Brand Finance Manager

Company Description
For over 100 years, BlueScope continues to build on our reputation of quality brands and products, leading technology and a customer-first spirit. Through our global brands, we are one of the largest manufacturers of building solutions in the world. Our diverse, bright and inspired workforce is committed to bettering the communities we serve through breakthrough thinking and innovations. Your goals, ideas and perspective can help shape our future – we look forward to hearing them!   

The Finance department ensures the leadership team is provided with timely, high quality and accurate financial information and advice regarding actual, forecasted, and budgeted results. This information is critical to support business decisions via identification and analysis of key business drivers and evaluation of cost/benefit analysis and business improvement options.

The Brand Finance Manager works directly with the Brand President, other business unit leaders, and internal Finance partners to shape the brand Finance function. The Manager analyzes all aspects of the Brand provides critical insights to help drive strategic business decisions. The Brand Finance Manager uses data-driven analytical skills along with curiosity and drive to ask the right questions, understand results, and translate information into actionable intelligence.

Key Focus Areas

• Core Accounting and Finance Activities
  • Uses initiative and ownership to pursue timely, high quality financial accounting, analysis, and reporting, and provide advice to Brand and company management regarding actual, forecasted, and budgeted results.
  • Reports on monthly financial results for the brand and regions, including analytical insight into actual versus forecast and budgeted results.
  • Coordinates and develops process for the annual budget cycle for all aspects of the income statement.
  • Manages revenue and margin recognition, project analysis, and backlog processes by using available tools, application of business knowledge, and communication with Project Management teams to ensure (1) best commercial outcomes possible, and (2) that the forecasting of the business is well aligned to Sales and Operational Planning
  • Manages the monthly forecasting process for the income statement taking into consideration key business drivers, updating assumptions, and applying business knowledge.
  • Pursues Finance best practice, including leadership and development of core functional skills within Brand Finance and of commercial acumen across their brand.
  • Drives performance accountability into the business; understanding and supporting the work of Brand Finance in contributing to business performance and problem solving.

• Continual Evaluation of Commercial Outcomes
  • Contributes to key business decisions as a functional expert.  Proactively shares insights across immediate team regarding connection between business activities and commercial outcomes.
  • Performs business and financial data analytics where required to ensure solutions are pragmatic, cost effective, and contribute to business outcomes and solutions.
  • Self-initiates strategies to achieve KPI’s that are at risk of underperforming by applying deep analytical skills to develop outperforming strategies and then leading people to implement these.
  • Models, analyzes, and evaluates operational and performance metrics to drive value-add conversations with brand leadership, ensuring key business drivers are utilized to implement corrective actions where necessary.

• Contributions to Brand Business Strategy
  • Provides leadership and management with robust, thorough, and timely financial analysis that facilitates business understanding and directly influences financial drivers and underpins strategic decision making.
  • Works with Brand Presidents, Builder Services Managers, and Engineering Managers on strategies, reporting of results, and continuous improvement opportunities.
  • Proactively analyzes data across the organization to drive strategic decisions that anticipate and mitigate threats to commercial outcomes and bond performance.
  • Develops plans and strategies to achieve goals, objectives, and targets for the area with specific deliverable dates.
  • Supports the Brand leadership team via the preparation of material for presentation and discussion with members of the team.

• Improved Performance (Continuous Improvement) Through Change
  • Champions and is involved in change initiatives (Continuous Improvement) across the Finance function and business, including bringing forward step-change opportunities for consideration.
  • Models a change mindset by contributing to conversations around change and helping others understand the strategic advantage and opportunities that change initiatives may offer.

• Management of Risk and Governance Practices
  • Improves stewardship of assets and management of risk by ensuring adequate controls are in place and there is adherence to company policies and accounting standards including timely reconciliations that meet corporate requirements.
  • Owns and embeds the company’s three Lines of Accountability governance model into the business’ mindset and drives toward being viewed as value-add.
  • Protects and invests in the business’ long-term license to operate, making sure short-term returns support long-term sustainability.
  • Ensures systems, process and technology standards are compliant and complied with appropriately.

• Connects and Communicates Across the Business to Build Effective Teams and Relationships
  • Develops an effective team by providing specific, actionable expectations; building consensus to achieve expected outcomes; following up on assigned actions; and providing feedback and advice to ensure continuous development of the Brand Finance team.
  • Ensures each team member understands their role and accountabilities for performance while fostering a learning organization, career development and employee satisfaction.
  • Contributes proactively to knowledge and commercial capability building across the business.
  • Sources and leverages ideas and knowledge widely from around the business
  • Looks outside for different thinking on what other organizations and thought leaders do and bring these ideas appropriately in to the company.

• Leverage Digital Technology to Improve Outcomes
  • Learns about existing and emerging technologies and their potential to impact our work, both now and in the future, to drive Finance functional transformation.
  • Provides insight to the application of digital technologies to solve both small and big business problems.
  • Extracts insight (not just information) from systems and processes and connects these to relevant business problems and opportunities.

Foundational Experience

Required Qualifications & Experience: To be considered for this position, you must possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
• 8 years of financial analysis experience.
• Oracle experience.
• Excellent MS Excel skills including pivot tables, lookups, and charts/graphing.

Desired Qualifications: To be considered an ideal candidate, you should possess some or all the following qualifications:

• MBA degree.
• CPA certification.
• 10+ years of financial analysis experience.
• Applies functional skills and fundamental principles of accounting and finance (GAAP/IFRS), seeks to continually update technical skillsets and can share/coach appropriately across the finance function and business.
• Drives for commercial outcomes where actions and decisions made maximizes commercial value, utilizing sound business acumen and ability to deal with ambiguity.
• Ability to manage risk and governance, demonstrating sound judgement adding value and creating sustainability.
• Champions change to drive improved performance with a mindset and actions that are focused on enhancing future performance through active identification and delivery of change initiatives.
• Ability to contribute to strategy where thoughts and actions appropriately considers the future.
• Can leverage digital capability to solve problems better and find opportunities faster.
• Proficient at connecting and communicating effectively across the business facilitating knowledge sharing and learning – demonstrates organizational agility and team building.
• Understanding of Oracle/Compass or other ERP systems · Microsoft Office competent · Understand of standard costs and/or job cost environments.
• Understanding of capital process.
• Experience with budgeting processes.
• Engineering and manufacturing operations experience.
• Monthly Take 2 Participation.
• Business performance – EBIT, cash flow, margin analysis.
• Accuracy of budgets and forecasts.
• Timeliness of business performance information distribution.
• Sales/Margin by project.
• Sales/Margin by brand.
• Timely monthly analysis and reporting.
• Project variance accounting.
• Monthly business review packet(s) – Brand and regional.
• Budgets and forecasts.
• KPI reporting and dashboards.

Skills and Abilities

At BlueScope we believe in investing in our employees through our Leading at BlueScope Attributes.  Below are attributes that will key to your success at BlueScope:

• Driver of Future Readiness – Takes a strategic orientation to shape the direction; ensures impact-driven strategy; Is a thought leader in their own way.
• Creative Problem Solver – Seeks and leverages diverse perspectives; fosters innovation and creative solutions; finds smarter solutions and uncovers value.
• Change Facilitator – Models continual improvement; seizes opportunities to adapt; is optimistic about change and motivates others in the change journey.
• Results Achiever – Delivers against continually higher levels of performance; strives for constant improvement; looks for ways to work smarter; pushes forward despite ambiguity.
• Driver of Commercial Success – Thinks and acts in the commercial interest of BlueScope; makes sound decisions to improve the balance sheet; unlocks efficiencies and opportunities for commercial advantage.
• Collaborative Partner – Seeks to understand; shares knowledge; builds/uses diverse networks for greater impact; uses a range of skills and approaches to influence others.
• Leader of People and Teams – Clarifies purpose; builds team identity and spirit; inspires team members to work together; is fair, transparent, and thoughtful about others.
• Capability Builder – Prioritises learning and development and stretch outside comfort zones; invests in strengthening capability; makes judgements that allow others to achieve their full potential.

Additional Information
The preceding job responsibilities and tasks were designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by associates in this job.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all job duties and responsibilities required of associates assigned to this job.  Associates may be required to perform other duties as assigned.  Additional job competencies, individual goals, and performance measurements are set at the department level.

The benefits are just as rewarding as the work at BlueScope.  To support our goal, we offer a total compensation plan and an outstanding benefits package that includes health insurance, life insurance, short and long term disability, paid time off, and retirement. 

EEO: Employer/M/F/Disabled/Protected Veteran

BlueScope is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status, as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.