Director of Strategic Finance & Business Optimization (REQ624)

Director of Strategic Finance & Business Optimization

Maryland Heights, MO

Spartech offers a competitive salary, incentives, and benefit programs!

Spartech, LLC, headquartered in Maryland Heights, Missouri, has over a dozen locations throughout the United States. We have a broad customer base with extensive product offerings and technologies. Many of our materials are used in products you might see every day - for example if you start your morning with a single serve yogurt, the container you ate from may be made from one of Spartech’s products or the refrigerator where the yogurt was stored could have Spartech products in its interior features. More unique uses of our products can be seen in military or security applications, for example in fighter jet canopies or bullet resistant windows. From routine daily-life to life-saving applications—we make a difference. Our broad scope of products and services keep our environment interesting and challenging with a culture focused on success. If you want to make a difference in a fast-paced environment with a company large enough to offer you room to grow but not so large that you become “just a number”, Spartech might be the ideal company for you.

General Summary and Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

The Director of Strategic Finance & Business Optimization will build and lead our FP&A function and will focus on providing critical insights that will drive the company’s financial planning and performance. This role places a strong emphasis on business partnering, where the Director will collaborate closely with senior executives and cross-functional teams to drive strategic decision-making, optimize financial performance, and ensure alignment with the organization’s goals. This individual will play a key role in shaping the financial direction of the organization while being hands-on, with significant exposure to the executive team, including the company’s business and functional leaders. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of providing actionable financial insights and influencing business outcomes through deep collaboration with business leaders.  The Director will oversee budgeting, forecasting / SIOP cycles, financial modeling, and analysis to support strategic decision-making and business growth.

Areas of impact include leading a team to build centralized reporting platforms, systems, reports, and workflows as the company continues to grow and evolve to create efficiencies that unlock enterprise value   

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as a trusted financial advisor to senior leadership and key departments (e.g., Sales, Operations), providing critical insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Partner with business and functional leaders to understand business drivers and key initiatives, translating them into financial strategies and actionable plans.
• Develop reporting capabilities / platforms that deliver high-quality, timely, actionable insights to key stakeholders, highlighting key performance indicators (KPIs), variances, and emerging trends.
• Provide in-depth analysis and insights on financial performance to business leaders, highlighting key areas for improvement and recommending corrective actions where necessary. Investigate root cause of variances / exceptions and partner with operations to develop action plans that create productivity and financial benefits to the business’ P&L and operating cash flow
• Proactively engage with leadership to evaluate new business opportunities, investments, and resource allocation, providing financial perspectives and recommendations. Assess ROI, and evaluate resource needs from a financial lens.
• Build and optimize financial processes, improve accuracy, and reduce inefficiencies by leveraging technology to enhance financial modeling, forecasting, and reporting to improve the speed, quality, and effectiveness of decision making across the business.
• Lead and develop a high-performing FP&A team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Develop relationships with external private equity owner
• Assist with M&A activities as applicable, including financial due diligence
• Assist CFO and Spartech Leadership Team with ad-hoc projects as needed.

Required Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Accounting or Finance.   MBA or CPA a plus
• 12-15 years of progressive accounting and / or business finance experience, with experience partnering with business leaders to drive financial performance and strategic decision-making.
• Strong communication skills and a proven ability to develop business partnerships supported by rapport and trust with stakeholders of all levels.
• Strong planning and execution skills with demonstrated business, systems, and process improvement impact in previous roles.
• Experience within the manufacturing sector
• Must be an entrepreneurial self-starter, with the ability to challenge the status quo and drive a bias for action across an organization.
• Team player with a collaborative approach, cooperative attitude, and ability to work across multiple departments.
• Energized by working in a fast-paced environment with an emphasis on meeting deadlines and addressing urgent situations.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, financial reporting principles
• Experience using financial systems, including skill with large-scale ERPs (preferably SAP)’s and financial reporting platforms
• Advanced user of Microsoft Excel and experience with financial modeling and analysis

This position reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer and oversees a current team of two senior financial analysts.

We offer competitive salary, incentives, and benefit programs. – Most Benefits Start Day ONE!

Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Company paid Life & Long-term/Short-term disability programs.
• 401(k) with strong company match.
• 120 hours Paid Time Off (pro-rated based on hire date).
• 11 paid holidays.

Spartech, LLC provides equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status, or other legally protected classification in the state in which a person is seeking employment. Spartech will use E-Verify to ensure employment eligibility of newly hired employees where required.