Director of Finance - Global Supply Chain

Overall Responsibility:

The Director of Performance Measurement is responsible for aggregate level Customer Experience and Supply Chain operational and financial performance in relation to business process controls and efficiencies to ensure goals and objectives are achieved. The Director leads management reporting, budgeting, forecasting and analysis for the Global Supply Chain organization to measure the health of operations relative to goals, targets and budgets.  This position has high visibility across multiple departments within the company to consolidate multiple data points, analyze and review inputs, and subsequently provide clear and concise information to provide management the information needed to be able run the business. Specific duties will include:

• Execution of the company wide Sales & Operations Planning process to ensure strategic alignment across HMH
• Measurement and alignment of demand and supply plans in relation to the S&OP process and integration to other planning departments throughout HMH
• Preparation of annual budgets and quarterly forecasts for revenues, cost of goods sold, manufacturing purchases, inventory levels, obsolescence and transportation expense
• Forecasting daily, monthly and quarterly gross customer invoices or billings by distribution network channel with specific focus on trends and anticipated order through put and capacity constraints
• Development and maintenance of Distribution network modeling
• Preparation of various strategic initiative analytics to facilitate strategic alignment
• Measurement of trends and associated analytics of key performance indicators
• Preparation of executive level presentations covering pertinent topics of relevancy
• Measurement of demand, supply and procurement plans that balance cost, inventory levels, obsolescence and customer fill rates
• Measurement of inventory health on a quarterly and annual basis to assure inventory has been properly stated in the aggregate at a net realizable value
• Monitor and provide direction for monthly financial close activities related to Customer Experience and Supply Chain to ensure coordination and data validation leading to accurate financial statements
• Build and lead a successful and cohesive team using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style

People Manager Accountabilities:

The People Manager role is very important.  People Managers at HMH enable and empower people to do their best work in an environment that encourages collaboration and innovation and fosters development and learning.  They translate the company’s strategic vision, align their group’s work and help individuals understand their impact on HMH’s success.  They assess their direct reports’ performance and partner on career planning.  They are collaborators and catalysts, breaking down complex problems into simple solutions and leading through change.

Primary Accountabilities:

People Management / Leadership

• Manage team of Performance Measurement Analysts – Provide a challenging work environment that provides an opportunity for professional growth
• Enable and empower team to do their best work in an environment that encourages collaboration and innovation and fosters development and learning
• Translate the company’s strategic vision, align work, and help individuals understand their impact on HMH’s success
• Assess direct reports’ performance and partner on career planning
• Act as a collaborators and catalysts, breaking down complex problems into simple solutions and leading through change
• Ensure staff provides timely and accurate information both internally and externally
• Push staff to think critically around questions/analyses to provide more useful insight than may have been requested

Budgeting / Forecasting / Measurement

• Development of the annual budget as well as periodic forecasts related to key financials data such as revenue, cost of goods sold, inventory, purchases, obsolescence, and transportation
• Measurement of daily, monthly, and quarterly financial and supply chain process plans and results
• Measurement and presentation of key performance indicators relative to goals, targets, budgets and trends
• Creation of new metrics and scorecards through collecting, analyzing data and identifying trends

Ad-hoc Analysis

• Ongoing ad hoc analysis of data and information to identify areas of performance and financial risks and opportunities.  Presentation of findings sufficiently far enough in advance to provide senior level management the visibility and lead time to exploit opportunities and/or mitigate risk
• Preparation of executive level presentations covering pertinent topics of relevancy
• Data mining to support variance analyses and research
• Thought leadership across HMH financial circles in terms of interpreting and framing data for complex analyses
• Work with stakeholders to broaden or focus requests so as to provide the most useful information possible

Project Management / Projects

• Execution of the company wide Sales & Operations Planning process to ensure strategic alignment across HMH
• Value-add financial model and/or business case development to identify potential benefits/risks to the company (i.e. Distribution Network modeling)
• Automation/improvement of measurement and reporting tools to improve efficiency

• Enhancement of existing or development of new measurements and tools to fill performance measurement requirements (i.e. Supply Chain Index, Cost Per Contact, Customer Effort)

Skills & Competencies:

• Advanced skills and experience in MS Office Suite, including demonstrated use of Excel in a professional environment (use of pivot tables, VLOOKUP, sum if and other Excel functions and modeling tools)
• Proficiency in Access, PowerPoint, & Word
• Understanding of Financial Accounting principles
• Understanding of variance analysis and financial performance monitoring
• Ability to summarize clearly and concisely financial analysis results, and the ability to explain the meaning and implications in varying levels of detail depending on the audience
• Ability to build strong relationships and good collaboration with multiple stakeholders both within and across functions as well as outside of the organization with suppliers and partners
• Demonstrate a keen understanding of end to end business process and operations and the organizational levers (systems, processes, departments, functions) that drive profitable growth
• Identify and understand issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions and drive improvements
• Analytical skills with a high degree of accuracy and ability to meet deadlines
• Strict attention to detail and intensity around consistently delivering high quality outputs
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Ability to think outside of the box and desire to continuously improve
• Presentation/facilitation skills

• Existing knowledge of SQL preferred
• Experience with SAP ERP, SAP HANA, SAP BW, SAP BPC preferred

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting or Supply Chain Management
• Minimum 7 years of experience in a related Finance or Supply Chain role focusing on budgeting, planning, forecasting and analysis
• Prior Leadership of employees

• Master's Degree (MBA, Finance, or Accounting) preferred
• Prior experience in publishing or a related field a plus

Physical Requirements:

• Might be in a stationary position for a considerable time (sitting and/or standing)
• The person in this position needs to move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer
• Must be able to collaborate with colleagues via face to face, conference calls, and online meetings

About Us:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company dedicated to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12 education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and effective educational content and experiences from early childhood to beyond the classroom.  HMH serves more than 50 million students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world.