Director of FP&A, Operations

Overview:

The Director of FP&A, Operations will serve as the primary finance partner to Operations leadership team across Transportation, Warehousing, and Manufacturing departments within our food distribution business. This role is responsible for driving financial discipline, transparency, and insight across a complex, asset-intensive, and margin-sensitive operating environment.

A successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, business partnership, and analytical depth. They will earn trust through collaboration, develop their team, and proactively challenge the organization to improve performance while respecting the company's culture and values. The Director will be expected to advise senior leadership on the financial impact of operational initiatives and strategic investments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Business Partnership & Decision Support: Act as the primary FP&A partner to Operations leadership (Transportation, Warehousing, Manufacturing), providing actionable financial insights to support decision-making. Evaluate the economic viability of operational initiatives, process improvements, network changes, automation, and capital investments. Quantify trade-offs between service, cost, capacity, and growth to support executive decisions.

• Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead the annual budget, rolling forecast, and medium-term plan for Operations, aligned with company-wide revenue and profitability targets. Translate operational drivers (volume, labor, productivity, yields, spoilage, freight rates, fuel, capacity utilization) into financial forecasts. Partner with Operations leaders to identify risks and opportunities and update forecasts accordingly.

• Cost Management & Performance Analysis: Develop and maintain detailed cost models for Transportation, Warehousing, and Manufacturing, including labor, overhead, variable costs, and fixed costs. Analyze performance versus budget and forecast; clearly explain variances and root causes. Identify cost-reduction, productivity, and margin-improvement opportunities.

• Financial Control & Reporting: oversee financial reporting and key KPIs (e.g., cost per case, labor productivity). Create and improve dashboards and reports to increase visibility and accountability. Ensure timely, accurate, and consistent operational reporting.

• Capital & Capacity Planning: Support capital planning for fleet, warehouse infrastructure, equipment, and manufacturing assets. Develop ROI, payback, and sensitivity analyses for capital projects and automation initiatives. Partner with Operations to assess capacity needs in support of growth plans.

• Process improvements: identify and implement new processes and new analytical tools to analyze performance and evaluate new opportunities.

• Compliance, Governance and risk control: in collaboration with sales and financial administration, review controls and policies in sales activities to strengthen governance.

• Stakeholder communication: prepare financial presentations and reports for senior management, highlighting key performance indicators and recommending strategic actions.

Requirements:

• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in financial modelling and data analysis tools
• Excellent communication skills with internal and external stakeholders
• Track-record of working as a true leader with the ability to communicate financial matters in an understandable format and make financial recommendations.
• Ability to supervise and mentor staff.
• Exceptional organization and attention to detail
• Forward thinker that can develop plans for department needs to go to keep up with company growth.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in business development role with financial management

Technology Skills:

• Proficiency in financial analysis tools, ERP systems (MS D365 preferred), and advanced knowledge of Power BI, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint