Finance Director

The Planet Group; Pawtucket (RI); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Group is seeking a Finance Director to lead the finance function for a manufacturing business unit across two sites. You will own accounting, controllership, FP&A, tax, and reporting to the parent company while partnering with senior leadership.

You will lead a lean finance team, manage an outsourced accounting provider, and drive profitability, cash flow, and operational efficiency through strong manufacturing finance expertise.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience across FP&A and accounting.
• Business partner experience with cross-functional teams.
• Experience in the manufacturing industry.
• Demonstrated management experience leading teams.
• Advanced Excel skills and financial modeling.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite).

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the annual budgeting, long-range planning, and rolling forecast processes.
• Prepare and present monthly and quarterly financial performance reviews to leadership.
• Analyze manufacturing costs and cost variances to identify improvements.
• Serve as strategic finance partner to operations, supply chain, and engineering.
• Develop scenario models and ROI analyses for investment decisions.
• Oversee month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close per US GAAP and policies.

Skills

FP&A

Accounting

Business Partnering

Management

Excel/Modeling

ERP systems

Education

Bachelor's in Finance/Accounting

MBA preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

NetSuite

MS Dynamics

Job description

Finance Director

Direct Hire

Hybrid-Pawtucket, RI

160-180k

Must Haves

• 8+ years of relevant experience, including a mix of FP&A and accounting experience
• Business Partner experience
• Manufacturing industry
• Management experience
• Strong excel ( financial modeling)
• ERP experience

Plus

• Cost accounting understanding
• Experience managing some outsourced team members
• Company with some complexity could be helpful
• CPA
• Global experience
• Multi site
• MBA

Job Description

Job Summary

We are seeking a Business Unit Finance Director to lead the finance function for a manufacturing business unit within two manufacturing sites. This role owns all finance activities for the business unit, including accounting and controllership, financial planning and analysis, tax and statutory compliance, finance systems, and reporting to the parent company, and serves as the senior finance partner to the business unit leadership team. The Finance Director leads a lean finance team, including a cost accountant and a cash accountant, and manages an outsourced accounting provider. This role requires a professional with strong manufacturing finance and controllership expertise who can ensure accurate, compliant financial reporting while translating financial data into actionable insights that improve profitability, cash flow, and operational execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and lead the annual budgeting, long-range planning, and rolling forecast processes, ensuring alignment with business unit and corporate objectives.
• Prepare and present monthly and quarterly financial performance reviews to business unit and parent company leadership, including analysis of results versus budget, forecast, and prior year.
• Perform in-depth analysis of manufacturing costs, including materials, labor, and overhead; investigate standard cost variances and identify cost improvement opportunities.
• Act as a strategic finance partner to operations, supply chain, commercial, and engineering teams to support data-driven decisions and operational initiatives.
• Develop scenario models and sensitivity analyses to assess the financial impact of changes in volume, pricing, product mix, and cost structures.
• Evaluate capital investment proposals and strategic initiatives; build ROI, NPV, and payback analyses to support investment decisions.
• Provide financial leadership on cross-functional projects and deliver ad hoc analysis to support business strategy and continuous improvement efforts.

Accounting and Controllership

• Own the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close process, ensuring accurate and timely financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and parent company accounting policies.
• Manage the outsourced accounting provider, including defining scope and service levels, overseeing deliverables, monitoring performance, and ensuring the quality and timeliness of transactional accounting (accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, and payroll accounting).
• Lead and develop priorities, reviewing work, and building team capability.
• Oversee cost accounting, inventory valuation, physical inventory counts, and cost roll-ups.
• Oversee cash management and treasury activities, including banking relationships, cash forecasting, payment approvals, and working capital management.
• Maintain a strong internal control environment, including balance sheet reconciliations, account reviews, segregation of duties, and compliance with SOX and parent company control requirements.
• Coordinate internal and external audits, serving as the primary point of contact for auditors and ensuring timely resolution of findings.

Tax, Statutory, and Parent Company Reporting

• Own all statutory and regulatory filings for the business unit's legal entities, including statutory financial statements and annual reports.
• Oversee all tax compliance, including income, sales and use, property, payroll, and other indirect taxes, in partnership with external tax advisors and the parent company tax team.
• Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting packages to the parent company, ensuring accuracy, consistency with group policies, and adherence to reporting deadlines.
• Manage intercompany transactions and reconciliations with the parent company and affiliated entities, and support transfer pricing documentation.

Finance Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Own finance IT and systems for the business unit, including ERP finance modules, reporting tools, and integrations, and serve as the finance lead on system implementations and upgrades.
• Drive simplification, automation, and standardization across accounting, reporting, and planning processes.
• Ensure master data integrity and reliable financial reporting from source systems.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting; MBA or Master's degree preferred
• 8-12 years of progressive experience in accounting and finance, in a manufacturing environment
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, manufacturing cost accounting, and internal controls
• Experience with statutory reporting, tax compliance, and reporting to a parent company or corporate headquarters
• Demonstrated experience leading finance teams and managing outsourced accounting service providers
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial modeling
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics) and financial reporting tools, including system implementation or administration
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders
• Highly analytical, organized, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or additional relevant certifications
• Experience supporting multi-plant or global manufacturing operations
• Experience in a subsidiary of a multinational group, including local GAAP or IFRS to U.S. GAAP reporting
• Familiarity with planning, consolidation, and reporting tools
• Experience with ERP systems or finance transformation projects
• Exposure to Lean manufacturing or operational excellence initiatives from a financial perspective

#LI-AS1

#AFHR