Operations Finance Manager

Cpl; Galway; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cpl is recruiting for a senior Operations Finance Manager in Galway, Ireland. The role creates and leads a new Operations Finance sub-function, delivering financial leadership, reporting, and decision support to on-site operations.

You will build the team, processes, and controls from the ground up and partner closely with the Site General Manager. The position requires a qualified accountant with manufacturing experience, strong costing and inventory knowledge, and proven ability to drive

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with post-qualification experience.
• Experience as Operations Accountant in manufacturing (regulated preferred).
• Strong business partnering with senior site leadership and cost-management knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Operations Finance function and team.
• Own site-wide reporting including cost, variances and inventory.
• Partner with Site GM on budgeting, forecasting and capital proposals.
• Strengthen financial controls around inventory and production costs.

Skills

Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Senior Finance partner

Excel proficiency

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Microsoft Dynamics

Power BI

Job description

Loughrea, Galway

Onsite Initially, Hybrid option after 6 months

Role Purpose

This is a newly created senior role within the Finance function. The Operations Finance Manager will establish and lead a new Operations Finance sub-function, providing dedicated financial leadership, reporting and decision support to the operations side of the business. The role carries full responsibility for building the operations finance capability from the ground up - its people, processes, reporting suite and controls, and for acting as the trusted finance business partner to the Site General Manager.4

Key Responsibilities

Build the Operations Finance function

• Design, establish and lead a new Operations Finance sub-function within the wider Finance department, defining its remit, structure, processes and ways of working.
• Lead, manage and develop two Cost Accountants, setting objectives, reviewing performance and building team capability.
• Embed robust standard costing, inventory accounting and variance analysis processes across the site.

Operations reporting

• Create a new suite of operational finance reporting covering manufacturing performance, cost of goods, yields, scrap and waste, labour and overhead absorption, variances and inventory.
• Deliver weekly and monthly reporting packs with clear, actionable insight for operations management and the wider finance leadership.
• Develop and track site KPIs, dashboards and cost-per-unit metrics, driving standardisation and automation of reporting over time.

Business partnering

• Act as dedicated finance business partner to the Site General Manager, providing financial insight and challenge to support operational decision-making.
• Support the operations leadership team on budgeting, forecasting, headcount planning and cost management for the site.
• Evaluate capital expenditure proposals, cost-reduction initiatives and make-vs-buy decisions, including post-investment reviews.
• Partner with operations on efficiency, continuous improvement and margin-enhancement programmes, quantifying benefits and tracking delivery.

Financial control and planning

• Own the annual standard cost-setting process and periodic cost roll-ups.
• Lead the operations elements of the annual budget and rolling forecasts, including production volumes, conversion costs and inventory.
• Ensure the integrity of inventory valuation and manufacturing accounting in the month-end close, working with the wider finance team.
• Strengthen controls over inventory, cycle counts, BOMs and routings in conjunction with operations and supply chain.

Qualifications And Experience

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong post-qualification experience.
• Experience working as an Operations Accountant in a regulated manufacturing organization is essential.
• Significant experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally pharmaceutical or other regulated industry, with deep knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting and variance analysis.
• Proven track record of business partnering with senior operational leaders, ideally at site GM / operations director level.
• Experience building or significantly developing a finance team, function or reporting suite is highly desirable.
• Strong people-management experience with the ability to coach and develop qualified and part-qualified staff.
• Advanced Excel and strong ERP experience (e.g. SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics); experience with BI/reporting tools (e.g. Power BI) an advantage.

Competencies

• Self-starter comfortable operating with ambiguity and building structures, processes and reporting where none currently exist.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to translate financial data into clear operational insight and action.
• Credible communicator and influencer, able to constructively challenge senior stakeholders.
• Hands-on and detail-oriented, while retaining a strategic view of the function's development.
• Collaborative team player who works effectively across finance, operations, supply chain and quality.

For more information, please contact [email protected]