VP Finance

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow. Our business sectors, Material, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.

We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Asahi Kasei Bioprocess where we sell Planova® virus removal filters and develops and manufactures related bioprocess equipment.

Company:
Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America, Inc.

Job Description:

Summary of Position

The CFO will lead the Accounting, IT, and Purchasing Departments while contributing to strategic planning, new product development decision-making, and evaluating financial justifications for potential M&A opportunities as a member of the company's executive leadership team. Key measures of success in the role are achievement of sales and profit goals through engagement of all operating departments with analysis and recommendations for optimizing production efficiencies, lowering costs, or maximizing product sales or marketing channel opportunities. The position will share full P&L responsibility with multiple functions , all co-located in our office in Glenview, Illinois. In addition to all duties and responsibilities for AKBA as contained herein, the role will also provide executive financial oversight and strategic support for Bionique Testing Laboratories. Key responsibilities include accurate and timely financial reporting, managerial analysis, tax compliance, and support of the company's three business units, a wholly owned subsidiary, Bionique Testing Laboratories, a small corporate affiliate.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Financial and Cost Accounting:

• Lead and develop the Controller (CPA supervising a team of four) who is responsible for month-end closing, financial reporting, AR/AP and other accounting department functions. Review and approve JEs and financial reports prior to submission.
  
• Ensure monthly, quarterly and annual financial closing are completed on time and in accordance with US-GAAP, including inventory costing and control, and revenue recognition using the percentage of completion method.
  
• Serve as primary point of contact for various financial and internal control audits.
  
• Develop and implement costing methods that accurately, yet simply assign costs to WIP inventory and cost of goods sold.
  
• Safeguard company assets through administering effective controls over purchasing, capital projects and general expenses.
  
• Review and approve tax returns prepared by the internal team (sales tax) and outside tax professionals (income tax).
  
• Evaluate new customer credit worthiness and recommend appropriate credit limits.
  
• Support evaluations of mergers, acquisitions, equity investment or other growth opportunities as needed. Lead post-merger integrations.
  
• Manage the company's risk assessment and mitigation strategies.
  
• Maintain banking relationship and administer Letters of Credit.
  
• Lead budgeting and strategic planning processes and semi-annual forecast preparation.
  

Human Resources:

• Support company's comp, merit, incentive and commission plans.
  

Information Technology:

• Supervise the IT department consisting of two people through partnership with affiliate-based and parent-company-based corporate IT teams.
  
• Ensure company compliance with data rules and appropriate use of company IT resources (PCs, phones, software/apps, internet).
  
• Serve as chief administrator for the company's ERP system, Sharepoint, Salesforce, and PowerBI instances.
  
• Develop and deploy data tools to simplify sales, marketing and operational processes.
  

Office Management:

• Determine who sits where ensuring the efficient utilization of office resources.
  
• Perform strategic assessment of facility resources & recommend improvements up to and including selecting, leasing, building out and moving the company to a new site.
  
• Lead special projects to enhance company culture through workplace improvements.
  

Procurement:

• Negotiate terms and conditions with suppliers to secure advantageous agreements.
  
• Optimize procurement software tools including PowerBI and ERP
  
• Implement cost-effective procurement strategies to improve spending while maintaining quality standards.
  
• Develop, review, and manage supplier contracts, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and company policies.
  

Bionique:

• Provide executive leadership and strategic support for Bionique Testing Laboratories.
  
• Serve as Chief Financial Officer for Bionique Testing Laboratories, overseeing all financial operations and strategy.
  
• Lead the full finance function, including accounting, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), tax, budgeting, forecasting, and capital investment analysis.
  
• Direct and develop the Accounting team, ensuring strong internal controls, operational excellence, and timely financial reporting.
  

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Take initiative to resolve issues before they escalate.
  
• Special projects such as M&A evaluation, integration plans, etc. as assigned.
  
• Serve as Export Control Officer for the company.
  
• Occasional domestic & international travel (approx. 2-4 trips per year)
  

Organizational Relationships

• Reports to the President of AKBA
  
• Supervise two managers and two individual contributors.
  
• Comfortable administering policies and systems established by affiliates (ERP, HRIS, SharePoint systems, and HR structures)
  
• Influence policy and decision-making from a finance perspective for the whole company.
  
• Serves as member of the Management Team and the Executive Committee of AKBA.
  
• Represent AKBA interests on the North American Finance Leaders team.
  

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting. MBA preferred. Experience with percentage of completion required. Experience supporting M&A work preferred.
  
• 10 years' experience as a Controller of a manufacturing company
  
• Demonstrated experience in a fast-growth environment with integration experience.
  
• Demonstrated proficiency negotiating directly with customers and suppliers.
  

Physical Demands and Environmental Conditions

• Hybrid Role with balance of in office and work from home days as appropriate
  
• Must be available for international meetings both in person and via Teams.
  
• Ability to travel internationally.
  

The base compensation range for this role is $200,000-$230,000 . Base Compensation is influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: time in the role, previous experience, skills, knowledge, performance, work requirements, internal equity, and business / economic conditions.

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As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei believes a diverse workforce will provide us with the ability to continuously support the changes in the economy, society, and environment.