Financial Analyst – Manufacturing Finance

Job Description

FP&A Analyst | TOPS Products LLC

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at TOPS Products, located in Naperville, IL. TOPS Products designs and distributes organization solutions like notepads, planners, and filing systems that help customers plan smarter and stay organized across various settings, from classrooms to corporate offices. This position is crucial for supporting manufacturing and warehouse operations by enhancing cost efficiency and financial visibility. The FP&A Analyst will partner with leadership to provide financial insights that drive strategic decision-making across the company’s multiple manufacturing facilities.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Naperville, IL
• Pay: $62150–$82775 yearly
• Team: FP&A team, reporting to the Director of FP&A
• Mission: Drive cost efficiency, improve financial visibility, and support strategic decision-making across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• Tech Stack: Excel, Microsoft D365 (preferred)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Analyze manufacturing costs: Examine labor, materials, and overhead expenses comprehensively to identify underlying trends and pinpoint opportunities for significant cost savings.
• Partner on financial planning: Collaborate closely with plant leadership to meticulously develop and manage operational budgets, financial forecasts, and conduct thorough variance analyses to explain performance deviations.
• Monitor operational performance: Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) crucial to manufacturing operations, such as production efficiency, material scrap rates, and asset utilization, providing actionable insights.
• Support financial close: Assist actively in the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes, specifically for all manufacturing sites, ensuring accuracy and timely reporting.
• Model investments: Construct detailed financial models designed to evaluate potential capital investments and assess the financial impact of proposed process improvements.
• Manage inventory finances: Provide critical insights into inventory management, encompassing valuation methods, inventory turnover rates, and identifying potential obsolescence risks.
• Conduct cost and margin analysis: Assist in the regular updates of standard costs and perform detailed margin analysis for various product lines to support pricing and profitability decisions.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Possess a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a closely related field, demonstrating a foundational understanding of financial principles and cost accounting concepts.
• Experience: Bring 2–5 years of dedicated experience in financial analysis, with a distinct preference for candidates who have gained this experience within a manufacturing environment, offering relevant industry context.
• Skills: Exhibit advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel for complex data analysis; possess excellent analytical, problem-solving, and clear communication skills crucial for explaining financial data; demonstrate the ability to effectively collaborate cross-functionally with operations and other non-finance stakeholders; and maintain a strong detail-orientation paired with a high sense of ownership and accountability for financial outcomes.
• Bonus: Prior experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is highly valued, with a specific preference for familiarity with Microsoft D365.