Manager Financial Systems

Our client, a leading U.S.-based manufacturing company, is seeking a Financial Systems Manager to lead the strategy, optimization, and transformation of its financial systems environment. This is a highly hands-on role for an experienced SAP Finance professional who can bridge Finance, Accounting, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, and IT while driving technology-enabled process improvements. Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, governance, configuration, and continuous improvement of the company’s SAP Finance and Controlling environment.
• Serve as a key business and technical partner to Finance, Accounting, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, and IT.
• Lead the financial systems roadmap, modernization initiatives, upgrades, implementations, integrations, and process automation efforts.
• Provide subject matter expertise in SAP FICO, CO-PA, Product Costing, Cost Center Accounting, Profit Center Accounting, financial close, and manufacturing cost accounting.
• Lead the design and optimization of product costing, standard costs, cost center structures, profitability reporting, and manufacturing KPI reporting.
• Develop and enhance profitability reporting, including customer, product, channel, and market-segment profitability and gross-margin analysis.
• Lead finance transformation and enterprise-wide initiatives, serving as program manager when appropriate.
• Manage implementation partners, consultants, software vendors, project resources, budgets, schedules, risks, and executive-level reporting.
• Partner with business leaders to redesign processes, improve data integrity, strengthen controls, and deliver scalable financial technology solutions.
• Support integrations between SAP and third-party applications, including banking, treasury, expense management, tax, collections, and reporting platforms.
• Drive the development and optimization of financial reporting, analytics, and data solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience with enterprise financial systems, including 7+ years of hands-on SAP Finance experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading full-cycle SAP implementations, upgrades, integrations, acquisitions, carve-outs, or significant finance transformation initiatives.
• Strong hands-on expertise with SAP FICO, CO-PA, Product Costing, Cost Center Accounting, Profit Center Accounting, and manufacturing cost accounting.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing accounting, inventory accounting, standard costing, variance analysis, profitability, and financial close processes.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional technology initiatives and manage third-party implementation partners and vendors.
• Experience with SAP S/4HANA is strongly preferred.
• Experience with financial reporting and analytics platforms such as SAP Analytics Cloud, Power BI, data warehouses, or comparable technologies is preferred.
• Exposure to AI-enabled finance technologies, automation, and emerging financial systems capabilities is a plus.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP, financial controls, and reporting requirements.
• SAP FICO certification and/or CPA, CMA, PMP, MBA, or similar credentials is preferred.
• Strong communication, project leadership, analytical, and stakeholder-management skills.

Ashley Dineen has been with The Panther Group since 2009 and has worked within many areas of the company including payroll, compliance, on-boarding, recruitment, and client management.