Manager - Business Unit Finance Partners (FP&A Manager)

Mini-Circuits designs, manufactures and distributes integrated circuits, modules, and sub-systems for high performance radio frequency (RF) and microwave applications.  With design, sales and manufacturing locations in over 30 countries, Mini-Circuits’ products are used in a range of wired and wireless communications applications. Our products are also used in detection, measurement and imaging applications, including military communication, guidance and electronic countermeasure systems, commercial, scientific, military land, sea and aircraft; automotive systems, medical systems, and industrial test equipment.

Mini-Circuits’ sells our products to over 20,000 customers globally through our direct sales force, applications engineering staff, sales representatives, as well as through our extensive web site. 

Position Summary:

The Manager, Business Unit Finance Partners leads Mini-Circuits’ (MCL) team of Business Unit Finance Partners. The team is embedded with the business unit leaders it supports and exists to give them a clear, timely and actionable monthly view of their business KPI: financial and sales performance, headcount and hiring progress, and capital expenditures, each measured against budget and prior year. The team also builds the annual budget and quarterly re-forecasts together with those business leaders.

The primary responsibilities of the Manager role for the Business Unit Finance Partners are to:

• Lead, coach and develop a team of two (and growing) Business Unit Finance Partners so that each business unit receives consistent, high-quality partnering, analysis and presentations.
• Own the monthly Business Unit performance review process: P&L, gross margin, operating expenses, , headcount and CapEx versus budget and prior year, presented to business unit leaders and summarized for the CFO and finance leadership.
• Own the annual budget and quarterly re-forecast for the business units (P&L, gross margin, expenses, headcount and CapEx), working directly with business unit leaders and cost center managers.
• Act as a trusted advisor to business unit leaders: translate the numbers into insight, challenge assumptions constructively, and drive corrective action plans when results deviate from short term plan.

Salary Range: $140,000 - $150,000 per year

Job Function:

Roles:

• Manage and develop a team of two (to four) Business Unit Finance Partners: set priorities and business unit coverage, coach partnering and presentation skills, review deliverables, build development plans and provide backup coverage when a partner is out.
• Serve as the senior finance partner to business unit leaders and their teams, and represent the business units’ financial picture to the CFO and finance leadership on a monthly and Quarterly basis.
• Partner with IT to insure sales and COGS routing through our ERP flows properly into the business unit accurately and consistently. Make sure process and guideline are well defined.

Tasks:

• Business Unit Reporting & Performance Reviews
  • Own the monthly Business Unit performance review package for each business unit, covering P&L, operating expenses, headcount and CapEx versus budget and prior year, and ensure it is delivered on a consistent calendar.
  • Coach partners to present, the monthly review to business unit leaders; support the discussion of variances, risks and opportunities and agree on follow-up actions with the business.
  • Track headcount and hiring progress against the approved plan (open requisitions, fills and timing) and quantify the run-rate impact on the forecast..
  • Prepare the monthly executive summary of business unit progress against goals for the CFO and finance leadership, and support the preparation of quarterly business reviews and board-level materials.
  • Standardize reporting templates, definitions and commentary across business units so leaders receive a consistent view of performance.
  • Maintain a strong command of the underlying numbers and be able to speak to any element of the team’s analysis or reporting.
  • Review and approve the team’s deliverables prior to distribution, escalating issues as needed to Sr director of Finance.
  • Automate recurring elements of the reporting package (data preparation, variance commentary and pack production) using Tableau, Prophix and AI tools to redirect team time toward analysis and partnering.
• Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting
  • Lead (for Business units only) the annual budgeting process and quarterly re-forecast cycles for the business units, building the plan directly with business unit leaders, the sales team and cost center managers.
  • Own the planning calendar, templates and assumptions package and ensure all deliverables are met on time.
  • Drive the company-wide planning process through the FP&A system (Prophix), leveraging ERP (Infor SA/SAP) for reporting and act as the business owner of the planning models.
  • Track forecast accuracy by business unit and drive improvements in the assumptions and processes that feed the plan.
  • Support long-range planning and business unit strategy work with financial modeling and scenario analysis as requested by finance leadership.
• Other
  • Drive system guardrails to improve the reliability of sales and COGS data; design new check processes and corrective actions.
  • Lead or support ad hoc projects and financial analyses as business needs require (pricing, make/buy, investment cases, new product line reviews).
• Measures of Success (first 12 months)
  • Monthly business unit review packages and planning deliverables delivered on time, every cycle, with a standardized format across business units.
  • Business unit leaders consistently use the monthly review to make decisions and cite the finance partner as a trusted advisor.
  • Improved forecast accuracy for business unit P&L, headcount and CapEx versus the prior year.
  • Both Business Unit Finance Partners have clear development plans and demonstrate growth in partnering and presentation skills.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of two Business Unit Finance Partners

The duties, responsibilities, and expectations described above are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the member, within the scope of the position.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance or Accounting required; MBA, CPA or CMA preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in FP&A or finance business partnering, including at least 3 years supporting general managers or business unit leaders directly.
• 3+ years of team management experience.
• Prior people management experience is required; experience coaching analysts into business-facing partners is strongly preferred.
• Experience in a manufacturing or hardware environment strongly preferred, with a working knowledge of standard costing, manufacturing variances and product line margin analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to build and deliver clear, insight-driven financial presentations to non-finance executives.
• Hands-on experience owning an annual budget and rolling forecast process, including headcount and CapEx planning.
• Strong grasp of business financials and the drivers of sales, margin and operating expense in a product company.
• Strong MS Office skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with BI and/or planning tools; familiarity with Infor / e-Finance, Prophix or Tableau is a plus.
• Genuinely curious about the business and enjoys being close to it and collaborating with business leaders across functions.
• Track record of developing strong relationships, influencing thinking and driving consensus among a wide range of stakeholders, including the ability to challenge business leaders constructively.
• Demonstrates good personal judgment and effectively handles tasks under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to operate comfortably, independently and effectively in a fast-paced, highly cross-functional, rapidly changing environment.
• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills; able to get to the root cause of a variance and recommend actions.
• Positive attitude and excitement to contribute and grow.
• Discretion to deal with confidential information.

Physical Demands  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and listen. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and use their hands to operate a computer keyboard. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Additional Requirements/Skills

• Comply, understand, and support corporate safety initiatives to ensure a safe work environment.
• Ability and willingness to abide by Company’s Code of Conduct.
• Occasional travel, some overnight, as required.

Disclaimer: The listed qualifications and requirements for each position are intended as guidelines.  Mini-Circuits reserves the right to hire outside of these guidelines at Management’s discretion.

Mini-Circuits is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, familial status, gender identity, gender dysphoria, pregnancy-related condition, and domestic violence victim status or protected class characteristic, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal or state law.