Vice President of Finance, Operations & Supply Chain

ABOUT UDA:

UDA is a local, family-owned, dairy cooperative committed to serve the needs of our members, community, and customers by providing high quality milk and dairy products. As the only milk marketing co-op in the state, UDA oversees the production, processing, and marketing of Arizona’s finest milk products from farm to Retail in 48 hours or less. From sweet cream and butter to non-fat dry milk, UDA provides milk products to manufactures and supermarket chains throughout the Grand Canyon State.

Our motto at UDA is “Better Together.” The dairy industry’s success isn’t built on one dairy or brand, it’s built on the community as a whole - this includes our amazing employees. When you join UDA, you’re not just joining a business, you’re joining a family. Since 1960 UDA has been headquartered, operated, and managed in Arizona. We strive to provide our employees with rewarding career opportunities aimed at long-term stability, growth, and advancement. We put our heart and soul into our products and value our team who show up, every day and do the work.

JOB SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

Vice President of Finance, Operations and Supply Chain will oversee all financial matters pertaining to plant operations, supply chain and sales support for the organization. This role will be responsible for processing the financial activities of the organization to maximize the company’s profits and plan for its growth. The VP of Finance will analyze data, plant operations total value chain and advise ELT on ways to use that information to make strategic decisions about the organization’s future. With a hands-on approach to all aspects of the organization’s finances, the VP of Finance must ensure the company complies with all laws and regulations specific to the dairy manufacturing industry. This role will direct and coach the finance and accounting teams and own all aspects of the day-to-day plant and supply chain operations. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and supporting SVP of Operations will be serving as an integral member of the senior management team, the Vice President of Finance and Operations (VP) will be responsible for the development of UDA financial management strategy and contribute to the development of the organization’s strategic goals. In addition to the strategic components, the VP will be charged with developing and implementing more sophisticated policies and reporting capabilities in partnership with Information Technology. The candidate with be assisting S&OP both in the finance and general operational realms. This is an outstanding opportunity for a finance executive with operational experience and a proven track record of creative problem-solving and change management to join in a high-growth, mission-driven organization 

Primary Duties & Responsibilities: 

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Directs and manages Supply Chain Finance, Plant Costing, Financial Planning and Analysis, Pricing, and digital transformation objective. 

• Provides front facing ability with important internal leadership team, partners, and external customers  

• Owns all aspects of the day-to-day operations while developing the financial strategy for the organization. 

• Delivers strategic and tactical input and establishes strong relationships with the senior leadership team. 

• Administers the planning, coordination, and execution of the annual budget process. 

• Oversees the management of the company’s working capital programs which includes supply chain financing (both customer and vendor) and collaborating with the Operations team to increase inventory turns. 

• Performs research to understand revenue and cost drivers and defines appropriate reports for tracking. 

• Routinely reviews revenue cycle metrics to proactively identify and address issues affecting overall performance. 

• Intimately involved in the oversight of financial planning and analysis functions within the organization. 

• Ensures the maintenance of appropriate financial records and preparation of required financial reports. 

• Assists in developments of all necessary accounting policies and systems, including general ledger and financial reporting to ensure that records are maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. 

• Responsible for the oversight of Costing and Pricing in commodity-based markets which includes identifying and executing profitable growth initiatives to align with corporate and divisional objectives. 

• Partners with SVP of IT to establish and development of an advance ERP, Power BI, and advanced financial reporting tools for leaders to manage budgets, costs, and department performance 

• Promotes a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality. 

• Mentors and develops staff using a supportive and collaborative approach; assigns accountabilities; sets objectives; establishes priorities; and monitors and evaluates results. 

• Provides strong leadership, communication, personal connection, and contribution to the overall performance of the organization. 

• Assist the Hiring Team in interviewing, and making hiring decision for team members in various supply chain finance roles 

Qualifications: 
General Skills & Abilities needed to complete job successfully: 

• 10+ years of experience in finance, accounting and operations management, preferably at a director and senior management level  

• Displays a prominent level of critical thinking and analysis in bringing successful resolution to high-impact, complex, and inter-departmental challenges 

• Ability to make prompt, sound decisions when faced with complex and often contradictory alternatives that result in successful outcomes 

• Self-driven; strong problem-solving skills; adaptable, proactive, and willing to take ownership 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills; excellent collaboration, reporting, and analytical skill 

Experience: (required)  

• 10+ years’ experience in Finance, practicing Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, Compliance, Treasury, Credit and Pricing 

• 5+ years’ experience in plant controller or plant finance management roles 

• Experience working with various ERP systems, such as Infor M3, Microsoft Dynamics and legacy AS400 systems plus Office 365 

• 10+ years’ experience in Finance, practicing Plant Controller, Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, and Pricing 

• Manufacturing industry experience required 

• Previous direct experience of being a part of a digital transformation both corporate-wide and in Finance 

• Previous operational leadership in a Finance group comprised of multiple disciplines 

• Demonstrated capabilities in broadening a Finance department’s structure for proven success and sustainability for growth 

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills required 

• Expert analytical and critical thinking skills 

• Excellent multi-tasking and time management skills 

• Outstanding organization skills and attention to detail 

• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines 

• Superior verbal and written communication skills 

• Proven experience in implementing automation solutions across an enterprise 

• Proven experience in leading cross-functional teams 

Experience: (preferred) 

• Senior leadership experience, preferable working with technologies within the retail, wholesale industries, however solid experience in today’s top software solutions would be a plus 

• Successfully partnered in development and delivery of multiple complex business technology solutions into production that have achieved or surpassed business goals. 

• Has knowledge of emerging trends and developments in ERP, PLM, MDM, S&OP, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Warehouse Management and Logistics and other digital technologies in a consumer product environment. 

• Consumer Product Goods CPG company experience: preferably foods and perishable goods, dairy milk industry is ideal  

• Experience developing and supporting mission critical applications optimized to run in the cloud or virtualized environments. Deep knowledge of system architecture, technical design, and system and software development technology. 

• Expertise with managing application development at scale 

• Business Intelligence coding, development, and analysis; preferably Power BI or Tableau   

• Proven track record of managing detail and successful audits of private or publicly traded companies with multiple business or corporate legal structures; S-Corp, C-Corp, Cooperative and Nonprofits  

Education/Certifications: 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Requires ability to hear, see and speak.
• Requires ability to remain sedentary for prolonged periods of time.
• Requires ability to stand and walk frequently for up to 8 hours per occurrence.
• Ability to use a computer for extended periods of time.

BENEFITS:

• Medical, Dental & Vision plans
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match
• Cell Phone Reimbursement 
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health & Wellness Programs
• Paid Time Off
• Education Assistance
• On-site Fitness Center
• On-Site Health Clinic    

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list; employees may be subject to additional, or altered, tasks and the scope of the role may change as necessitated by business demands. UDA will not consider any application submissions from unauthorized third-parties, consulting, or external staffing firms and will not be held subject, or liable, to any terms, fees, or penalties associated with a submission.

UDA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.