Operations Finance Analyst

Job Description

Operations Financial Analyst | Bakelite

The Tone:
This is a pivotal role for an Operations Financial Analyst at Bakelite, where you will become a key member of the dedicated Operations Finance team. Bakelite, with over a century of history and strong customer relationships, is committed to pioneering sustainable and cutting-edge chemistry that underpins a vast array of products, from reinforcing homes to enhancing automotive safety, touching lives everywhere. This position is vital for supporting robust financial planning, conducting in-depth analysis of manufacturing costs, and delivering crucial financial insights across the organization. By actively contributing to the company’s financial health and strategic decisions, you will directly help Bakelite achieve its mission of engineering sustainable products and building a stronger, safer, and better world.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Team: Operations Finance team, partnering with site leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Mission: To provide critical financial analysis and support for manufacturing operations, ensuring accuracy and informing strategic business decisions.
• Tech Stack: ERP systems (SAP or similar), Excel (pivot tables, data analysis, modeling)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Financial Management: Support all phases of financial planning, including detailed forecasting and the precise execution of month-end close activities to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Business Partnership: Proactively partner with various site leadership teams and cross-functional departments to drive operational and financial results through collaborative efforts and shared understanding.
• Performance Analysis: Conduct thorough analysis of manufacturing costs and overall financial performance across operations, identifying key trends, variances, and opportunities for efficiency improvements.
• Strategic Insight: Provide actionable and clear financial insights to site management, support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes, and contribute to global reporting, enabling informed strategic decision-making.
• Investment Validation: Critically evaluate and validate proposed productivity initiatives and capital investments (CAPEX) to assess their financial viability, return on investment, and alignment with business objectives.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Candidates are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a closely related field, establishing a strong foundational understanding of financial principles and business operations.
• Experience: This role demands practical experience utilizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, with a preference for proficiency in SAP or similar platforms. Additionally, strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel is essential, encompassing advanced skills such as pivot tables, comprehensive data analysis, and financial modeling.
• Skills: The successful candidate will possess an analytical mindset coupled with strong attention to detail, enabling precise financial scrutiny. Critical abilities include translating complex financial data into clear, concise, and actionable insights for diverse audiences, alongside strong communication and collaboration skills for effective teamwork across departments.