A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated 

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

The  R&D/Procurement Finance Lead Pet Nutrition NA serves as a trusted leader in the S&F organization and provides financial leadership as the co-pilot for the Commercial and R&D teams.  The primary purpose of this role is to partner with the Commercial and R&D teams and senior management in strategic business decisions surrounding commodity and ingredient initiatives, hedging opportunities, financial systems, cost management, productivity, and other project innovation initiatives.  This role pursues cost efficiency and effective supplier relationships through a variety of initiatives including:  cost & inventory management, productivity activities, governance and controls, negotiation support, contract review, and building financial acumen.  This position provides transparency on inflation, PPV, and commodity trends through variance analysis, cost structure analysis, benchmarking, period reporting, and planning.  This role will lead and provide financial support for affiliated sales by analyzing and calculating Inter-company pricing of all products.  This role also includes people management and development for a staff of six associates.  Being a part of the Finance Leadership Team, this role will work closely with the Finance Conversion  Director, FP&A Director, and Controller in an effort to champion overall enterprise performance linked with managing a medium/long-term margin strategy. 

Principal Accountabilities

Provides oversight, co-piloting support, and financial guidance for the Commercial and R&D team in the following capacity: 

• Creates an engaging, high-performance learning environment for direct reports and peers, established through coaching and guidance for associate development, and delivery of business objectives through the performance management process. 
• Manages all financial areas of Primes, including ownership and accountability for proper reconciliations of the related balance sheet and P&L.  Actively partner with the Commercial & R&Ds teams to drive performance and meet financial shape commitments. 
• Oversees all financial areas of R&D, line trials, innovation/renovation costs, including ownership and accountability of productivity and other R&D expenses related to the P&L.
• Develops strong financial and governance acumen in the Commercial and R&D teams via coaching and training.
• Leads the operating plan, revised forecasts, and strategic planning cycles for Primes and R&D.
• Drives efficiencies, continuous improvement, and value add innovation
• Drives compliance of internal controls and governance for all areas of responsibility
• Contributes to the culture of accountability and responsibility by tracking action plans for key initiatives, addressing root cause issues to drive sustainable operating improvements.  Identify trade-offs and escalate operating plan variances as appropriate.
• Leads the development of periodic intercompany prices, communicates, and educates the impact of changes to affiliates.
• Acts as an active member of the Commercial leadership team, contributing and leading the strategic direction
• Acts as an active member of the S&F leadership team, contributing and leading the strategic direction

 Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field; MBA, CPA, or CMA preferred.

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive financial experience, preferably in the Mars environment with a background in business planning and/or financial analysis/cost accounting experience.
• Minimum of 7 years leading and developing diverse teams
• Experience working and collaborating with management and leadership teams
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Exceptional interpersonal skills including the ability to successfully influence associates within and outside of the S&F function. Ability to work effectively with all levels within the organization 
• Ability to travel up to 20%

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.