Head, Operations Finance

The Operations Finance [Head] is the financial leader responsible for all costing, controlling, reporting, costing and analytical disciplines across the Rx laboratory and distribution center (DC) network. This role establishes and governs standard costs, ensures accurate cost recovery, accounting entries, and inventory valuation, leads operational variance analytics, and partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Planning leaders to drive performance and accountability.

This position is central to the development of a robust and repeatable operational finance framework-linking production drivers, capacity, labor, throughput, inventory behavior, and cost impacts into clear financial insights. The [Head] will also play a key role in supporting the transition of the network into a fully standardized costing and controlling model.

Key Responsibilities

1. Standard Costing & Cost Governance

• Own the standard costing framework across Rx labs and DCs, ensuring accurate labor routings, machine standards, overhead rates, and material costs.
• Lead annual cost roll activities, including development, documentation, and execution of accounting flows associated with standard costing.
• Maintain strong alignment with purchasing, operations, engineering, and supply chain to confirm cost assumptions reflect actual processes and operational realities.
• Ensure accurate setup and application of standard costs in both flow and batch manufacturing environments.

2. Cost Accounting, Reporting, & Controlling

• Oversee all cost accounting processes supporting Rx labs and DC operations, including inventory valuation, cost of goods flows, overhead absorption, and cost recovery entries.
• Manage monthly cost recovery and allocation entries (labor absorption, overhead recovery, freight allocations, intercompany flows, etc.) as well as all monthly cost and location reporting to the local, regional and global levels.
• Lead month-end and year-end close for operational cost accounting, ensuring accurate and timely reporting.
• Maintain cost-related account reconciliations and respond to audit inquiries; ensure compliance with internal controls and inventory policies.

3. Variance Analysis & Performance Insight

• Deliver clear, actionable variance analysis (PPV, labor efficiency, material usage, yield, scrap, throughput gaps, mix, and overhead variances).
• Identify root causes, facilitate cross-functional problem-solving, and monitor execution of corrective action plans.
• Build and manage operational dashboards and KPIs that tie operational metrics directly to financial performance.
• Provide scenario modeling and operational sensitivities to support staffing models, automation, capital planning, workflow design, capacity expansion, and network optimization.

4. Planning, Forecasting & Decision Support

• Lead operational cost components of the Annual Operating Plan and Quarterly Forecasts, ensuring alignment between standards, throughput assumptions, and operational performance.
• Partner with FP&A to enhance management reporting, operational KPIs, and financial narratives that drive better decision-making.
• Evaluate cost and financial implications of capital projects, engineering changes, new products, workflow redesigns, and investment proposals.

5. Cross-Functional Operational Partnership

• Serve as the primary finance business partner to Operations leadership across Rx labs and DCs.
• Work closely with production planning, supply chain, warehousing, engineering, procurement, accounting teams and IT to understand cost drivers, operational constraints, and improvement opportunities.
• Work in conjunction with global supply chain and Rx finance teams to ensure alignment in costing structures, expense classification, and cost accounting policies.
• Recognize weaknesses in operational processes and partner with business leaders to address root causes and implement sustainable improvements.

6. Systems, Processes & Internal Controls

• Ensure ERP/MRP costing structures accurately reflect operational workflows; partner with IT to maintain proper integration and data integrity.
• Strengthen inventory controls, reconciliation processes, and the accuracy of how operational activity is manifested into financial records.
• Support digital transformation initiatives that standardize data, automate reporting, and reduce manual financial processes.
• Standardize documentation, policies, and process flows across all operational sites.

7. Tools, Techniques & Continuous Improvement

• Apply costing techniques to drive a complete picture of all value-added services the network can provide and communicate those to stakeholders including lab/dc management, commercial finance, and pricing.
• Develop and maintain operational KPI dashboards enabling management insight into efficiency, cost, capacity, and waste.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across all cost accounting, forecasting, and reporting processes, leveraging technology and best practices.

8. Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and mentor a team of cost accountants, analysts, or operational finance professionals.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, analytical rigor, and collaboration.
• Promote standard methodologies and knowledge sharing across the network.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; CPA/CMA/MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in cost accounting, operations finance, or manufacturing finance.
• 5+ years of experience managing cost accounting or operations finance teams
• Deep experience with standard costing, cost flows, inventory valuation, and variance analysis in a multi-site manufacturing or distribution environment.
• Strong hands-on expertise with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, JDE, Oracle, or similar).
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to translate operational dynamics into financial impacts.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and lead through complexity.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to explain financial concepts to non-financial leaders.
• Ability to travel around 20% (Domestic and limited International)