Head of Finance & Accounting

Position Summary

Hestan Commercial is seeking an experienced, hands-on Head of Finance & Accounting to lead the financial management, accounting, planning, reporting, and control functions of the business. This position is responsible for maintaining the financial integrity of the company while providing management with timely, accurate and actionable financial information to support business decisions. Given the size and operating structure of Hestan Commercial, this is not a purely strategic or supervisory finance role. The successful candidate will be comfortable working directly with the details of the business while also serving as a key member of the leadership team.

The Head of Finance & Accounting will work closely with Sales, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and senior management to improve financial visibility, manage costs and working capital, strengthen forecasting, and support profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management Reporting

• Own the company financial reporting and accounting processes, including monthly, quarterly and
  annual financial statements.
• Ensure timely and accurate month-end and year-end closing.
• Maintain the integrity of the general ledger, balance sheet and income statement.
• Provide management with clear monthly financial reporting, including actual versus budget and prior-year performance.
• Identify financial risks, unfavorable trends and emerging issues early and bring them to management attention.
• Coordinate with ownership, external accountants, auditors, tax advisors and other financial partners as required. Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning.
• Lead the annual budgeting process and maintain a disciplined rolling forecast.
• Develop revenue, gross-margin, expense, EBITDA and cash-flow forecasts.
• Work closely with Sales to evaluate sales forecasts, order intake and expected revenue.
• Provide scenario analysis to support management decisions.
• Translate financial information into practical recommendations for the leadership team.
• Maintain appropriate financial KPIs and management dashboards.
  Manufacturing Finance & Cost Accounting.
• Maintain accurate product costing and manufacturing cost information.
• Analyze material, labor, freight, overhead and other manufacturing costs.
• Monitor standard versus actual costs and investigate significant variances.
• Provide visibility into gross margin by product line, customer, channel and other relevant business segments.
• Partner with Operations and Manufacturing to identify opportunities for cost reduction and productivity improvement.
• Support make-versus-buy, outsourcing and supplier decisions through financial analysis.
• Ensure inventory valuation and manufacturing accounting are accurate and properly controlled.
• Cash Flow & Working Capital.
• Maintain short- and medium-term cash-flow forecasts.
• Actively manage accounts receivable, accounts payable and inventory from a working-capital perspective. 
• Monitor customer receivables and credit exposure.
• Partner with Operations and Sales to improve inventory turns and reduce slow-moving and obsolete inventory.
• Provide management with early visibility into potential cash-flow or working-capital issues.

Accounting Internal Controls

• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, general accounting and related financial processes.
• Ensure appropriate internal controls and approval processes are maintained.
• Maintain accurate balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, tax requirements and company policies.
• Improve financial processes, documentation and controls where necessary.
• Ensure appropriate controls around purchasing, inventory, pricing, credits, expenses and capital expenditures.

Commercial & Sales Support

• Partner with Sales management on pricing, margins, promotions, commissions and customer programs.
• Analyze distributor and dealer performance from a financial perspective.
• Evaluate the financial impact of special pricing, discounts, rebates and promotional programs.
• Support contract and commercial negotiations with appropriate financial analysis.
• Ensure sales incentives and commissions are calculated accurately and consistently with approved programs.

Inventory & Supply Chain

• Provide financial oversight of inventory levels and valuation.
• Monitor inventory turns, excess inventory, obsolete inventory and reserves.
• Work with Operations and Supply Chain on purchasing requirements and inventory planning.
• Provide financial analysis for supplier negotiations, outsourcing initiatives and logistics decisions.
• Support physical inventory counts and ensure appropriate inventory controls.

Leadership & Business Partnership

• Serve as the principal finance partner to the President / General Manager.
• Participate actively in leadership-team meetings and operating reviews.
• Provide objective financial analysis and challenge assumptions when appropriate.
• Establish financial accountability across departments.
• Help department leaders understand their budgets, expenses and financial performance.
• Build a finance function that is responsive, accurate, commercially minded and appropriately scaled for
  the business.

Key Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured by:

• Accurate and timely monthly financial reporting.
• Reliable forecasts and improved financial visibility.
• Strong control of cash and working capital.
• Accurate inventory and product costing.
• Improved visibility into gross margins and profitability.
• Disciplined expense and overhead management.
• Effective management of receivables and payables.
• Strong financial controls with minimal surprises.
• Clear, actionable financial information for management decision-making.
• Productive partnership with Sales, Operations, Manufacturing and senior leadership.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor degree in Accounting, Finance or related discipline.
• CPA, CMA or MBA is desirable but not mandatory where supported by strong relevant experience.
• Approximately 8-15+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• Prior financial leadership experience within a manufacturing, durable-goods, appliance or similar
  product-based business strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting, inventory and cost accounting.
• Demonstrated experience with budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management and financial analysis.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial controls.
• Experience working with ERP and financial reporting systems.
• Strong Excel and financial modeling capabilities.
• Experience in a small to mid-sized company environment where finance leaders are expected to remain close to the details.

Leadership Profile

•  Hands-on: Willing and able to work directly in the numbers rather than managing solely through
  others.
• Commercially minded: Understands that finance exists not only to report results, but to help improve
  them.
• Operational: Comfortable working with manufacturing, inventory, supply chain and sales.
• Disciplined: Establishes reliable processes, deadlines and accountability.
• Analytical: Able to identify the business implications behind the numbers.
• Proactive: Identifies problems before they become surprises.
• Pragmatic: Builds processes appropriate for a $25 million entrepreneurial manufacturing business
  rather than unnecessary corporate bureaucracy.
• Collaborative: Able to challenge the organization constructively while maintaining strong working
  relationships.
• High integrity: Demonstrates sound judgment, confidentiality and professional independence.

$130,000 - $150,000, DOE