Lead Financial Analyst

TITLE: Lead Financial Analyst

POSITIONS: Multiple Vacancies

LOCATION: Johnson Electric Motion Technology Canada Ltd. - Mississauga Plant #2, 2400 Royal Windsor Drive, Mississauga, ON L5J 1K7

REPORTS TO: FPS Group Controller

Scope

The Lead Financial Analyst is a critical, high-impact leadership position within the Global FPS Controlling team. This is not a traditional accounting or standard FP&A role; it is designed for a true Financial Business Partner who operates with a corporate ownership mindset to bridge the gap between financial rigor, shop-floor manufacturing reality, and executive strategy.

Reporting directly to the Group Controller, FPS, the incumbent serves as a vital strategic coordinator across global operations (primarily North America, Europe, and Asia, with a strong focus on China). This role takes ownership of driving profitability, cost leadership, and competitive commercial bidding in a volatile automotive market. The Lead Financial Analyst will lead the digitization, automation, and advanced AI integration of financial models to streamline global budgeting, rolling forecasts, and strategic planning at the Business Unit (BU) level.

Job Responsibilities

• Drive Financial Performance: Act as a core Business Partner to the FPS BU leadership, taking direct ownership of key financial metrics including Divisional EBITA, Revenue, EPR, and Cash Flow to achieve multi-million-dollar global targets.
• Operational & Plant Integration: Move beyond retrospective reporting by embedding financial analysis into shop-floor realities. Actively participate in operational plant meetings, inventory cycle counts, and workflow optimizations across global manufacturing facilities (specifically bridging Canada and China hubs).
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Partner closely with Group Controllers, Plant Finance teams, Business Development Managers (BDMs), Product Managers (PMs), and Supply Chain Strategy (SCS) to track KPIs across diverse product lines (Hydraulic, Mechatronic, and E-Pumps).
• Advanced Cost Modeling: Spearhead the optimization of multi-scenario competitive bidding cost models. Logically integrate localized operational data-such as sales forecasts, direct labor (DL), production capacity, overhead (POH), and next-generation CAPEX-to ensure quotations are robust, aggressive, and realistic.
• Lifecycle Margin Tracking: Establish clear financial benchmarks within commercial models to enable Project Managers to track product costs and gross margins across the entire product lifecycle (NPV, Payback, ROI).
• Strategic Commercial Consultations: Empower BU commercial initiatives by conducting rigorous reviews of commercial engineering assumptions, bridging regional business processes into cohesive, global data flows.
• Methodology Localization & Execution: Act as the strategic lead for the localized execution of advanced corporate methodologies. Deconstruct complex Bills of Materials (BOM) to clarify granular components (Pure BOM, CnS, See-Through Material Cost) for cross-functional teams.
• Value Engineering & Margin Improvement: Leverage proprietary corporate metrics (e.g., Idiot Index, Bottom 20 Gross Margin) to define differentiated market strategies-identifying where to lower prices for market share versus where to aggressively renegotiate with suppliers or pursue internal cost improvements.
• Data Integrity & Global Coordination: Serve as a high-visibility global coordinator between regional Financial PMOs and local plants. Enforce reporting discipline, resolve cross-regional technical data bottlenecks, and ensure data aligns seamlessly with corporate standards and budget cycles.
• Next-Generation Modeling: Research and develop sophisticated data analytics models tailored to the aligned requirements of the BU Owner and Controller, capable of granular analysis under a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) environment.
• AI-Driven Productivity: Harness AI capabilities to overhaul and automate data infrastructure. Replace static, link-based reporting with advanced conditional extraction logic (handling datasets with tens of thousands of formulas) to liberate the team's time for high-value business analysis.
• Scenario Simulation: Utilize digital tools and AI to instantaneously adjust key operational parameters (e.g., peak volume, cycle time, headcount) to rapidly simulate and compare multiple commercial and quotation scenarios for executive decision-making.
• Process Standardization: Standardize the content, structure, and workflows of Business Review Packages, financial bridges, and foundational data sheets across all regions to ensure bulletproof data integrity under executive scrutiny.
• Talent Onboarding & SOP Design: Assist the Controller in team building by designing robust, AI-supported standard operating procedures (SOPs), guiding responsible team members through implementation, and facilitating fast, smooth onboarding for new hires.
• Works in strict compliance with Stackpole Quality and EHS Policies and Procedures, including IATF 16949 / ISO 9001 / ISO 14001.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field. An MBA (Master of Business Administration) or an advanced business degree is highly preferred to support a holistic macroscopic view of global corporate strategy.
• Possession of a professional accounting designation is required, such as CPA, CMA, CIMA, CGMA, or Chartered Management Accountant, or concrete plans to achieve an acceptable professional accounting designation;
• 8-10 years of progressive professional experience in corporate financial management and controlling, manufacturing FP&A, or business partnering within a global, fast-paced environment.
• Advanced Cost Accounting Mastery: Exceptional mastery of manufacturing cost structures, including complex Bill of Materials (BOM) deconstruction, variance analysis, capacity planning, and capital appropriation (CAR/NPV/Payback/ROI).
• System & Digital Fluency: Deep technical proficiency in enterprise ERP setups, CMS and Power BI.
• Multinational Experience: Deep experience working within large-scale multinational corporations, with a strong preference for project management.
• Cross-Border Plant Experience: Direct experience working within manufacturing facilities, with a mandatory requirement for hands-on experience in China-based manufacturing environments to facilitate seamless supply chain, inventory, and costing alignments.
• Language Requirement: English is the language of work. Strong, fluent oral and written communication skills in Mandarin (Chinese) is also an asset because the role demands daily, high-level technical and business communications with China-based corporate finance and head office personnel, manufacturing facilities, suppliers, and stakeholders, where accurate bilingual negotiation and reporting are critical.
• Strategic & Holistic Thinking: Ability to look beyond a 'siloed' plant view, synthesizing macroeconomic trends, market dynamics, and operational realities into a cohesive business unit strategy.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills with a "CAN-DO" attitude; a proven ability to gain trust, drive alignment, and influence stakeholders across diverse cultures, time zones, and departments (Sales, Engineering, IT, Procurement, and Operations).
• Agile & Nimble Learning: Ability to rapidly absorb unfamiliar methodologies, corporate policies, or product lines (e.g., electronic/e-pump roadmaps) and translate them into actionable operational workflows.
• Resilience & Problem Solving: Demonstrated ownership and accountability in high-pressure, stagnant, or highly competitive market environments, taking personal responsibility to resolve operational and data bottlenecks under minimal supervision.
• AI & Automation Mindset: Proven track record of using digital tools, Power Automate, or AI/advanced logic to reconstruct heavy financial models, automate manual workflows, and build scalable databases.

Terms of Employment

• Full-time, permanent position. This role is based on-site at 2400 Royal Windsor Drive, Mississauga, ON L5J 1K7
• Language of work is English. Strong, fluent oral and written communication skills in Mandarin (Chinese) is an asset for technical business communications with China-based corporate finance and head office personnel, manufacturing facilities, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Compensation varies between $41.60 - $50.00 per hour depending on skills and experience.

This position is eligible for the company's comprehensive benefits package, subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plans. Specific benefits may include extended health and dental, vision, life and disability insurance, retirement investment plans and paid vacation.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their résumé and cover letter by email to Simran Saggu [email protected]. Please reference the job title in the subject line. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. If there are any additional inquiries, feel free to contact me at (905) 822 - 6015 ext. 4754, alternatively, I am located at 2430 Royal Windsor Drive Mississauga, ON L5J 1K7.