaluate risk/return profiles of new business models and growth initiatives, providing clear financial frameworks for leadership decision-making.
Partner with HR and operating leaders to evaluate organizational structures, span of control, shared services, and make/buy/partner decisions through a financial value creation lens.
Provide financial analysis supporting outsourcing, restructuring, and capability deployment decisions.