Plant Finance Analyst - Indianapolis

HERFF JONES, Plant Finance Analyst

Location: Indianapolis, IN or Arcola, IL

Starting Pay: $70K - $95K DOE

Travel: ~10% (between Arcola and Indy)

Hybrid: 2 days a week remote / 3 days a week on-site

As a member of the Plant Finance team, the Plant Finance Analyst will play an integral role in driving financial excellence within our manufacturing and distribution operations by contributing to key financial processes. Including but not limited to month‑end close, costing, financial planning, and data analysis. This position will also assist in operational analysis to support data‑driven business decisions. You will be instrumental in the continuous improvement of processes, internal controls, and delivery of key financial and operational information to management.

• Lead and improve month‑end close processes.
• Support monthly/quarterly/annual budgeting and forecasting of both operating expenses and capital expense projects.
• Enable your business partners to understand and explain cost performance versus targets and effectively communicate key insights to ensure P&L targets are achieved.
• Access and manipulate data from multiple sources into meaningful analysis and insights.
• Leverage rate and volume assumptions to analyze distribution center efficiency and manufacturing absorption.
• Analyze procurement and cost data to determine make vs. buy effectiveness.
• Analyze monthly financial results, including P&L and Balance Sheet. Compare results to target and prior year and identify key variance drivers.
• Assist in leading the initiative to optimize and standardize inventory control processes and ensuring proper valuation of inventory.

• Prepare, analyze, and post monthly journal entries & reconciliations.
• Assist in the preparation and creation of the quarterly forecast and annual budget.
• Review monthly/quarterly results with leadership.
• Update costs on existing and new items. Assist in ensuring BOM and Route accuracy. Analyze cost absorption.
• Review and approve invoices for payment.
• Assist in annual physical inventory count and valuation.
• Convert volume and rate data into meaningful analysis to influence data‑driven business decisions.
• Utilize data tools and macros to automate financial and operational processes.
• Calculate and analyze E&O (excess & obsolete) inventory.

• Attention to Detail:
  You pay attention to the details, anything worth doing is worth doing right, every single time. You stay focused, and nothing falls through the cracks.
• Curiosity:
  You exhibit a healthy level of intellectual curiosity which allows you to further yourself and the organization. You ask the right questions.
• Problem Solving:
  You enjoy solving problems, taking on challenges and finding creative solutions that work across functions and business units. You are analytical and demonstrate critical thinking. You demonstrate ability to be a self‑starter with a strong desire to learn and an ability to deliver a high quality/accurate work product.
• Analytical:
  You excel at, and enjoy, analyzing large amounts of data and developing actionable conclusions.
• Communication:
  You communicate clearly. You write well, and you speak eloquently. You can translate financial jargon to a non‑financial person.
• Drive & Accountability:
  You are motivated, driven and embrace change. You take ownership of your work and hold yourself and others accountable.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance
• 2+ years of accounting experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products, such as Microsoft Excel. Knowledge of advanced MS applications such as Power Pivot, Power Query, and Power BI a plus
• Anaplan or Anaplan XL experience a plus
• Oracle 11.i or Infor M3 experience a plus
• CPA or CMA license or candidate a plus
• Strong quantitative and problem‑solving skills

Indianapolis‑based Herff Jones is the nation’s leading provider of handcrafted graduation and educational products and services. With more than 100 years of experience, Herff Jones inspires achievement, fosters memorable student experiences, and builds…