Manager, Customer Finance Large Format

Location: Hershey, PA

Department: Commercial Finance

Note: We also have a similar opening for a Manager, Customer Finance Small Format. If you apply to this role, you will automatically also be considered for the other. If you are interested in both, you do not need to apply to both requisitons.

Summary of Role:

The position provides financial guidance on customer account planning, monthly reporting on progress toward annual objectives, variance analysis, and resolution of financial challenges, with insights into profit and revenue drivers. Services provided will include proactively assisting the customer teams in managing their P&Ls, analyzing promotional spending opportunities, compliance with internal controls, and facilitating discussions of customer financial issues.

The position provides leadership in delivering data and insights to the Selling organization to enhance decision support. This individual will interact with senior-level individuals (VPs, Senior Directors, and Directors) in Finance, Sales, Sales Planning, Marketing, and Operations, and will work closely with Customer Sales Executives, Category Strategy and Insights, Supply Chain, and Global Shared Services personnel, with direct support to the VP Large Format Sales.

Role Responsibilities:

• Financial Analysis and Customer P&Ls:
  • Provides financial leadership in managing budgets associated with Trade, RD&As, Customer DMEs, and Selling Expenses.  Financial leadership includes but is not limited to solutions to minimize customer waste and tactical action plans for increasing the efficiency of Trade and Customer investments
  • Provides analysis, commentaries, and supporting schedules that detail and summarize the financial performance of customers supported.
• Sales & Trade Planning:
  • Influences sales partners’ ongoing sales estimate processes and ensures their understanding and consideration of key factors that may impact their estimates.
  • Works with customer teams to help them improve the accuracy of their periodic sales and trade estimates through insightful questions and analysis.
  • Assist customer teams to build their annual and strategic plan
• System and Data Analysis Expert
  • Maintains a detailed understanding of significant customer-related spends, including trade promotions, waste, and customer-specific direct marketing expenses;
  • Leads analyses on trade spending, profitability, and sales trends; leverages data to improve customer profitability, grow market share, and improve Trade ROI
  • PlanEx system expert, both technical and process expert

Desired knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• 5+ years of solid business experience, including accounting, finance, FP&A and sales, interacting with sales & marketing.
• Advanced knowledge and experience with financial concepts and reporting. Advanced technical expertise with PlanEx, SAP, and Excel.
• Advanced understanding of consumer products businesses and Sales Planning trade strategies and channel issues.
• Extensive experience in analyzing and integrating multiple data sources into a useful decision format, interprets data, identifies issues/opportunities, and provides solution finding leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to work across disciplines and customer teams to generate new processes and/or resolve issues.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: 

• Education –
  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Marketing
  • MBA Preferred
• Experience –
  • At least 5 years of experience in Sales Finance, RD&A Management, Commercial Finance, Financial Planning and Analysis.

#LI-TL1

#LI-Hybrid