Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Director Of Financial Planning And Analysis

The Director of Financial Planning and Analysis reports to the VP of Finance and leads Wheeler Machinery's planning, budgeting, forecasting, performance management, variance analysis, and decision support.

This role requires a deep understanding of corporate finance, financial modeling, and dealership economics, as well as the ability to lead and develop a team of finance professionals. The Director of FP&A works closely with business unit leaders to ensure that financial objectives are met and that planning, forecasting, and reporting processes are efficient and effective.

FP&A delivers insights, not reports. The Director of FP&A is accountable for improving the decisions leadership makes about growth, margins, cash, and capital, to ensure that the organization's plans are achieved and ultimately create value.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership and Planning:

• Serve as a trusted financial business partner to organizational leadership.
• Facilitate long range planning and maintain the three-year financial model, translating strategic objectives into a financial illustration of the strategy.
• Validate that the Annual Business Plan and the forecast are aligned with strategic objectives and adequately resourced.

Team Oversight and Collaboration:

• Lead and mentor the FP&A team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth.
• Provide guidance, training, and performance evaluations to team and direct reports; build bench strength and a clear path of progression for team.
• Ensure that the FP&A team has the skills, tools, and resources necessary to perform at a high level.

Budgeting and Forecasting:

• Lead the annual budgeting process, including the budget calendar, planning milestones, and assumption discipline across the Company.
• Monitor and analyze budget performance, providing insights and recommendations to senior management.
• Work with department heads to develop and maintain accurate financial forecasts.
• Develop and manage budgets for departments and the organization.
• Support the allocation of resources based on strategic priorities.
• Own the monthly and rolling forecast process for revenue, gross profit, EBITDA, free cash flow, and working capital.
• Lead Zero-Based budgeting to ensure that proposed spending is justified by the activity it funds and supports strategic objectives.
• Predict future financial performance and provide insights.
• Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, and Finance in the SIOP process to align the demand plan with the financial forecast.
• Provide ongoing financial modeling and scenario analysis expertise to business partners.

Management Reporting and Business Reviews:

• Deliver monthly business unit financial reporting packages.
• Prepare the Monthly Business Review deck, including high-level results, budget versus actual, forecast update, pullers versus draggers, risks and opportunities, and KPIs.
• Lead department and business unit financial reviews, driving discussion of results, drivers, gaps, risks, and actions.
• Work in conjunction with the accounting, IT and BI groups to ensure that reporting tools, data definitions, and processes support the ongoing and future needs of the business.
• Provide the results, commentary, and supporting analysis required for ownership, lender, and board reporting.

Analysis and Insight Generation:

• Own the standard analysis suite: budget versus actual, forecast versus actual, revenue and gross margin bridges, customer profitability, risk and opportunity, value leakage, and ROIC.
• Explain revenue movement in terms of volume, price, mix, customer growth, and attrition.
• Deliver business unit performance analysis across divisions, including price versus volume, revenue mix, gross margin enhancement, productivity and FTE utilization.
• Deliver expense, headcount, and FTE analysis for operating and support functions.
• Lead segment, product line, customer, and geographic profitability analysis, ranking pullers versus draggers by profit contribution.

Inventory, Working Capital, and Capital Efficiency:

• Lead parts and machine inventory analytics, including DSI, ABC classification, turns, excess and obsolete inventory, and product profitability.
• Analyze working capital accounts receivable, inventory, and accounts payable and identify where cash is trapped and how liquidity can be improved.
• Connect operating decisions to cash conversion and free cash flow generation.
• Evaluate capital expenditure returns, asset utilization, and ROIC.

Systems and Process Improvement:

• Evaluate and improve financial planning, forecasting, and reporting systems and processes to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Lead or participate in financial systems implementations and upgrades affecting planning, forecasting, and reporting.
• Teach and promote a continuous improvement mindset in all areas.
• Stay current with industry trends and best practices, evaluating and implementing new systems and technologies as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA and/or MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in finance or accounting, including at least 5 years in a managerial role.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency in financial modeling, forecasting, and scenario analysis.
• Experience with strategy development and implementation
• Able to communicate effectively and lead others through change and new strategic initiatives.
• Able to build effective teams, coach and develop others.
• An individual who seizes opportunities and takes initiative as appropriate.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to grasp the Company's short- and long-term priorities and develop systems, processes, and policies to support the achievement of them in a cost-effective manner.
• On an ongoing basis, evaluate and prioritize activities, focus people resources against key business priorities.
• Strong business acumen and an understanding of how a distribution or dealership business creates revenue, margin, and cash.
• High level of integrity and professionalism.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c).