Vice President and Treasurer

Westlake Chemical; United States; On-site; USD 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Westlake Chemical seeks a seasoned Vice President & Treasurer to lead the global treasury function, driving liquidity, financing strategy and risk management for growth and operational excellence.

The role provides strategic financial counsel for mergers, acquisitions and capital allocation, overseeing treasury policies and global controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related field required.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years in corporate/project finance, capital markets or credit management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and maintain an efficient global cash and liquidity management framework.
• Ensure operational liquidity to meet obligations while minimizing borrowing costs.
• Evaluate and execute long-term debt financing for growth at or below market cost.
• Structure and arrange project financings to transfer risk at competitive pricing.
• Manage exposure to interest rate and foreign exchange risks using hedging tools.
• Own cost of capital calculations used for enterprise returns.
• Protect from catastrophic loss via risk management and insurance oversight.
• Support product sales through global credit management and risk monitoring.
• Cultivate relationships with banks, rating agencies, and advisors for strategic plans.
• Assist leadership in acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic partnerships.
• Provide economic and financial guidance for strategic plans and capital allocation.
• Lead treasury policies, processes, and controls globally; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Financial analysis

Risk management

Debt financing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related field

MBA or equivalent advanced degree

Job description

Westlake offers you the potential to enrich your work life and career experience in an entrepreneurial environment. We work together to enhance peoples' lives through our products and presence in the communities in which we operate.

SUMMARY

The Vice President & Treasurer is responsible for leading Westlake’s global treasury function, including corporate and project finance, liquidity and cash management, capital markets, foreign exchange, credit and risk management. This role ensures appropriate returns for financial risks retained by the company and secures cost-effective funding to support operations and growth, while maintaining flexible access to global sources of capital and insurance. The Vice President & Treasurer also serves as a key strategic advisor, providing economic, financial and business counsel in support of operational decisions, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives and special projects.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and maintain an efficient global cash and liquidity management framework, ensuring strong relationships with creditworthy banking partners at competitive cost.
• Ensure operational liquidity to meet obligations on a timely basis while minimizing short-term borrowing costs and achieving investment returns consistent with preservation of principal, including ownership of 13 week cash forecasting
• Evaluate and execute long-term debt financing in support of strategic and operational growth at or below market cost, with attention to covenant flexibility and overall capital structure optimization.
• Structure and arrange project financings that appropriately transfer operational or financial risk to third parties at competitive pricing.
• Manage the company’s exposure to interest rate, foreign exchange and other financial market risks through use of fixed rate indebtedness, derivatives and foreign exchange markets, in alignment with corporate risk management policies.
• Ownership of cost of capital calculations utilized for returns across the enterprise
• Protect Westlake from catastrophic loss through effective loss control and risk mitigation measures, cost-effective purchase of insurance, robust claims administration and ongoing review of risk retention levels as exposures evolve, including leadership of global enterprise risk management program
• Support product sales through effective global credit management, including credit policies and procedures, customer credit analysis and limits, collections and dispute resolution, and portfolio-level credit risk monitoring.
• Manage and cultivate relationships with investment banks, commercial banks, rating agencies and economic advisors, providing market intelligence and access that support the development of Westlake’s strategic plan and opportunistic transactions.
• Support the CEO, CFO, business units and business development in identifying and evaluating acquisition, divestiture and strategic partnership opportunities.
• Assist the Chairman’s office, CEO and business units in the development and refinement of strategic plans by providing economic and financial guidelines and scenario analyses, and delivering analytical insight and recommendations on value creation and capital allocation.
• Provide leadership, direction and oversight for treasury-related policies, processes, systems and controls globally.
• Champion continuous improvement and operational excellence within the Treasury function.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide leadership and direction to the Treasury department, including cash management, capital markets, risk management and credit teams.
• Responsible for staffing, performance management, coaching and development, and succession planning within the Treasury function.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related field required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in corporate finance, project finance, capital markets and/or credit management, including at least 5 years in a leadership role managing professional staff.
• Deep knowledge of corporate finance theory and practice, investment theory and fixed income mathematics, and capital markets instruments and structures.
• Experience analyzing customer credit risk and designing solutions to mitigate risks associated with extension of credit and trade finance.
• Strong working knowledge of financial accounting, financial statement analysis and key performance metrics.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to touch, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel or crouch. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, as the role is primarily based in an office setting (e.g., Westlake Corporate offices). Some work may be required at operating sites and plants, which may require use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including safety glasses, hearing protection and other site-specific requirements. Site visits may result in exposure to outdoor elements and may require use of stairs and elevators. Travel up to approximately 20% of the time, including domestic and international air and automobile travel, is required to support banking, rating agency, site and management meetings.

Westlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Westlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable legislation.

Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions — from housing and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.westlake.com. Westlake (NYSE: WLK) is a global diversified industrial company that manufactures and supplies essential products that enhance the daily lives of people around the globe. Our products, now under a One Westlake brand, supply the necessary building blocks for everyday products across housing and infrastructure, packaging and healthcare, and automotive and consumer goods. Consumers gain the benefits of materials Westlake produces in products such as food packaging, medical devices, soaps and detergents, car interiors, fashion, toys, shoes, furniture, electronics, siding, stone veneer, windows, outdoor living, roofing, and pipe & fittings. Westlake is proud to contribute to driving a sustainable future through the creation of essential products that are Enhancing Your Life Every Day®. To view other career opportunities at Westlake and our family of companies, visit https://westlaketalent.com