SPD - Finance Manager

Finance Manager  EQI Specialty Products Division

Westlake, OH

Reports to Global Controller 

Position Summary:

Finance Manager, Specialty Products — Leads the end-to-end financial reporting, controls, and compliance for EQI Specialty Products (SPD). Reporting to the Global Controller, this role partners closely with SPD leadership to deliver accurate, timely results, translate performance into actionable insights, and support margin improvement and growth initiatives. The SPD Finance Manager owns the close, statutory compliance, cash and working capital, leads the regional accounting team, and drives process standardization and scalability in a high-accountability environment.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Financial Reporting & Close

Own the integrity, timeliness, and governance of monthly and annual financial close, ensuring decision-ready reporting for leadership and corporate stakeholders.

Lead regional consolidation activities to deliver accurate and aligned results to the Global Controller and Corporate Finance.

Ensure consistent application of US GAAP and corporate accounting policies, exercising judgment on complex or non-routine transactions.

Analyze financial results and key variances to identify performance drivers, risks, and opportunities, and proactively communicate insights to leadership.

Support consolidated, statutory, and lender reporting requirements, ensuring transparency, compliance, and audit readiness.

2. Compliance & Internal Controls

Provide leadership over local statutory, tax, and regulatory compliance, ensuring requirements are met while supporting business agility and growth. 

Own the design, effectiveness, and continuous strengthening of internal controls, aligned with corporate governance standards and risk appetite. 

Partner with Global Finance to support enterprise risk management, governance frameworks, and control consistency across regions. 

Ensure ongoing audit readiness and transparency, serving as the primary regional liaison for external auditors, regulators, and internal reviews. 

Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate financial and operational risks, advising leadership on exposures, trade-offs, and control enhancements.

3. Financial Planning & Analysis Support

Own the budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning, ensuring alignment with the FP&A group on strategic priorities and operational realities.

Provide forward-looking insights into regional financial performance, key drivers, risks, and opportunities to inform leadership decision-making.

Support margin expansion and cost optimization strategies through disciplined analysis of cost structures, productivity, and operational leverage.

4. Operational Finance Leadership

Act as a trusted strategic finance partner to the SPD leadership team, influencing business direction through insight, judgment, and financial rigor.

Provide financial leadership on key commercial and investment decisions, including contracts, pricing strategies, capital expenditures, and resource allocation.

Assess business performance against strategic objectives, identifying gaps, risks, and opportunities, and recommending corrective actions and trade-offs.

Translate complex financial results into clear, actionable insights that enable timely, informed leadership decisions.

Influence commercial outcomes through margin analysis, pricing discipline, cost structure optimization, and scenario evaluation.

Support growth initiatives, integrations, and scale-up activities by providing financial perspective on risks, synergies, and execution readiness.

5. Cash Flow & Working Capital Management

Provide forward-looking cash flow and liquidity insights to inform operational priorities, capital allocation, and growth decisions.

Drive enterprise-level working capital strategy across receivables, payables, and inventory, balancing cash optimization with customer and supplier considerations.

Partner with Corporate Finance on treasury strategy, banking relationships, and funding initiatives to support business continuity and scalability.

6. Team Leadership & Development

Build and lead a high-performing regional accounting organization that delivers strong technical execution and sound business judgment.

Set clear performance expectations aligned to business outcomes, fostering accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.

Develop talent and succession plans to ensure organizational resilience and readiness for future growth and complexity.

7. Systems & Process Improvement

Lead finance process transformation initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and control while enabling timely, decision-ready information.

Champion effective use of ERP and financial systems to enhance data integrity, reporting quality, and operational insight.

Act as the SPD finance lead for global initiatives, ensuring successful adoption while representing regional needs and risks.

8. Inventory & Capital Asset Management

Provide financial leadership over inventory and cost structures to support margin management, pricing decisions, and operational efficiency.

Establish and maintain accurate costing methodologies aligned with business realities and accounting standards.

Oversee capital asset governance, ensuring disciplined investment, accurate reporting, and alignment with long-term business strategy.

Qualifications and Key Competencies:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

Professional accounting designation preferred (CPA).

Strong financial systems capability, with advanced proficiency in Excel and experience working within ERP environments (NetSuite preferred).

Progressive accounting leadership experience, including responsibility for close, controls, and team management, ideally within manufacturing and/or distribution environments.

Experience operating in multinational or matrixed organizations, with the ability to align regional execution to global standards.

Proven ability to perform effectively in a fast-growth, high-accountability environment, balancing speed, accuracy, and sound judgment.

Strong analytical and organizational skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear insights and recommendations.

A curious, detail-oriented leader with a continuous-improvement mindset and a bias toward practical solutions.

Collaborative, hands-on leader who builds trust, leads by example, and develops strong working relationships across functions.

Advanced problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities, with comfort addressing ambiguity and non-routine issues.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present financial insights to senior leadership and external stakeholders.

Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines under pressure, and maintain a high standard of professionalism and service.

Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise judgment within established frameworks, and drive work to completion with minimal supervision.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support the well-being, growth, and success of our employees. Highlights include:

Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance to support the health needs of employees and their families.

401(k) with Company Match: Competitive retirement savings plan with employer matching contributions to help employees build long-term financial security.

Flexible, Unlimited Paid Time Off: An unlimited PTO policy designed to promote work–life balance and allow employees the flexibility they need for rest, personal time, and family commitments.

Positive and Collaborative Work Environment: A culture that values teamwork, integrity, continuous improvement, and open communication.

Wellness Programs: Access to a range of wellness initiatives that promote physical and mental well-being including an EAP program and options for maintaining a healthy lifestyle with gym reimbursement

Global Growth Opportunities: The chance to work for and grow with an expanding international organization, with exposure to global teams, perspectives, and career development pathways.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic. Applicants needing accommodations during the interview process may request them by phone or email