Senior Financial Analyst, Purchasing & VAVE

Your Career. Your Impact. Your Future.  

At Gentherm, we believe the next big breakthrough begins with you. As a global leader in thermal management and pneumatic comfort technologies, we develop advanced systems that deliver meaningful solutions to enhance health, wellness, comfort, and efficiency in everyday life. Our products and innovations are created for you, by you. 

Be part of our team where a human-centric mindset drives everything we do—from the technologies we build to the careers we support. With decades of expertise, we have pioneered advanced solutions that have become a standard expectation for consumers around the world. 

The same thoughtful approach we take in developing our technologies guides how we support your career: purposeful, impactful, and tailored to you. Because when you thrive, innovation thrives. 

Senior Financial Analyst, Purchasing & VAVE

The Senior Financial Analyst – Purchasing & VAVE drives profitability and cost competitiveness by partnering with Purchasing, Engineering, Operations, and Finance to identify, validate, and deliver sustainable cost-saving opportunities. Through strategic financial analysis, supplier cost management, and value engineering initiatives, this role provides actionable insights that influence business decisions, improve margins, optimize sourcing strategies, and generate measurable financial results across the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner with Purchasing, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance teams to identify, evaluate, and prioritize VAVE (Value Analysis/Value Engineering) and cost optimization opportunities that drive margin improvement and business performance.
• Develop, analyze, and present financial business cases for sourcing, cost reduction, and VAVE initiatives, providing data-driven recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
• Identify cost reduction, cost avoidance, and value creation opportunities through analysis of product costs, supplier performance, material pricing, market trends, and total cost of ownership (TCO).
• Perform detailed financial and operational analyses to identify cost, gross margin, and profitability outliers across products, programs, suppliers, and business units.
• Evaluate the financial feasibility and expected return of proposed VAVE initiatives and support cross-functional teams through review and approval processes.
• Validate, track, and report realized and projected savings from Purchasing and VAVE initiatives, ensuring alignment with financial targets and accounting requirements.
• Collaborate with suppliers and Purchasing teams to analyze cost structures, benchmark pricing, and identify mutually beneficial cost improvement opportunities.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level reporting, dashboards, and presentations that communicate opportunity pipelines, savings performance, risks, and financial impact.
• Maintain and continuously improve VAVE savings tracking tools, databases, and reporting processes to ensure accurate measurement and visibility of results.
• Monitor and analyze monthly Purchasing and VAVE savings performance against budget, forecast, and strategic objectives, recommending corrective actions as needed.
• Support the annual budget, forecast, and long-range planning processes for material costs, savings initiatives, and other relevant financial metrics.
• Lead or support special projects, ad hoc analyses, and continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing profitability, cost competitiveness, and operational efficiency.
• Support the validation, analysis, and reporting of Purchase Price Variance (PPV), ensuring reported savings are supported by SAP transactions, purchasing documentation, and financial validation requirements.
• Support the development and maintenance of financial tracking tools for Purchasing initiatives that extend beyond ERP reporting, including rebates, commercial recoveries, supplier claims, inflation recovery, and other strategic cost initiatives.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field.
• 5–8 years of progressive financial analysis experience, preferably in manufacturing, purchasing, supply chain, cost management, or operations finance.
• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, business case development, and cost/profitability analysis skills.
• Experience partnering with cross-functional teams and influencing decisions through data-driven insights and recommendations.
• Proven ability to present complex financial information to senior leadership and non-finance stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and ERP systems (SAP preferred).
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and collaborative leadership with a continuous improvement mindset.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with a large, multi-national organization
• Master’s degree in Engineering and/or a general interest in engineering topics

NICE TO KNOW

TRAVEL: 5% Global

COMPETENCIES:

Deliver Results

• Understand the mission and output of your team; set SMART objectives and deliver

Drive Change

• Focus on agility and commitment to continuous improvement; Understand and act on internal and external drivers of change

Build Capability

• Foster a culture of learning and development; Support individual growth through continuous feedback to achieve personal and professional goals

Cultivate Innovation

• Openly embrace, create, implement and support new and innovative ideas, processes and technology that deliver business results

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT (US):

All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting. In order 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.

Gentherm 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.

Gentherm is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building an inclusive culture through Our Network of Engagement (ONE) where we value our differences and work together to positively impact the lives of our employees, customers, and communities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.