Finance & Accounting Manager

Overview

The Finance & Accounting Manager oversees accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cost accounting, internal controls, and compliance activities for an automotive manufacturing operation. The position serves as a key financial liaison between U.S. operations and corporate headquarters in Korea, ensuring timely and accurate reporting in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), corporate accounting policies, and management reporting requirements. The manager partners with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to improve profitability, working capital, operational performance, and decision-making. The role will report directly to the CFO and be responsible for executing finance strategies and priorities for the operation.

Responsibilities

(To perform successfully in this position, the incumbent must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned.)

Financial Reporting and Close

• Manage monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close activities, including the close calendar and reporting deadlines.
• Review and approve journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, and supporting schedules.
• Prepare and review profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and management reporting packages.
• Analyze financial results and clearly explain budget-to-actual, forecast-to-actual, and period-over-period variances.
• Coordinate reporting submissions to Korean headquarters and respond to corporate finance inquiries.

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Business Planning

• Lead the annual budget, periodic forecasts, and long-range planning processes.
• Develop financial models and scenario analyses to support operational and strategic decisions.
• Monitor departmental spending and partner with budget owners on corrective actions.
• Provide financial recommendations to improve profitability, productivity, and cost performance.

Cost Accounting and Manufacturing Finance

• Oversee standard costing, inventory valuation, cost roll activities, and manufacturing variance analysis.
• Analyze material usage, labor efficiency, overhead absorption, scrap, freight, premium costs, and inventory movements.
• Partner with Production, Operations, Purchasing, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain to identify cost reduction opportunities.
• Support product costing, customer program analysis, make-versus-buy assessments, and profitability reviews.
• Monitor working capital, inventory controls, and slow-moving or obsolete inventory reserves.

Internal Controls, IFRS, and Compliance

• Maintain and strengthen internal controls over financial reporting and key transaction cycles.
• Ensure adherence to IFRS, corporate accounting policies, approval requirements, and record-retention standards.
• Coordinate internal and external audits and ensure timely remediation of identified control issues.
• Support statutory, tax, and regulatory compliance activities in collaboration with internal specialists and external advisors.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation for key estimates, reconciliations, controls, and accounting conclusions.

Treasury, Capital Expenditures, and Intercompany Accounting

• Monitor cash flow, liquidity, working capital, and short-term funding needs.
• Review capital expenditure requests, business cases, project spending, asset capitalization, and post-investment performance.
• Oversee intercompany balances, settlements, confirmations, and related reconciliations.
• Support foreign currency reporting and transfer pricing documentation in coordination with corporate and tax teams.

Systems, Data, and Process Improvement

• Serve as the Finance lead for SAP and related financial systems, reporting tools, and master data controls.
• Improve reporting accuracy, close efficiency, process standardization, and automation.
• Develop management dashboards and recurring analyses using Excel and available business intelligence tools.
• Support ERP implementations, upgrades, testing, and finance process changes.

Leadership and Cross-Cultural Communication

• Lead, coach, and develop finance and accounting team members; establish priorities and clear accountability.
• Communicate financial results, risks, and recommendations to plant and executive leadership.
• Conduct meetings, prepare reports, and deliver presentations in English and Korean.
• Accurately communicate financial, operational, and policy matters between U.S. operations and Korean headquarters.
• Promote collaboration, ethical conduct, continuous improvement, and strong internal control culture.

AUTHORITY & SCOPE

This role operates within defined corporate policies and procedures and exercises judgment appropriate to its level of responsibility. The position may influence decisions related to functional operations, processes, or recommendations and escalate matters as required Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

Qualifications

(The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required and preferred for this position.)

Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least eight years of progressive accounting or finance experience, including at least three years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Professional experience in a manufacturing environment; automotive industry experience strongly preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Strong working knowledge of IFRS, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cost accounting, inventory accounting, and internal controls.
• Hands-on SAP experience and advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet tight month-end, quarter-end, and year-end deadlines.

Preferred Education & Experience:

• Experience with a multinational, Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive supplier
• Experience with multi-plant finance, intercompany accounting, capital expenditure governance, and transfer pricing support.
• Experience with Power BI, Hyperion, or comparable planning and reporting tools.
• Familiarity with just-in-time manufacturing and automotive customer program requirements.
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant professional credentials.

Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations:

• Financial Planning & Analysis Certification

Physical Demands

Position requires occasional or frequent moderate physical activity.

Expected Hours of Work

• A typical work week is 45 hours/week.
• Working hours for employees are flexible with a typical day starting 7am- 9am M-F.
• Availability to support extended hours during financial close, budget cycles, audits, or other critical deadlines as needed.

Working Conditions

• Office work is normally performed in a typical interior work environment which does not subject the employee to any hazardous or unpleasant elements.
• Stress may occur periodically.

Travel

• Occasional domestic travel
• Occasional local travel

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.