End-to-End Finance Lead, Manufacturing & Costing

Buckingham Search; Long Grove (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckingham Search is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to serve as the financial lead for U.S. operations in a multi-site manufacturing setting.

This role combines hands-on cost accounting, monthly close, budgeting, and strong business partnership with operations and commercial leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance required.
• MBA/CPA/CMA preferred for advanced responsibility.
• Strong product costing and program accounting knowledge helpful.

Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly close process for U.S. operations with journal entries and reconciliations.
• Develop and enforce product costing processes from raw materials to manufacturing.
• Support purchasing with cost impact analysis driven by commodity changes.
• Lead the U.S. entity annual budget process with department heads on historical trends.
• Track and control operating expenses and capital plan to budget.
• Partner with Sales to track revenue and margin by customer and channel.

Skills

Cost accounting

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Cross-functional collaboration

Advanced Excel

US GAAP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

MBA or CPA CMA preferred

Tools

SAP

Excel

Job description

A well-established, privately held manufacturing company with operations across the U.S. and Mexico is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to serve as the financial lead for its U.S. operations — combining hands-on cost accounting, monthly close, budgeting, and business partnership in a complex, multi-site manufacturing environment.

This is a broad, high-ownership role for a detail-oriented finance professional who enjoys getting close to the business, understanding the numbers behind the product, and partnering with operations and commercial leadership to drive performance.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the monthly close process for U.S. operations including journal entries, account reconciliations, and financial statement preparation
• Develop and enforce product costing processes from raw material standards through manufacturing — managing periodic cost rolls, reviewing data integrity, and tracking cost trends by product family down to raw material and manufacturing standards
• Support purchasing with component cost impact analysis driven by commodity cost changes
• Lead the U.S. entity annual budget process — preparing templates, partnering with department heads on historical trending, and projecting future year expenses
• Track and control U.S. operating expenses and capital plan to budget
• Partner with the Sales team to track revenue and margin by customer and channel — identifying trends and surfacing actionable insights
• Perform balance sheet and account reconciliations and net working capital calculations
• Maintain financial KPIs and assist in the preparation of long-term financial forecasts
• Support ad hoc analysis and special projects as needed

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• 6–8 years of progressive finance experience
• MBA, CPA, and/or CMA preferred
• Strong product costing and program accounting knowledge
• Advanced Excel skills; SAP experience highly preferred
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP
• Manufacturing or automotive industry experience a plus
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work cross-functionally and independently

Why This Role Stands Out:

✅ True end-to-end ownership across close, cost accounting, budgeting, and business partnership

✅ Direct exposure to operations, purchasing, and commercial leadership

✅ Complex, multi-site manufacturing environment with real variety in the work

✅ Collaborative team culture with strong emphasis on learning and continuous improvement

✅ Competitive compensation in a stable, long-established manufacturing organization