Senior Financial Analyst

Manufacturing Finance | Cost Accounting | Operations Finance Location: Little Rock, AR A leading heavy industrial manufacturer is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst to support plant operations, cost accounting, financial planning, and operational performance across a complex manufacturing environment. This role serves as a key business partner to executive leadership, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing teams, helping drive profitability, cost control, inventory accuracy, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will have strong manufacturing finance experience with deep exposure to standard costing, inventory accounting, ERP systems, and plant operations. Key Responsibilities Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting Manage and maintain standard costing systems, including BOM reviews, cost rollups, and overhead allocations Analyze manufacturing variances including labor efficiency, material usage, purchase price variance, and overhead absorption Support inventory valuation, WIP analysis, inventory controls, and COGS reconciliation Partner with operations leadership to identify cost reduction opportunities and improve plant profitability Monitor manufacturing KPIs and provide actionable recommendations to improve operational performance Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning activities Develop financial models supporting revenue, cost, margin, and cash flow analysis Perform monthly variance analysis and communicate results to leadership Support executive reporting and business performance reviews Operations Partnership Serve as a finance business partner to manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and plant leadership teams Support capital project analysis, ROI evaluations, and investment decisions Assist with operational improvement initiatives and financial impact assessments Systems & Reporting Utilize ERP systems to analyze operational and financial performance Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and financial models Support reporting automation, data integrity, and continuous improvement initiatives Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field 5+ years of manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or operations finance experience Strong standard costing and manufacturing cost accounting background Experience supporting plant operations and manufacturing leadership ERP experience (SAP strongly preferred) Advanced Excel skills including financial modeling and data analysis Ability to translate financial information into actionable operational recommendations Preferred Background Steel, metals, pipe, tubular, oil & gas, forging, foundry, fabrication, industrial equipment, building products, chemical, paper, or other heavy manufacturing environments SAP FI/CO experience Power BI, Tableau, or advanced reporting tools Multi-site manufacturing support CPA, CMA, or MBA This is a highly visible role offering direct interaction with executive leadership and significant opportunity to influence operational performance, manufacturing efficiency, profitability, and strategic growth initiatives. #J-18808-Ljbffr First Search Inc.