First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.
Basic Job Functions:
A Lead in Manufacturing Finance is a financial specialist in a specific discipline that enables part of manufacturing operations, supply chain, and logistics. The role requires an in-depth understanding of such said discipline and comprehends the impact to the Finance department. The person in the role should be capable of working autonomously with the business function and possess sufficient commercial awareness to enable strategic direction setting. The role requires complex judgement, with advanced analytical thought, and developed communication and diplomacy skills that are capable of persuading and influencing others, including senior leadership. The role will serve as a role model and mentor for more junior analysts and will not have any direct reports.
Education/Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, supply chain or related field, required.
- MBA or Master’s degree in finance related field, preferred.
- 7+ years’ industry experience with manufacturing, supply chain, or logistics companies, required
- Experience working with international teams, preferred.
- Demonstrated history of agility in a fast paced and high growth environment
- Experience preparing long-range plans, annual budgets, short-term plans, decision support analysis, ad hoc financial analysis, key operational metrics, and monthly rolling forecasts for executive management.
- Experience in cost accounting month-end close and inventory management; and
- Experience developing business and financial processes.
Required Skills/Competencies:
- Ability to perform analysis by assimilating multiple sources of information from global constituents and applying experience, judgment and logical reasoning in an ambiguous, changing, and fast-paced environment.
- Solid oral and written communication with a proven ability to distill information for its intended audience.
- Solid business partnering and good project management skills to help operations identify root causes embedded in operational processes that impact financials.
- Excel at problem-solving.
- Solid critical thinking skills and ability to influence the team towards adopting new/more effective ways to do cost accounting and FP&A.
- Ability to operate effectively within a global multi-cultural organization.
- Efficient at performing analysis, spotting errors, and teaching others to perform analysis while establishing high quality standards of performance.
- Familiarity with enterprise resource management (Oracle Fusion Preferred) and finance systems (Anaplan Preferred).
- Proficient use of all Microsoft Office suite programs.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Provides business partnering or process ownership for US manufacturing organizations while possessing an ability to understand financial opportunities and threats to the operating and financial performance of the company.
- Support the development of the Company’s long-term and short-term financial projections, department budgets, cash flow projections and operational or strategic initiatives to maximize profitability and/or enable cost reduction initiatives.
- Conduct timely and accurate monthly cost accounting closure, ensure compliance with USGAAP for product costing and inventory management.
- Build and standardize timely and effective business performance management reports on US wide manufacturing and operational performance metrics.
- Advise on operational decisions to ensure they support the short- or long-term goals of the company.
- Be a thought and change leader for the US Manufacturing Finance team, work with the team leadership to optimize the team’s vision and execution plans to eventually support the company’s operational excellence and expansion goals.
- Drive ongoing continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our business processes to enable cost effective decision making with credible information.
- Collaborate with Finance continuous improvement lead, IT and other functional leaders to implement business processes, systems, reporting, and process enhancements that are cost effective, scalable, and compliant with Sarbanes-Oxley (404).
- Work collaboratively with internal and external auditors.
- Serve as a positive, energetic agent of change and improvement within First Solar.
- Other duties as assigned; job description subject to change at any time.
Reporting Relationships:
- Reports to the Senior Manager – Manufacturing Finance US.
- Role does not have direct reports but is expected to mentor junior analysts.
Travel:
- U.S. and international travel of typically not to exceed 10% of time, required.
Estimated Salary Range:
- $94,700-$134,950 Annually.
US Physical Requirements:
All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting. To best service our customers, internal and external, all associates must be able to communicate face-to-face and on the phone with or without reasonable accommodation. First Solar is committed to compliance with its obligations under all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. In keeping with this commitment, it attempts to reasonably accommodate applicants and employees in accordance with the requirements of the disability discrimination laws. It also invites individuals with disabilities to participate in a good faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made without imposing an undue hardship.
Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role. All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.
