Financial Analyst - Manufacturing

Senior Financial Analyst – Manufacturing

Company Overview

• Our client is an established manufacturing and distribution organization serving customers across a diverse range of industries. The company operates in a fast-paced, production-oriented environment with a strong focus on operational efficiency, product quality, and continued business growth.
• The organization is seeking an experienced Senior Financial Analyst to join its Finance & Accounting team. This opportunity offers significant exposure to financial planning, manufacturing operations, profitability analysis, and strategic decision support.
• The company is looking for an analytical and commercially minded finance professional who can translate complex financial and operational information into meaningful insights that support business performance and organizational growth.

Location, Compensation & Benefits

• Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 3 days per week on-site
• Employment Type: Full-time, salaried
• Compensation & Benefits: 60k-80k base + 10% bonus

Why This Opportunity

• Join an established manufacturing and distribution organization with a growing and increasingly sophisticated finance function
• Gain meaningful exposure to both corporate financial planning and operational finance within a manufacturing environment
• Work directly with the FP&A Manager and collaborate with leaders across Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and Accounting
• Play an important role in budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, and management reporting
• Develop financial models that influence production decisions, capital investments, pricing strategies, and operational initiatives
• Gain experience evaluating manufacturing performance through labor efficiency, inventory, production output, freight costs, and operating margins
• Work with business leaders to understand financial results and identify opportunities to improve profitability

Position Overview

• The Senior Financial Analyst will support financial planning, forecasting, management reporting, and operational performance analysis for a manufacturing and distribution organization.
• Reporting to the FP&A Manager, this individual will work closely with Accounting, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance leadership to evaluate business performance, identify financial risks and opportunities, and provide analytical support for strategic decisions.
• The position will play a central role in developing budgets, maintaining financial forecasts, analyzing profitability, and preparing reporting materials that communicate financial and operational results.
• A significant component of the position involves manufacturing and operational finance, including analysis of production costs, labor efficiency, inventory performance, product margins, and customer profitability.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Forecasting

• Participate in the development of annual operating budgets, periodic forecasts, and longer-term financial plans
• Build and maintain financial models that evaluate revenue trends, cost structures, profitability, and projected business performance
• Collaborate with department leaders to develop financial assumptions and incorporate operational expectations into forecasts
• Analyze differences between actual financial results and budgeted or forecasted performance
• Identify underlying business drivers contributing to revenue fluctuations, expense variances, and changes in profitability
• Support financial planning submissions and reporting requirements for broader corporate leadership
• Prepare explanations of forecast changes, financial variances, and evolving business expectations
• Maintain and improve budgeting templates, forecasting schedules, and financial planning models
• Evaluate potential risks and opportunities that could affect future financial results
• Provide analytical support for planning scenarios and management decision-making

Financial Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Prepare recurring financial reporting packages and management presentations summarizing business performance
• Analyze revenue, gross profit, operating expenses, and profitability across products, customers, and business units
• Evaluate financial trends and explain the operational factors contributing to changes in results
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators that provide visibility into financial and operational effectiveness
• Prepare financial commentary highlighting significant variances, emerging trends, and potential performance concerns
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, control expenses, and strengthen overall financial results
• Support monthly performance reviews and discussions with business leadership
• Develop analytical reports that translate complex financial information into actionable business recommendations
• Evaluate customer and product profitability to identify areas of financial strength and opportunities for improvement
• Support additional reporting and analysis requested by finance and executive leadership

Manufacturing & Operational Finance

• Analyze manufacturing costs and operational performance to identify opportunities for improved productivity and profitability
• Evaluate direct labor expenses, workforce efficiency, production output, and manufacturing variances
• Review inventory performance, material usage, production waste, and freight-related costs
• Support standard costing analysis and investigate differences between expected and actual production costs
• Partner with operations personnel to understand the factors influencing manufacturing efficiency and cost performance
• Evaluate product-level margins and customer profitability across the business
• Analyze pricing changes and assess their potential impact on revenue, gross margins, and customer profitability
• Identify cost reduction opportunities and support initiatives designed to improve manufacturing performance
• Develop financial models evaluating equipment purchases, capital investments, and operational improvement projects
• Provide financial analysis supporting production planning, capacity utilization, and resource allocation decisions
• Collaborate with Supply Chain teams to assess inventory-related trends and distribution costs
• Support operational leadership with financial information that improves production and business decisions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline required
• Approximately 1-3 years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis, corporate finance, accounting, or financial analysis
• Previous experience within manufacturing, distribution, or supply chain finance is strongly preferred
• Strong background in budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and variance analysis
• Demonstrated ability to analyze financial statements and understand the key drivers of business performance
• Experience evaluating revenue, gross margins, operating expenses, and profitability
• Familiarity with customer profitability, product profitability, and operational performance reporting is preferred
• Understanding of manufacturing cost structures, inventory, production expenses, or operational finance is highly desirable
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency required, including the ability to build and maintain complex financial models
• Experience working with ERP systems and financial reporting applications
• Familiarity with Power BI, financial planning platforms, or other business intelligence and analytics tools is preferred