FINANCE MANAGER EMEA

Fall Creek is creating a world with better blueberries through its friendly, collaborative team spread across the globe. To help us accomplish this, we are seeking a qualified FINANCE MANAGER EMEA. This position will be located in SEVILLE.POSITION SUMMARY:Fall Creek is creating A World with Better Blueberries™ through its collaborative team spread across the globe. To help us accomplish this, we are seeking a qualified Regional Finance Manager.The Regional Finance Manager role is a leadership position responsible for guiding the regional finance function and partnering with the Regional Director – Europe, Middle East and Africa (RD) and the regional operational team to support their strategy and objectives, driving process improvement to yield better operational efficiencies and enable business insights for optimal decision making, supporting the financial systems roadmap, ensuring controls and risk management are well balanced and effective, and enabling strong performance against strategic, financial, and operational goals as the company strives toward its business objectives. The person in this role demonstrates a passion for their profession and has great knowledge of financial and business analytics including KPI development and lean continuous improvement practices for the finance function, reporting, planning, forecasting, cost and financial/statutory accounting, and controls establishment and maintenance. This role leads a regional team of seven (7) finance and accounting professionals located across the region, but centered in Seville, Spain.ORGANIZATIONAL FIT:Position reports to the CFO and EMEA RD with direct responsibility for the Regional Finance function. The Regional Finance Manager partners with the RD and Operational team members and works with global stakeholders to support the business. They also collaborate as needed with external consultants supporting the business.JOB SETTING:Office setting in a hybrid environment. A regular presence in person interacting with business partners is required, but with hybrid flexibility. In office location is in the Seville, Spain vicinity. International travel is also likely from time to time.ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (Other duties may be assigned)Operational FinanceActs as a business partner and advisor to the RD and Regional Leadership Team in providing business, finance, accounting, and controls leadership toward the execution of region and company goals.Ensures business results, analytics, and metrics for the region are prepared in an accurate, repeatable, and timely manner. Presents the regional managerial financial statements and other financial reports and schedules in support of overall company processes.Partners with the RD and Operational team in reporting, forecasting, and budgeting activities for the region, interfaces with the Global FP&A team to complete reporting and forecasting processes.Performs business analytics and provides impactful KPI’s and reports in support of the Region’s business and growth objectives.Assists with formulating the financial objectives and policies of the region.AccountingSupervises the statutory and financial accounting function regionally and ensures consistency with global company standards.Supervises the cost accounting function regionally and ensures consistency with global company standards.Effective with financial data via the ERP and other finance systems. Supports audit and tax requirements as directed.In partnership with Global Accounting, establishes effective and efficient internal controls to ensure timely, relevant, and accurate financial reporting. Takes appropriate and timely action to remedy internal control weaknesses identified by the company’s internal control function and external auditors.Adheres to the standards set forth in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and maintains business records to validate standards are in place and functioning.Organizational Leadership and ManagementSupports, perpetuates, and enhances Fall Creek’s core values and corporate culture.Leads continuous improvement in processes and systems to increase efficiency, streamline workflow and create effective controls throughout the company.Provides leadership in strengthening internal communications with employees at all levels throughout the region and the company.Assures the highest level of confidentiality on sensitive matters concerning the business and organization.Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal networks, and participating in professional organizations.Coaches and develops employee(s) to improve job performance when appropriate. Ensures that performance discussions are completed in a timely manner. Leverages the strengths of the employee and clarifies roles and responsibilities. Establishes and maintains good morale, motivation, and recognition of accomplishments.Performs special projects and other duties as assigned.COMPETENCIES:Technical Skills – Significant experience in core business analytics and strategic planning. Strong financial modeling with application of business acumen developed through partnership with operational stakeholders and an approach to continuous learning about the industry and financial/business analytic techniques. Effective leadership of reporting, budgeting, and forecasting process cycles, with demonstrated continuous improvement over time. Partnership with operational partners in production, sales, and R&D functions that focused on driving optimal ROI’s for the organization. Strong cost accounting background combined with proven success in driving production cost improvements with lean principles. ERP and other IT system implementation and enhancement capabilities form a finance perspective. Understands controls, the management of risk, and controls value-add and contributes to an environment with uncompromised integrity.Business Partnership – Understands business partners’ critical agenda and proactively contributes to making it happen. Responds rapidly to changes in the environment and adapts internal processes as appropriate. Delivers innovative and competitive support. Demonstrates a strong alignment to and passion for the business while maintaining objectivity for the benefit of shareholders. Treated as a full partner in business decisions by the key partner. Creates productive tension by setting challenging goals that integrate and contribute to broader company objectives.Leadership – Contributes to an effective, high morale organization that includes capable employees able to make independent decisions that are consistent with the corporate strategic direction and business model while also blending them into an energized work group that delivers meaningful, high-quality results. Creates and communicates a compelling and inspired vision of shared purpose and success, motivating others to work toward the vision. Energizes others to become excited about change and inspires them to use creativity in addressing complex business issues. Role models values targeted at getting results, recognizing and living up to the responsibility of having people follow them, whether that is a direct report or a project/program team member.Business Acumen – Understands the business context in which the company operates, recognizing when business objectives do not match business trends, and helps set new direction(s). Follows the thread from data elements to business objectives, understanding how lower-level goals contribute to organizational objectives. Creates new local group objectives in response to changing market conditions.Action Orientation – Pursues work with energy, drive, and a bias for action while maintaining focus and composure. Sensitive to due process and proper pacing, recognizing that too late might mean never. Makes decisions and take informed risks to drive the business forward, finding the balance between analysis and action. Understands ‘better’ is often a smarter course than ‘perfect’. Tolerates ambiguity, staying focused and productive, even in ambiguous or difficult environments. Sees change as important to success.Composure – Maintains focus and clear thinking when under pressure. Brings groups back to problem solving when things get emotional – is a settling influence. Enjoys taking the lead in complex, difficult, or politically charged situations, and does so effectively.Problem Solving – Uses critical thinking, rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions. Identifies opportunities and drives continuous improvement beyond assigned scope. Focuses on root causes of complex problems. Develops innovative and creative solutions to moderately complex problems. Evaluates impact of solutions on the organization.Teamwork – Works well and collaborates with others to achieve quality results. Recognizes the need to include others to achieve maximum results. Seeks and openly shares knowledge. Looks for opportunities to consistently add value to the overall project/objectives. Helps solve conflicts for the good of the team.Communication – Articulates written and verbal thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Actively listens for key messages and feedback. Matches the message to the audience. Organizes and articulates thoughts clearly, matching message, style, and methods to audience. Understands and effectively matches the right communication vehicle (e.g. written, verbal, e-mail, etc.) to the right situation – knows when to ‘pick up the phone’ and have a direct conversation.Management – Sets departmental or project objectives that support broader organizational agenda/charter/mission. Sets the critical few, truly measurable indicators to measure against goals. Incorporates stakeholder input, encouraging discussion and feedback in setting goals and listening to others. Establishes achievable scope, resource estimates, action plans, approach, time frame, and expectations. Keeps stakeholders aligned, articulating benefits and cost for both achieving and not achieving goals and communicates to stakeholders to build consensus. Keeps stakeholders informed of progress. Sets clear expectations of performance and monitors progress in timely manner. Delivers straightforward and strengths-oriented feedback, recognizing positive results and coaches to improve performance. Addresses performance problems. Effectively develops, maintains and/or improves upon systems and processes to measure, monitor, or impact performance against goals.Required Education, Knowledge, Skills And TrainingRequires a bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or accounting, with finance preferred.Requires 7+ years of business/financial analytics and leadership experience in a manufacturing, agricultural, or fresh fruit or food processing industry.Bilingual in Spanish and English.Proficient Excel and PowerBI capabilities.Proven ability to lead direct reports and/or project teams. Capable of building teams and working with internal and external constituents and accustomed to working cross-borders and cross-culturally.Three or more years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing, agricultural, or fresh fruit or food processing industryPrevious experience working with a global ERP system, preferably with implementation experience.Experience with financial reporting and forecasting software systems.Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite.Ability to be a proactive, strategic thinker with solid problem-solving skills.Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines with strict attention to detail and prioritization.Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organization.Requires good judgment and the ability to positively influence team decision making.Ability to develop clear action plans and drive processes with many interdependencies.Demonstrated record of success in a multicultural environment and ability to work effectively with diverse communities.Ability and willingness to perform the essential functions of the position.Demonstrated professional and ethical business practices, adherence to company policies and standards, and commitment to personal and professional development.Desired QualificationsCIMA certification (active, inactive, or lapsed are all acceptable) is desired.MBA/Masters in Business degree a plus.International business experience strongly desired.Ability to travel internationally.Experience driving improvements in monthly close and reporting processes to accelerate monthly close.Who is Fall Creek? We’re a US-based company with a keen focus on blueberry genetics, plants, and grower support delivered to the world’s premier blueberry growers. From our humble beginnings in Lowell, Oregon more than 40 years ago, we now also have wholly-owned nurseries in Mexico, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Netherlands, China, and Chile. Additionally, we have built a global team of the finest breeders, researchers, propagators and nursery professionals, grower support technicians, sales and customer service experts and more. We’re a deeply-planted link in a global chain, ready to serve our customers and our industry throughout North, Central, and South America, Greater Europe, Asia, and Africa. Our mission is to serve the growers and to support the blueberry industry, helping to ensure growers maximize success through our delivery of the best genetics and plants, technical know-how and global market intelligence. To fulfill our mission, we focus on cultivating exceptional plants, building strong relationships and providing responsive customer service. This is all part of how we’re helping to build A World with Better Blueberries™.