HIP Chief Financial Officer

Westlake offers you the potential to enrich your work life and career experience in an entrepreneurial environment. We work together to enhance peoples' lives through our products and presence in the communities in which we operate.​

SUMMARY

The HIP Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides strategic financial leadership for the Housing & Infrastructure Products (HIP) segment and serves as a key business partner to the HIP Senior Vice President, segment leadership team, and Corporate CFO. This role has overall responsibility for segment-level finance, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, business performance management, and compliance. Accounting activities performed within the segment are carried out under the functional direction of the Chief Accounting Officer, with the HIP CFO accountable for ensuring those activities are properly resourced, executed, and controlled. The HIP CFO will shape and execute the financial strategy for the segment, drive value creation, and ensure disciplined capital allocation and robust internal controls.

The HIP CFO partners with the Chief Accounting Officer and oversees all segment accounting functions and related transactions (sales revenues, costs, cash, fixed assets, trade payables, and inventory management) and ensures timely, accurate segment financial reporting. The role is responsible for HIP Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, internal controls, and the effectiveness of financial systems and processes within the enterprise frameworks and standards established by the Chief Accounting Officer. The HIP CFO builds and leads a high-performing finance and accounting team that is deeply embedded with the HIP businesses and operations, providing forward-looking insight, business partnership, and decision support, and aligns the design of that team with the evolving finance and accounting operating model.

In partnership with HIP business and operations leaders, the HIP CFO will interpret and communicate financial results, including the operational drivers behind cost, volume, and absorption variances, support strategic and commercial decision-making, lead the development of budgets and forecasts, and champion initiatives that improve profitability, cash flow, and return on invested capital.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May include, but are not limited to, the following

• Serve as the primary financial business partner to HIP business and operations heads, providing insight, challenge, and recommendations on financial performance, strategic priorities, and resource allocation.
• Lead the HIP segment financial planning and analysis (FP&A) processes, including long-range plans, annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, and monthly outlooks, together with scenario and sensitivity analysis of feedstock, energy, price, and volume assumptions, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and strategies in coordination with the VP of Finance for process alignment and standardization across Westlake.
• Support HIP businesses and operations heads in presenting and understanding results, including variance analysis, key performance indicators (KPIs), and operational drivers of performance, translating cost, volume, absorption, and reliability variances into the operating actions that improve segment profitability.
• Deliver profitability insight by product grade and customer to commercial and operations leaders, including cost-to-serve and mix analysis to support pricing and portfolio decisions.
• Support HIP business and operations heads in business development and M&A activities, including financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, and post-close integration of operations, systems, policies and procedures, and internal reporting with the Westlake model, partnering with the Chief Accounting Officer on purchase accounting, opening balance sheet, and accounting integration matters.
• Lead and support strategic analysis of the business, including plant economics and integration, assessment of strategic initiatives, capital investments, portfolio optimization, and cost reduction and profit improvement initiatives, including post-investment reviews and tracking of realized benefits against approved business cases.
• Drive working capital performance and cash generation for the segment across inventory, receivables, and payables, and support the corporate cash flow forecast.
• Partner closely with segment business analysts to review monthly financial performance and forecasts to ensure understanding, challenge assumptions, and drive accountability for results.
• Support business and operations heads and corporate management in preparation of and adherence to annual budgets, including setting targets, monitoring performance, and initiating corrective actions as needed.
• Partner with the Chief Accounting Officer to ensure adequate financial controls, reviews, and governance are in place and operating effectively across all HIP entities, plants, and functions.
• Provide overall leadership, direction, and oversight for all HIP accounting support, in partnership with the Chief Accounting Officer and consistent with the enterprise accounting standards, policies, and functional direction the Chief Accounting Officer establishes.
• Partner with the Chief Accounting Officer to ensure HIP SOX compliance and maintain robust internal control frameworks aligned with corporate policies and external regulatory requirements, and to keep controls effective through changes in process, systems, and organization.
• Coordinate, with the Chief Accounting Officer, year-end financial audits and any interim reviews for the HIP segment to ensure timetables are met, issues are addressed promptly, and audit recommendations are implemented.
• Support investor relations activities related to the HIP segment, including development of conference call scripts, Q&A, segment commentary, and other externally facing materials as needed, coordinating with the Chief Accounting Officer and Investor Relations to ensure consistency with reported results and disclosed measures.
• Collaborate with Internal Audit and the Chief Accounting Officer on reviews related to the segment, including participation in planning and closing meetings, developing responses to audit comments, and ensuring management action plans are executed and monitored.
• Drive consistent application of accounting policies, financial standards, and reporting practices established by the Chief Accounting Officer across all HIP businesses and locations.
• Partner with the Chief Accounting Officer on the design and implementation of changes to the accounting operating model affecting the segment, ensuring control, reporting quality, and business support are maintained without interruption.
• Retain accountability for the integrity of HIP financial results and escalate accounting, control, or reporting matters promptly to the Chief Accounting Officer and the Corporate CFO.
• Fully support company goals of continuous improvement and operational excellence at strategic and tactical levels, including reviewing areas of responsibility for improvement opportunities, initiating projects, and actively participating on project teams.
• Lead efforts to standardize operating and performance metrics across all plants and businesses, partnering with the VP Finance and partner with the Chief Accounting Officer to standardize accounting processes, controls, and account structures, for efficiency of operations, consistency in measurement, and comparability of plants and operations.
• Identify, prioritize, and execute opportunities for efficiency and value creation, including leveraging technology, automation, advanced analytics, and digital tools in finance and operations.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing HIP finance and accounting team: recruit, develop, motivate, and retain top talent; establish a strong business partnering culture; and ensure clear succession and development plans, aligning team structure and capability with the evolving finance and accounting operating model.
• Foster a collaborative, transparent working relationship between the HIP segment and Corporate Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Tax, and other functional groups, with particular emphasis on a seamless working partnership with the Chief Accounting Officer and the corporate accounting organization.
• Perform the primary thinking encompassed by this job description and exercise sound judgment in complex, ambiguous situations.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; Accounting degree with a CPA strongly preferred.
• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA) preferred.
• Fifteen to twenty years of progressive finance and accounting experience with broad exposure to all areas of accounting and financial management; experience in the Chemical, Petrochemical, or related industries is highly desired.
• Minimum ten years of supervisory/management experience leading finance and/or accounting teams in a large manufacturing company, including experience as a segment/division controller, head of FP&A, or equivalent senior finance role.
• Public accounting experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated track record as a strategic business partner to senior operations and commercial leaders, with experience influencing decisions and driving performance in a complex, multi-site environment, including comfort operating through influence rather than direct authority across functional reporting lines.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP, internal controls, SOX requirements, and financial reporting in a public company environment.
• Proven ability to lead through change, drive standardization and process improvements, and implement technology solutions in finance, including transitions in finance operating model, roles, and reporting relationships.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insight for non-financial stakeholders.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to touch, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch.  The employee occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate as normally based in an office.  Some of the work may be required in the operating units which can require usage of required PPE including safety glasses, hearing protection, etc.  May also result in exposure to outside elements and may require usage of stairs and elevators.  10% travel including air travel or auto travel may occasionally be required.

Westlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable legislation.

If you are an active Westlake employee (or an employee of any Westlake affiliates), please do not apply here. You will apply via the Jobs Hub application in Workday.