Financial Director

About us:

Smiths Interconnect is a leading provider of technically differentiated electronic components, subsystems, microwave, and radio frequency products that connect, protect and control critical applications in the commercial aviation, defense, space, medical, rail, semiconductor test and industrial markets.

Employing over 2,000 people globally our in-house capabilities encompass design, development, manufacturing and testing to respond quickly and accurately to customer's needs and provide the most reliable connectivity solutions.

Job Description

Reporting to the Interconnect VP Finance, the Financial Director, works closely with the Business Unit General Manager to create an active partnership with operations and management of the business unit to drive a high-performance culture. The Financial Director (FD) is accountable for financial planning and control, strategic review and risk management for the business.

The role is to provide 'real time' support and analysis, to be a trusted adviser and to add value that will assist in decision making. The FD provides financial information, tools, analysis and insight to the management team to challenge their thinking, help them make more informed decisions and drive business strategy.

The FD collaborates with the Interconnect Global Financial Services team, which is responsible for transaction recording, processing of payments and receipts, collection and preparation of accounts, and statutory financial reporting to ensure data integrity and support a robust control framework.

The FD also collaborates closely with the Global Operations Finance team, which is responsible for reporting of site performance and operations finance processes across the division.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Accountable for the delivery of monthly results, which include clear analysis to provide insight to drive actions and influence future performance.
• Review and highlight trends, anomalies, deviations to plan and communicate outcomes effectively in a concise and actionable way.
• Provide insightful commercial and financial commentary for monthly reporting and input into business strategy development.
• Provide review and critical challenge, support delivery of results through the identification and management of risks and opportunities.
• Own forecasts including monthly Rolling Forecast, FQs, Budget and the Strategic planning process for the business unit P&L, cashflow and operational B/S.
• Own the annual BU budget process. Agree and issue targets to the relevant business unit stakeholders.
• Lead a value-based pricing approach across the business unit, including pricing strategy, annual list price changes and new product pricing to maximize value.
• Provide commercial and financial input into customer RFQs including bid details, pricing and contract terms.
• Identify and support projects to improve margins and competitive position, including routes to market (direct and indirect), rep and distribution agreements.
• Work closely with Operations Finance Business Partner to support the annual cost roll process and the calculation of burden rates.Investigate deviations from standards throughout the financial year and drive action plans to improve efficiency.
• Proactively drive improvements in process and controls to maximise cash conversion including inventory optimisation and Accounts Receivable collections.
• Support the identification and delivery of growth and cost savings programs including the creation of financial business cases and tracking the cost and benefits.This includes a continuous improvement approach to reducing fixed costs including factory overhead and SG&A expense.
• Provide assessments and recommendations for strategic investment decisions.
• Support the RD&T team to make choices for resource allocation and NPI from idea to launch and help determine the success of new products in the market.
• Support the Smiths Group initiative to enforce standard contract payments terms for customers and suppliers, including supplier financing where appropriate.
• Collaborate with the divisional Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Group Reward, to design, develop, implement and communicate appropriate incentive plans for business unit employees including the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).
• Own and control the Sales Incentive Plans (SIP), establishing scheme structure, setting targets, tracking their effectiveness and recommending improvements.
• Support Group Finance reporting requirements and initiatives such as the production of information to complete Group statutory reporting requirements, internal and external audit information requests, as required.
• Timely support of period end reporting requirements including journal processes such as SIP and AIP accrual journals, SIP quarterly payment calculations and statutory account analysis and variance explanations.
• Provide clear direction for a productive, engaged and collaborative business unit financial team.
• Collaborate with divisional SLT and other BUs to support a coherent approach to operational excellence, technology investments and joint sales opportunities.
• Drive the Business Unit Strategic Plan process, Investment Committee and M&A financial analysis submissions.

The Individual

• Qualified accountant (CGMA, ACA, ACCA or CPA) preferred; and/ or bachelor’s degree in Accounting / Finance.
• Extensive knowledge of finance practices and the analysis and reporting of financial and operational data.
• Experience leading complex analyses to reach appropriate solutions in a global multi-site manufacturing organization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functionally in a matrix structure and to communicate effectively with and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization, ensuring accountability for action.
• Exceptional analytical skills to own and develop complex problem-solving strategies and able to recognize, anticipate, diagnose, isolate and resolve operational, people, or system challenges and opportunities.
• Transformational project leadership that includes business process design such as finance processes and acquisition integration.
• Demonstrated experience leading continuous improvement initiatives, root cause analysis, and project or program management.
• Commercially and operationally astute, capable of understanding and explaining sales and operational variances for the P&L, B/S and cashflow accounts.
• Delivers high impact information and projects under tight deadlines which requires a proactive approach in a fast-paced environment, anticipating needs
• May require access to export-controlled goods, software, technology, or technical data so any offer will be contingent upon a selected candidate being able to lawfully access such export-controlled items and/or our ability to obtain within our required time frame any necessary license or use any applicable license exception to facilitate this.

International travel subject to Business Unit needs may be required, and this can be discussed during the interview process.

Diversity & Inclusion:

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, 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.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Detection, Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers – Smiths Group plc)