Sr. Manager Demand Finance

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, operates six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

SUMMARY:
The Sr. Manager, Demand Finance plays a key leadership role within the S&F department of Mars Drinks North America by serving as the Finance co-pilot to the Sales and Marketing teams and as the subject matter expert for FP&A within the unit. In addition, this role supports the implementation and guidance of the S&OP process within MDNA and also supports the CFO, North America with analysis and insights. Further, the Sr. Manager will deliver robust, forward looking financial analysis in order to enable achievement of business objectives and will drive process improvements throughout the unit.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Act as finance co-pilot to the Sales team, directly supporting the VP, Sales and actively providing insights and analysis to drive sustainable growth
• Act as finance co-pilot to the Sales team, directly supporting the Marketing Director and actively providing insights and analysis to drive sustainable growth
• Oversight of S&OP process including ownership of Finance reconciliation meeting and creation of content to be delivered during periodic review meeting with North American Management Team
• Develop and own robust Financial Planning & Analysis processes in order to increase forecast accuracy, implement long term planning and facilitate annual budget process within North America
• Proactive identification and analysis of business issues and opportunities, including recommendations for future actions
• Recommend changes to simplify and continuously improve efficiency of current processes
• The role should expand the current boundaries of analytical thinking of both Sales and Marketing leadership and should continually challenge financial assumptions and business models to further enable growth, including updated ROI analysis
• Coach Finance analyst and help to build dynamic and positive team environment
• Support Period end close process as needed

  Decision Making Authority, Recommendations and Impact:
  

• Strong management and interpersonal skills. Must be able to influence without authority, and motivate all levels within the business in order to achieve objectives
• Proven ability to translate financial data into information to drive sound business decisions, and deliver messages at the appropriate level for the audience
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Strong service mentality and willingness to perform associated responsibilities outside of the job description
• Well-developed organization skills to manage multiple projects and priorities
• Ability to make sound decisions with minimal supervision
• Strong analytical capabilities coupled with the ability to identify issues, obtain mutual agreement as to the resolution and implement change
• Decide innovative changes in the measurement and reporting of business results in order to better meet the dynamic needs of the team.
• Self-Identify projects that will deliver improvement to current business processes and results

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Desired Education & Key Experiences

• Minimum : BS/BA degree in accounting or finance, 6-10 years of progressive finance experience
• Preferred: CPA/CMA or MBA preferred

  Desired Skills
  

• Minimum: Prior CPG experience supporting business teams, either within operations, marketing or sales finance. Working knowledge or ROI based tools/analytics to support business growth levers
• Preferred: Progressive experience in functional finance teams, supporting operations, marketing or sales teams — with proven track record of increased business support and P&L accountability. Standing alone with financial ownership of business teams, serving as independent voice of function in team dynamic. Multiple financial co-piloting experiences, supporting and leading operations, marketing or sales finance functions

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.