Commercial Finance Manager - NA Operations

The Commerical Finance Manager - North America Operations  will work closely with the Americas operations teams within RS Integrated Supply to track and monitor all Commercials aspects of the Client Portfolio. You will be responsible for supporting Integrated Supply’s Client facing commercial operations with a focus on contractual revenue generation, in life contractual profitability reporting and forecasting, contractual KPI’s and commitments tracking, contractual cost to serve and contract working capital absorption tracking. Reporting directly to the Commercial Finance Director, you will collaborate with AMER Operations and various other teams across RSIS, as well as the wider RS Group, to provide meaningful analysis and insight into the Client Commercial activities of RS Integrated Supply.  

Responsibilities

1. Financial Planning and Budgeting: Working closely with the Operations leads to develop Revenue and Gross Margin targets and objectives that feed into the annual budgeting process.

2. Financial Forecasting: Develop accurate and reliable financial forecasts for short-term and long-term planning purposes in relation to all Client Contractual activities. Working with historical data develop trend analysis reporting that can be coupled with market, industry and business specific trends to project future Revenue and Gross Margin performance by Client.  

3. Client Profitability: Establish and monitor detailed financial performance at Client level comparing actual Revenue and Gross Margin results to budget and forecasts. Identify variances, understand underlying drivers and clearly articulate implications to stakeholders. Work with the Operations team to optimise Client P&L and Cashflow performance. Track and monitor SG&A costs for the Operations team providing commentary and insight to the Financial FP&A function on a monthly basis. Using Activity Based Costing techniques ensure full E2E Operations Cost to Serve developed to accurately allocate costs to each Client in order to understand underlying contractual profitability.

4. Client Savings: Establish a clear and concise method of reporting Client Savings Performance against Contractual Target, highlighting any risk to ensure it is appropriately provisioned within the correct accounting period.

5. Financial Reporting: Working closely with Finance colleagues ensure that Client contractual revenues are tracked, recorded and reported within the correct financial periods. Accrued and Deferred balances are monitored with anomalies investigated and resolved within a timely manner to ensure Working Capital is optimised.    

6. Client Contracts: Working alongside Operations and the Commercial Finance Director actively participate in the development of Client Strategic Planning activities. Developing plans for growth in spend, growth in sites served, commercial revenue generation, upselling of both RSIS and RS Services with a particular focus for driving RS Spend Growth. Develop productivity metrics to monitor and track the delivery of Client strategic plans.  This role plays an active part in navigating the business into a position of Client Commercial Excellence. The successful candidate will bring a passion for analytical review and understanding and eagerness to participate and partner in the delivery of profitable growth and an unwavering focus on cash generation.

7. Working Capital: Cash flow management is a key aspect of the Integrated Supply model, working collaboratively with Operations and Procurement, together with other Finance colleagues ensure there is a culture of ‘cash is king’ instilled across the organisation. Monitor Client contractual payment activities working closely with colleagues across various teams to ensure the receipt of timely payments. Produce and integrate Client cash flow modelling within wider finance cash reporting and forecasting activities and provide actionable recommendations to optimise.

8. Process Improvement: Continuously improve the Client Financial Life Cycle Process, evaluating systems and tools to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making capabilities.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Financial Acumen: A good understanding of financial principles, accounting standards, and financial metrics. Proficiency in financial modelling, forecasting, and analysis.
• ‘So What’ Mindset: The ability to think independently and translate financial data into actionable insights, conclusions and recommendations.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical skills to interpret complex financial data and identify key trends, drivers, and variances. Ability to propose effective solutions to financial challenges.
• Communication: Good verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly and convincingly to non-financial stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Capability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, handling multiple priorities and tight deadlines effectively.
• Integrity and Ethics: Demonstrated commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards and handling financial information with confidentiality.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Preferably at least 10 years experience of working in a Global matrix organisation with multiple stakeholders
• Industry experience would be advantageous but not essential
• Experience with an organisation with a Contractual, Subscription Fee Revenue Model or complex commercial structures would be valuable
• Experience in a global and fast-growing organization is advantageous.
• Proficiency in financial software and tools is a requirement (e.g., Excel, SAP, JDE, OneStream)

Essential Qualifications 

• CIMA, ACCA, ACA or US equivalent