Director, Finance GSS US

Job Responsibilities

The Finance Director for Global Sweet Specialties - North America holds responsibility for the P&L and B/S statements of both Gertrude Hawk Ingredients (GHI) and American Almond (AA) production sites. This role also serves as a key business partner to the General Manager of GHI and the local management teams. Their active participation is expected in steerco meetings, local management meetings, and various functional and project management committees.

In this role, you will directly lead two CSD Business Partners and will also collaborate indirectly with several teams and individuals:

•    GSS GM for GHI and Marketing: to ensure that the sales funnel and execution align with our strategic objectives.
•    Sales teams and Finance Business Partners for sales teams in North America: to guarantee that Gertrude Hawk and American Almond are appropriately represented in discussions and that central support is provided as needed.
•    Accounting: to uphold the integrity of our financial reporting.
•    Treasury, Tax, Legal, M&A, Sourcing, Supply Chain, customers, and other external partners: on an ad-hoc basis.

A key function of the Finance Director, Global Sweet Specialties - North America, is to oversee the consolidated financial information. This enables the management team of GHI & AA to make well-informed decisions in the short, medium, and long term. To this end, the role requires full ownership in understanding, analysing, and reporting financial results against targets and project milestones with effectiveness, timeliness, and accuracy.

Furthermore, this position is crucial in driving continuous improvement and recommending solutions to support the achievement of the business goals and targets for the division. Consequently, the Finance Director plays an essential part in shaping and defining the division's strategy concerning commercial contribution margin, sourcing profits, customer/product/market mix, cost leadership, margin leakage, material usage variances, direct and indirect costs, and in supporting commercial decisions. This requires (i) a comprehensive understanding of the entire business value chain, (ii) strong management capabilities, and (iii) solid project management expertise.

Additionally, the Finance Director acts as vital support for the General Manager GHI, the VP, CFO of Global Sweet Specialties, and the VP, Regional CFO of North America. This includes preparing executive-level information and presentations for strategic plans, quarterly Business Review meetings, Ex-Co meetings, Sales meetings, and other similar purposes.

Finally, this role will involve and potentially lead business-related topics and projects across the full operational value chain, including outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and HR support, thus extending beyond traditional financial responsibilities. The General Manager of GHI & AA and the VP, CFO of Global Sweet Specialties, will establish the priorities for these initiatives.

Scope: 
•    Business Unit Global Sweet Specialties, Business Unit Specialties NA 
•    Based in Chicago, US – occasional travel to Dunmore & Pennsauken required

Education & Skills
•    Bachelor’s / Master’s in Finance, Accounting, Economics or similar
•    Master’s in Business Administration preferred
•    English business proficiency, both written and oral
•    Analytical/hands-on/flexible, but even more important, very solutions-oriented and performance-driven to achieve the targets
•    Travel requirements: occasionally 

Qualifications & Experience
•    Minimum 10 years of experience in a multinational company, preferably in the B2B / food industries
•    Extensive experience in finance as a manager
•    Leadership experience & stakeholder management 
•    In-depth knowledge of sales and manufacturing environment
•    Experience in a multinational company, preferably in B2B / food industries
•    Understanding of accounting processes and standards (IFRS)
•    Knowledge of controlling and financial methodologies and reporting
•    Knowledge of SAP (incl. BW / BO) 
•    Knowledge of Power BI or similar tools 

Leadership Competencies & Personal Style 
•    Analytical / hands-on / flexible / strong drive to deliver / very solutions oriented 
•    Problem solving and decision making skills
•    Ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently and meet deadlines while maintaining focus in an environment with conflicting
•    Can do mentality
•    Solutions oriented
•    High level of energy