Financial Analyst (Manufacturing Operations)

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

Job Description

Finance lead for the Pasadena, Texas manufacturing site, reporting to the US Operations Financial Business Partner. The individual will be responsible for the site operational finance processes and is expected to make a full contribution to the management of the site financial planning through strong collaboration with the site Operations Management team.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Operations

• Ensure the Pasadena & Tulsa Operations Management Teams are provided monthly financial results and financial insight discussed in monthly financial review meetings that enable them to focus on decision making to maximize labor utilization, control costs & the impact to trading profit.
• Assist the US Operations Finance Business Partner in all financial planning processes (monthly reforecasts of critical data and budgets), including the engagement of the key operations stakeholders.
• Robust and consistent cost control through oversight of the standard costing structure applied across the facilities with clear understanding of monthly variances giving rise to under/over absorption within Operations.
• In conjunction with Regional and US Operations Management, supports the US inventory reduction plan and work with the sites to improve variances of performance against the plan.
• Assist in the annual standard cost update process that is more complex and time consuming than SAP. Participate in delivering the updated standard costs completion and approval by end of the fiscal year and the update to production is completed by end of the 2nd week of new fiscal year.
• Ensure proper collaboration with Mexico Shared Service team that supports activities directly impacting Pasadena & Tulsa US monthly financial reporting that drives accurate data and targeted completion deadlines for reporting.
• Develop a vital understanding of key working processes within the QAD ERP system associated with manufacturing variance generated to enhance improvements in the financial performance.  

Business Strategy

• Finance operations analyst to the Pasadena, Texas Facility Operations management team & support to the Tulsa Finance Business lead, as well as to the Global Manufacturing Director of Americas - providing financial insight and analysis to support business strategy and decision-making, including where necessary the Mexico Machining Center Facility. Collaborating regularly to engage on projects/performance and the alignment on how information is communicated to the Operational teams.
• Robust working relationship with the Pasadena Operations Management team to assist in continuous improvement in cost control/reductions to benefit operating costs impacting production labor & overhead rates.
• Ensure regular review of all aspects of the manufacturing and assembly operations to monitor KPI’s to drive performance and identify areas requiring greater focus.
• Support ad-hoc John Crane initiatives, projects, or and information requests as directed by the US Operations Finance Business Partner.

Financial Stewardship

• Overall responsibility for ensuring that all aspects of Operations finance are compliant with policies and process, including:
  • Capital projects meet both the needs of the organization, and receive appropriate financial evaluation covering verification of cost, benefit assumptions and post completion reviews’
  • sites having adequate financial controls in place that are sufficient to protect its manufacturing assets, including asset verifications;
  • sites are compliant with all Smiths Group financial policies and procedures, such as operation’s approvals, spending limits, expense procedures, Capex applications, etc; and
• Support internal & external audits with required information for a successful site audit.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience with a strong focus on Operational Commercial / and or Strategic Business Analysis.
• Candidates must have a proven track record of success in progressively more senior finance roles, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Self-starter with flexibility and willingness to balance multiple, changing priorities and working under tight deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to communicate and present to direct stakeholders as well as senior stakeholders.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience using financial consolidation systems and ERPs (Mfg Pro knowledge strong plus).
• Ability to make good judgments in an increasingly complex global business by effectively sourcing and analyzing critical information and making effective, timely decisions; taking into account the needs and impacts on business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to persistently pursue and achieve results. Uses data / analytics to proactively monitor and review plans to hit or exceed targets and drives continuous improvement while building strong working relationships needed with the key stakeholders the position supports.
• Spanish language proficiency highly desirable. 

Please note that we are only considering local candidates from the Houston area for this role and we do not provide relocation assistance. 

Additional Information

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, View email address on ziprecruiter.com Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

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We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)