Sales Finance Manager

Job Description

Location
:

Remote with requirement to travel for business needs

Role

Purpose:

The Sales Finance Manager, plays a pivotal role in driving financial success within the sales organization. This position is responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of assigned Sales Teams, serving as a strategic partner to VP/Field Sales, Customer Business Planning, Order-To-Cash, Sales Operations, and other key sales support functions. The role involves managing customer P&Ls, optimizing gross-to-net management, analyzing trade spend, and controlling team selling expenses.

Reporting directly to the Sales Finance Director, this role acts as a co-pilot with the Sales Team to ensure achievement of gross/net sales targets and other key customer P&L objectives. The Sales Finance Manager will deliver critical insights through robust reporting and analysis, identify variances, and collaborate on actionable strategies to drive profitable growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Serve as a strategic financial partner to the sales team by:

• Analyzing and interpreting monthly variances against estimates, plans, and prior years for sales and trade spending, providing actionable insights.
• Leading the Sales Finance transformation by developing and managing customer‑level Cost‑to‑Serve analyses and P&Ls to enhance margins and drive profitability.
• Delivering comprehensive and insightful reporting on volume, sales, and trade spending, ensuring timely distribution to field sales teams and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrating a deep understanding of key business drivers, including volume, gross sales, trade spending, and net sales, to support informed decision‑making.
• Collaborating with customer business planning teams to conduct post‑promotional analyses, evaluating ROI, and incremental lift from trade spending events.
• Assisting in the preparation of detailed plan models for selling expenses, ensuring accurate forecasting and budgeting.
• Supporting the development and analysis of customer business plans, assessing their impact on the Corporate P&L, and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Developing management reports utilizing expertise in Business Objects, Essbase, and APO trade systems to provide real‑time insights.
• Preparing ad‑hoc reports and contributing to special projects and teams focused on evaluating and capitalizing on key business opportunities.
• Contributing to the development of monthly estimates and quarterly forecasts with forward‑looking, actionable commentary, highlighting risks and opportunities (R&O).
• Actively participating in customer business reviews, providing financial leadership and contributing to strategic discussions.
• Leading the development of the annual operating plan and customer planning, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Providing training on financial concepts and systems, empowering the sales team with the knowledge to drive better financial outcomes.

Education and/or

Experience:

• Required:
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in financial analysis, with a strong preference for experience in the consumer packaged goods industry.
• Preferred:
• Experience with IRI, Nielsen, and/or SPINS.
• Proficiency in JD Edwards, Hyperion Essbase, Business Objects, and Prism

Competencies and Proficiency Requirements

• In-depth understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and their application in a business setting.
• Expertise in analyzing and synthesizing complex data to formulate strategic financial recommendations.
• Agility in navigating ambiguity and change within a dynamic business environment.
• Proactive and driven, with a demonstrated history of intellectual curiosity and continuous learning.
• Proven ability…