Operations Finance Business Partner

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Job Title: Operations Finance Business Partner
Function: Finance
Reports to: VP Finance, Ornua Ingredients North America

Location: Hilbert, Wisconsin

Schedule: M - F 9am - 5pm

Position Type: Full-time

Ornua (meaning "new gold") is Ireland's largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world since 1961.

Are you a strategic HR professional looking for the opportunity to shape people strategies and strengthen organizational capability within a growing, mission-driven organization?

Ornua is actively seeking a Operations Finance Business Partner
to join our Ornua Ingredients North America team.

Reporting to the VP Finance, the Operations Finance Business Partner plays a critical role in driving financial performance, operational efficiency, and strategic decision-making within Ornua Ingredients North America.

This role partners closely with the VP Operations, VP Finance, site leadership, and the wider Leadership Team, providing insightful financial analysis, constructive challenge, and support to optimize business performance, improve cost control, and enable sustainable growth.

• Act as a trusted finance advisor to the VP Operations, VP Finance, and site leadership, influencing key operational and strategic decisions.
• Serve as a principal finance partner to the VP Operations in decision-making and strategic execution.
• Provide robust financial challenge and support to drive accountability across Operations.
• Translate financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-finance stakeholders.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships across Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and the wider group Operations structure.
• Support the development of financial awareness among non-finance colleagues.

• Partner with Operations leaders to understand, monitor, and improve manufacturing cost performance.
• Analyze labor, material, overhead, and conversion costs, identifying risks and opportunities.
• Lead monthly cost reviews and provide clear explanations of performance against budget, forecast, and prior year.
• Support product standard-setting and ensure costing standards remain accurate and relevant.
• Drive actions to improve manufacturing efficiency, yield, and overall plant performance.

• Provide financial support and challenge to Supply Chain teams across logistics and warehousing activities.
• Monitor supply chain cost drivers and identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining service levels.
• Support strategic sourcing initiatives through robust financial analysis and business-case development.
• Partner with Operations teams to identify, evaluate, and track productivity and efficiency initiatives.
• Develop financial models and benefit-tracking mechanisms to ensure initiatives deliver expected results.
• Challenge assumptions and support data-driven decision-making across improvement programs.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

• Lead the financial evaluation of capital investment proposals.
• Develop business cases, including return on investment, payback, and risk assessments.
• Monitor approved projects to ensure delivery against budget and expected financial benefits.
• Maintain financial governance and reporting of capital expenditures in accordance with Ornua standards.

• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain teams to optimize inventory levels while maintaining customer service requirements.
• Monitor inventory performance, slow-moving and obsolete stock, and inventory accuracy.
• Drive initiatives to improve working capital and cash flow performance.
• Support inventory forecasting and stock-management processes.

• Lead budgeting and forecasting processes for Manufacturing and Supply Chain functions.
• Provide insightful financial analysis and recommendations to support decision-making.
• Develop and maintain relevant KPIs, dashboards, and performance reporting.
• Ensure the financial implications of operational decisions are clearly understood by stakeholders.

• Support the wider Finance team during peak periods, contributing to the delivery of key deadlines and outputs.
• Contribute to cross-functional and strategic projects, providing financial insight and analytical support as needed.