Senior Financial Analyst

First Search Inc.; Little Rock (AR); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

First Search Inc. is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst to support plant operations, cost accounting, and financial planning in a high-volume manufacturing setting.

You will partner with operations, supply chain, and leadership to drive profitability, inventory accuracy, and strategic decision-making through standard costing, ERP systems, and advanced reporting tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field.
• 5+ years in manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or operations finance.
• Strong standard costing and manufacturing cost accounting background.
• Experience supporting plant operations and leadership.
• ERP experience (SAP strongly preferred).
• Advanced Excel with financial modeling and data analysis.
• Ability to translate financial information into actionable operational recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Manage standard costing systems, BOM reviews, cost rollups, and overhead allocations.
• Analyze variances: labor efficiency, material usage, price variance, overhead absorption.
• Support inventory valuation, WIP analysis, and COGS reconciliation.
• Partner with operations leadership to identify cost reductions and profitability.
• Monitor KPIs and provide actionable recommendations to improve performance.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning activities.
• Develop financial models for revenue, cost, margin, and cash flow.
• Perform monthly variance analysis and report results to leadership.
• Support executive reporting and business reviews.
• Serve as finance partner to manufacturing, supply chain, and plant leadership.
• Assist with capital project ROI analyses and investment decisions.
• Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and automate reporting processes.

Skills

Advanced Excel

SAP ERP

Financial modeling

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Finance/Accounting

Tools

SAP FI/CO

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Manufacturing Finance | Cost Accounting | Operations Finance

Location: Little Rock, AR

A leading heavy industrial manufacturer is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Financial Analyst to support plant operations, cost accounting, financial planning, and operational performance across a complex manufacturing environment.

This role serves as a key business partner to executive leadership, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing teams, helping drive profitability, cost control, inventory accuracy, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will have strong manufacturing finance experience with deep exposure to standard costing, inventory accounting, ERP systems, and plant operations.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting

• Manage and maintain standard costing systems, including BOM reviews, cost rollups, and overhead allocations
• Analyze manufacturing variances including labor efficiency, material usage, purchase price variance, and overhead absorption
• Support inventory valuation, WIP analysis, inventory controls, and COGS reconciliation
• Partner with operations leadership to identify cost reduction opportunities and improve plant profitability
• Monitor manufacturing KPIs and provide actionable recommendations to improve operational performance
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning activities
• Develop financial models supporting revenue, cost, margin, and cash flow analysis
• Perform monthly variance analysis and communicate results to leadership
• Support executive reporting and business performance reviews

Operations Partnership

• Serve as a finance business partner to manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and plant leadership teams
• Support capital project analysis, ROI evaluations, and investment decisions
• Assist with operational improvement initiatives and financial impact assessments

Systems & Reporting

• Utilize ERP systems to analyze operational and financial performance
• Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and financial models
• Support reporting automation, data integrity, and continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field
• 5+ years of manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or operations finance experience
• Strong standard costing and manufacturing cost accounting background
• Experience supporting plant operations and manufacturing leadership
• ERP experience (SAP strongly preferred)
• Advanced Excel skills including financial modeling and data analysis
• Ability to translate financial information into actionable operational recommendations

Preferred Background

• Steel, metals, pipe, tubular, oil & gas, forging, foundry, fabrication, industrial equipment, building products, chemical, paper, or other heavy manufacturing environments
• SAP FI/CO experience
• Power BI, Tableau, or advanced reporting tools
• Multi-site manufacturing support
• CPA, CMA, or MBA

This is a highly visible role offering direct interaction with executive leadership and significant opportunity to influence operational performance, manufacturing efficiency, profitability, and strategic growth initiatives.