Purpose of Role
The MEA Category Finance Manager is a strategic finance partner responsible for shaping the financial performance and long-term growth of the Gum, Ice Cream, Fruity Confectionery and Pet Care categories across MEA. The role partners closely with Category, Marketing and Market Finance teams to translate category strategy into clear financial choices and outcomes. It owns the financial agenda across category performance. The role also leads the MAB management, ensuring resources are deployed behind the strongest growth opportunities while protecting profitability. The role provides an integrated view of category performance across MEA brings clear financial insights to support senior management decision making.
Principal Accountabilities
- Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management Lead the category financial agenda across AEP, forecasting, IBP and performance reviews. Understand and communicate key performance drivers including volume, price, mix, margin and investment effectiveness.
Identify performance gaps early and partner with the business to build and track clear mitigation plans. Drive scenario planning and trade-off discussions to support agile decision making.
MAB Management Lead the financial management and governance of MAB across the categories. Partner with GLT to ensure investment is aligned with strategic priorities and delivers against agreed business objectives. Drive transparency on investment levels, phasing, risks and opportunities across MEA. Challenge investment choices and facilitate trade-offs across categories and markets to maximize returns. Ensure strong governance and financial discipline around commitments, actuals and forecasts.
Business Partnering & Decision Support Provide senior stakeholders with clear, forward-looking financial insights, moving beyond reporting to recommendations and actions.
Lead financial evaluation of key category initiatives, innovation, portfolio choices and investment decisions. Bring an independent Finance perspective, constructively challenging the business and highlighting financial implications and trade-offs.
Simplify complex financial information into clear messages that enable faster and stronger decision making. Drive continuous improvement, simplification and digitization of category finance processes and reporting.
Key Supporting Competencies
- Strategic Thinking
- Business & Financial Acumen
- Drive for Results
- Decision Quality
- Influencing & Stakeholder Management
- Commercial Mindset
- Managing Ambiguity
- Courage to Challenge / Standing Alone
- Planning & Prioritization
- Cross-functional Collaboration
Key Functional Skills/Knowledge
· Strong analytical skills and ability to apply problem solving techniques.
· Knowledge of financial accounting, GAAP, and internal controls.
· Experience in accounting period close and financial analysis, financial statements.
· High level of digital savvy – leveraging digital tools to get data and insights.
· Ability to work in various financial system and processes, SAP preferred.
- Ability to meet deadlines under time constraints.
- Working knowledge of Supply processes
- General business acumen with demonstrated ability to understand the functional interdependencies
- Financial Insights and Analysis – Well understanding of systems and processes, as well as digital tools to derive critical insights from this information, and the effective communication of financial information and insights to the business.
- Financial Shaping and Decision Making – The knowledge and application of financial shaping philosophy and development and implementation of processes and tools used to shape the financial performance of the business and evaluate the activities and investments involved in deploying strategy.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field
- 7-10 years relevant work experience, with manufacturing or supply chain business partnering/accounting experience
· CPA or MBA preferred
· Demonstrated experience partnering with senior commercial and/or marketing stakeholders.
· Experience managing financial planning, category performance and investment decisions across multiple markets is preferred.
· FMCG experience strongly preferred.
· MBA, CPA, CMA or equivalent professional qualification is an advantage.
