Operation Finance Partner

To act as the key finance business partner to the Operations function, providing financial insight, cost control, and decision support to plant leadership. The role owns plant cost reporting, manufacturing variance analysis, and operational budgets and forecasts, while driving cost-efficiency and productivity improvements across Production, Engineering, Utilities, Quality, and Warehousing in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

• Operations Business Partnering:

1. Act as the primary finance partner to the Plant / Operations Director and department heads (Production, Engineering, Utilities, Quality, and Warehousing).

2. Translate operational performance into financial impact and provide clear, actionable insights to support daily and strategic decisions.

Participate in operations performance meetings, challenging results and driving accountability for cost and efficiency targets.

• Plant Costing & Variance Analysis:

1. Own the monthly plant cost report, including cost per ton, conversion cost, and COGS by product and production line.

2. Analyze manufacturing variances (raw potato yield, oil consumption, packaging usage, waste, energy, labor, and downtime) and explain root causes.

3. Maintain and review standard costs, bills of materials (BOMs), and routings in coordination with Operations and Accounting.

• Budgeting & Forecasting:

1. Lead the preparation of the operations budget and rolling forecasts, including production volumes, headcount, maintenance, utilities, and overhead costs.

2. Track actual performance versus budget and forecast, and highlight risks and opportunities early.

3. Support production planning with cost and capacity scenarios (shifts, line utilization, and product mix).

• Cost Optimization & CapEx:

1. Identify and quantify cost-saving and productivity opportunities, and track the realization of savings initiatives.

2. Evaluate plant capital expenditure (CapEx) proposals, including business cases, NPV / IRR / payback analysis, and post-investment reviews.

3. Monitor maintenance spend, spare parts inventory, and energy and utility consumption against targets.

• Inventory, Controls & Reporting:

1. Support month-end closing for operations-related accounts, including inventory valuation, WIP, and accruals.

2. Oversee periodic stock counts and reconciliations of raw materials, packaging, spare parts, and finished goods.

3. Ensure strong internal controls over plant spending and assets, and data accuracy in Oracle ERP.

4. Develop operations KPIs and dashboards (cost per ton, yield, waste %, and the financial impact of OEE).

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field

• 4-6 years of experience in finance or operations roles

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Proficiency in financial modeling and forecasting

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills