Financial Business Partner - Operations

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

Finance lead for US Operations, covering ten, US manufacturing facilities in Morton Grove, Crystal Lake, San Fernando (US financials only), John Crane Diamond, Tulsa. Reporting into the Global Operations Finance Controller, the individual is a key member of the US Operations Management Team, having overall responsibility for all US operational finance processes, as well as supporting the Global Manufacturing Director for Americas.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Operations:

• Ensure the US Operations Management Teams are provided monthly financial results and financial insight discussed in monthly financial review meetings that enable them to focus on decision making to maximize labor utilization, control costs & the impact to trading profit.
• Overall responsibility for all US Operations financial planning processes (monthly reforecasts of critical data and budgets), including the engagement of the key operations stakeholders.
• Robust and consistent cost control through oversight of the standard costing structure applied across the facilities with clear understanding of monthly variances giving rise to under/over absorption within Operations.
• In conjunction with Regional and US Operations Management support the US inventory reduction plan and work with each facility to improve variances of performance against the plan.
• Manage annual standard cost update process that is more complex and time consuming than SAP. Ensure updated standard costs are completed and approved by end of the fiscal year and the update to production is completed by end of the 2nd week of new fiscal year.
• Ensure proper collaboration with Mexico Shared Service team that supports activities directly impacting US monthly financial reporting that drives accurate data and targeted completion deadlines for reporting.
• Manage and develop the US Operations Finance Teams.

Business Strategy:

• Finance business partner to the Global Manufacturing Director of Americas - providing financial insight and analysis to support business strategy and decision-making. Collaborating regularly to engage on projects/performance and the alignment on how information is communicated to the Operational teams.
• Oversight of finance relationships with Operations Management of all ten operational facilities with a greater emphasis on the Pasadena and Morton Grove facilities given the size and volume of activity that takes place in these two sites. (US financials only).
• Ensure the regular review of all aspects of the manufacturing and assembly operations to monitor KPI’s to drive performance and identify areas requiring greater focus.
• Support ad-hoc John Crane initiatives, projects, or M&A activities including integration and information requests as directed by the Global Operations Finance Controller.

Financial Stewardship:

• Overall responsibility for ensuring that all aspect of US Operations finance are compliant with policies and process, including:
  • commercial projects, such as investment proposals and capital projects, meet both the needs of the organization, and receive appropriate financial evaluation covering verification of cost, benefit assumptions and post completion reviews’
  • sites having adequate financial controls in place that are sufficient to protect its manufacturing assets, including asset verifications;
  • sites are compliant with all Smiths Group financial policies and procedures, such as operation’s approvals, spending limits, expense procedures, Capex applications, etc; and
  • effective risk management process in place to mitigate key problems and issues
• Support internal & external audits with required information for a successful audit.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience with a strong focus on Operational Commercial / and or Strategic Business Analysis.
• Candidates must have a proven track record of success in progressively more senior finance roles preferably a manufacturing environment.
• Self-starter with flexibility and willingness to balance multiple, changing priorities and work under tight deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to communicate and present to direct stakeholders as well as senior stakeholders.
• Excellent Microsoft Excel skills and experience of using financial consolidation systems and ERPs (Mfg Pro, SAP knowledge a strong plus).
• Ability to make good judgments in an increasingly complex global business by effectively sourcing and analyzing critical information and making effective, timely decisions; taking into account the needs and impacts on business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to persistently pursue and achieve results. Uses data / analytics to proactively monitor and review plans to hit or exceed targets and drives continuous improvement while building strong working relationships needed with the key stakeholders the position supports.

Salary range: $99,500 — $124,500 USD

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

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We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

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