Director of Finance - Cost Accounting

UTLX Manufacturing LLC

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

UTLX & Procor Platform
Director of Finance – UTLX Manufacturing - Cost Accounting

Position Description

This is a full-time, office-based position located in Alexandria, LA, with a regular schedule of five days per week onsite.

Business Description

Marmon Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, is a diversified manufacturing and industrial services company with $13 billion in annual revenue. The UTLX & Procor Platform is the largest Platform within Marmon, with $1.3 billion in revenue. The business units that comprise the Platform are leaders in their respective industries:

Ÿ  UTLX Leasing (U.S and Mexico) and Procor Leasing (in Canada) together comprise the largest tank car leasing company in North America, with a combined lease fleet totaling approximately 120,000 railcars. Union Tank Car, founded in 1891, is North America’s oldest tank car leasing business.

Ÿ  UTLX Repair (U.S. and Mexico) and Procor Repair (Canada) maintain the UTLX / Procor leased fleets (11 repair shops in North America).

Ÿ  UTLX Manufacturing is North America’s second largest manufacturer of railroad tank cars.  Most of UTLX Manufacturing’s production is for the leasing businesses to replenish and grow the leased fleet.  UTLX Manufacturing also sells cars to outside customers.

Ÿ  McKenzie Valve and Machining produces valves for railroad tank cars that are used at UTLX Manufacturing and are sold to outside customers.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Platform Controller, the Director of Finance – UTLX Manufacturing is responsible for management of accounting and other business-related functions to the manufacturing operations at Alexandria, LA (MBU). This position has a dotted line reporting relationship to the General Manager of the Alexandria operation. This position is responsible for the local accounting personnel and ensures the integrity and quality of financial reporting, managing the overall financial planning and forecasting processes, improving internal controls and compliance with Marmon policies. Travel requirements: up to 10%. Position location: Alexandria, LA (full-time office requirement).

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have a minimum ten years of progressive responsibility in manufacturing accounting and financial positions related to general accounting, financial reporting, financial analysis, and internal controls (preferably in a large company environment with relatively advanced accounting and reporting systems). Experience working at different organizational levels (corporate, division, and business unit) and a public accounting background are desirable but not required.

A four-year undergraduate degree in accounting is required. An MBA degree and CPA designation are highly desirable but are not required.

The successful candidate will be a skilled user of Excel and will have hands-on experience with general accounting software and corporate financial reporting systems (e.g., OneStream). A moderate level of proficiency in PowerPoint is needed.  In addition, the candidate must possess the ability to be a self-starter and handle workload proactively, manage his/her time wisely, and manage multiple tasks during stringent month-end deadlines.  

Essential personal attributes include excellent oral and written communication skills, attention to detail, quiet self-confidence, and the ability to work well with others at all levels of the organization. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities (Director of Finance – UTLX Manufacturing)

Monthly/Quarterly

• Prepare month end closing procedures for the MBU in compliance with accounting standards under US GAAP.
• Review and prepare (with the help of the local Controller and Coordinator) the monthly financial package (Controllers Report) for the Platform VP. Investigate and resolve any problems or issues.
• Review and approve journal entries and reconciliations completed by the Controller.
• Review revenue and profit elimination entries prepared by the local accounting team.
• Investigate and report on drivers of working capital trends.
• Support local team during OneStream upload process and completion of OneStream data forms.
• Perform monthly budget review with local departments.
• Compile monthly and quarterly forecast data to include narrative for differences to Board book forecast, budget, and prior year.
• Establish and maintain systems to track business trends, including labor utilization and costs, direct and indirect materials and supplies, scrap and salvage costs, overheads, and administrative expenses, etc.

·       Understand and supervise all daily accounting functions to include accounts payable, inventory, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, and payroll.

• Prepare Quarterly Analytics responses and other Marmon deliverables.
• Responsible for monitoring the accurate control and reporting of inventory, including quarterly and annual physical inventories.
• Prepare business unit’s quarterly bridge analysis of key accounts and submit to Platform CFO for final review and approval on a quarterly basis.
• Consolidate and report quarterly productivity metrics / improvements.

Annually

Ÿ  Lead annual budget process - schedules, calendars and instructions, as well as prepare / assist with various annual budget financials and strategic plans as needed.

Ÿ  Work with business to improve compliance with GAAP and Marmon policies, and to improve internal and external audit results.

Ÿ  Coordinate, consolidate and review any additional year-end data and reports for Corporate.

Ÿ  Perform annual impairment analyses as needed.

Ÿ  Update OneStream hierarchy to reflect changes in reporting at the beginning of the year.

Finance Business Partnership and Strategic Decision Support

• Serve as a proactive finance business partner to the General Manager and Manufacturing leadership team, translating commercial, operational, and strategic concepts into financially sound, executable plans and clear recommendations.
• Review and model sales quotations to ensure material, labor, overhead, supply-chain, tariff, and other applicable costs are complete, accurate, and appropriately reflected in the proposal.
• Evaluate quotation economics across pricing and profit-margin scenarios, including the expected effects on revenue, contribution margin, operating profit, cash flow, and overall P&L performance.
• Develop a practical understanding of tank-car manufacturing processes, production constraints, car configurations, and cost drivers in order to assess how proposed orders may affect production sequencing, line changeovers, labor utilization, bottlenecks, capacity, cost, schedule, and the profitability of other tank cars in the production plan.
• Identify and model the capital expenditures, tooling, equipment, facility modifications, and other investments required to execute quoted work, including cash requirements, financial treatment, payback, returns, implementation timing, and associated business risks.
• Challenge assumptions and work cross-functionally with Commercial, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations to resolve cost, pricing, margin, capital, capacity, and execution issues before a proposal advances.
• Provide final Manufacturing Finance approval of sales quotations and supporting business cases before submission to higher levels of management for authorization.
• Own the financial validation and approval of cost-savings initiatives, ensuring stated savings are complete, supportable, accurately timed, and appropriately reflected in the P&L.
• Translate savings initiatives into a per-car cost impact and determine the specific car types, configurations, and production volumes to which each initiative applies so projected savings are not overstated across the build mix.
• Distinguish among recurring, one-time, projected, and realized savings; reconcile approved benefits to actual financial results; and ensure consistent reporting of productivity and cost-improvement performance.
• Review and approve AFEs and related business cases for larger improvement initiatives requiring capital, validating project costs, applicable car volumes, per-car and total P&L benefits, cash flow, payback, return assumptions, and post-completion results.
• Partner with leadership to develop marketing and business strategies from concept through implementation by modeling volume, pricing, cost, margin, capital, capacity, working capital, cash flow, risks, timing, and expected P&L results.
• Model strategic alternatives involving the consolidation, relocation, expansion, or reallocation of operations, capacity, equipment, and production, including transition costs, labor, logistics, capital requirements, implementation timing, and ongoing financial and operational effects.
• Evaluate complex tariffs, duties, and other trade-related costs affecting materials, components, and equipment, and ensure those exposures are appropriately incorporated into quotations, sourcing decisions, capital plans, and broader business strategies.
• Establish measurable financial assumptions and performance targets for approved strategies and recommend adjustments when modeled or actual results do not align with business objectives.

Ad Hoc Assignments

Ÿ  Manage and assess accounting team performance and conduct reviews as necessary per Marmon policies.

Ÿ  Review capital expenditures as appropriate, verifying payback calculations and assuring adherence to Marmon Policy (including post audits).

Ÿ  Facilitate development of capital and expense plans.

Ÿ  Manage relationships and communications with internal and external auditors.

Ÿ  Ensure OneStream access control is up to date and coordinate new users with training.

Ÿ  Support Corporate requests and analysis, such as requests of information by Berkshire Hathaway.

Ÿ  Simplify and automate Manufacturing reports and dashboards to aid MBU management in decision-making (Pricing, Savings, Tariffs, Lean Initiatives, Tax Incentives, etc.)

Ÿ  Analysis of third-party car sales profitability.

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.