FP&A & Operations Finance Business Partner

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(The use of the masculine is only to simplifying the reading of the document)

POSITION DESCRIPTION

TITLE: FP&A & Operations Finance Business Partner

ADMINISTRATIVE SECTOR: Finance-Catalys Lubricants                   

LOCATION: St-Laurent-Quebec

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

The FP&A Operations Finance Business Partner reports directly to the Management accounting Chief.

JOB SUMMARY

The FP&A Operations Finance Business Partner is a strategic financial advisor supporting the National VP of Operations in optimizing the cost structure, improving productivity, and protecting profitability. Leveraging their strong accounting foundation and business insight, this partner ensures accurate cost management, robust performance tracking, and value-driven decision-making across production, logistics, procurement, and cost of goods sold (COGS). The role includes supporting the financial period closing process when required to ensure accurate reporting of results.

The FP&A Operations Finance Business Partner is also responsible for Operations P&L accuracy, governance, providing insights and detailed clarifications as needed by operations.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Management

  • Monitor and analyze material, labor, and overhead variances against standard costs.

  • Support standard cost setting, cost roll-ups, and BOM (Bill of Materials) accuracy.

  • Partner with accounting to ensure proper inventory valuation and expense recognition.

Operational Performance Analysis

  • Track and report KPIs related to manufacturing efficiency, OEE, scrap, yield, and capacity utilization.

  • Analyze trends in production cost, overtime, plant downtime, and process efficiency.

  • Identify cost-saving opportunities and operational improvement levers.

Supply Chain and Logistics Support

  • Analyze purchase price variances and collaborate with buyers to identify root causes and cost-saving opportunities.

  • Analyze freight cost per unit, warehouse costs, and distribution network performance.

  • Support make-vs-buy decisions, supplier cost benchmarking, and inbound/outbound flow optimization.

  • Validate logistics-related accruals and coordinate with accounting for correct postings.

Inventory and Working Capital Oversight

  • Monitor slow-moving, obsolete, and excess inventory.

  • Support inventory reduction initiatives and working capital optimization.

  • Reconcile inventory movements and cycle count discrepancies with plant controllers.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Variance Analysis

  • Lead bottom-line budgeting and rolling forecasts for manufacturing and supply chain.

  • Provide cost forecasts per plant, product category, and resource type.

  • Investigate deviations from budget and support root cause analysis.

Investment Support (Capex/Opex)

  • Support investment cases with cost-benefit analysis and payback modeling.

  • Ensure alignment of capital spend with productivity and savings targets.

  • Track ROI and savings realization from operational investments.

ERP and Data Integrity

  • Ensure integrity of cost and inventory-related master data (valuation class, GL, cost centers).

  • Participate in system upgrades, costing runs, and ERP testing from a finance perspective.

 

COMPETENCIES & QUALIFICATIONS

Technical skills:

  • Deep cost accounting knowledge with strong operational business acumen.
  • Proven ability to challenge and support operations leadership constructively.
  • Advanced Excel and ERP system experience (SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, etc.).
  • Comfortable working on the shop floor, conducting walkthroughs, and validating data.
  • Strong communicator with ability to translate data into actionable insight

Relational skills:

  • Excellent communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills;

  • Strategic thinker with a good understanding of operations principles;

  • Good sense of organization, time management and attention to detail;

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:   Bachelor in accounting, Finance, or Industrial Engineering with accounting profile. CPA or CMA required.

Experience: 

  • 8–10 years of finance or cost accounting experience, including 2+ years supporting operations or plant finance.
  • Experience in manufacturing, logistics, or supply chain-intensive industries required.
  • Strong understanding of standard costing, budgeting, variance analysis, and cost flows.

Languages: Essential – Fluent in French & English spoken and written. This position will have to work with other sites across Canada that are only English spoken.

To apply, please email your resume to rh@catalyslubricants.ca and include the job title in the subject line of your email. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted by our team.