Full Job Description
The Director, Financial Analytics leads a team of finance business partners embedded across Waupaca Foundry's functional areas, translating operational reality into the financial analysis, business cases, and capital requests that drive company decision-making. This role owns the largest and most complex analyses spanning multiple functional areas and prepares, owns, and presents board-ready materials. This position reports directly to the CFO and will interface with the PE ownership group.
This is a hands-on modeling and analysis role as much as it is a leadership role. The Director sets the analytical standard for the team, develops the people on it, and holds everyone, including themselves to that same standard.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leadership & Team Development
• Lead, develop, and set the analytical standard for a team of finance business partners
• Build and hire the FP&A team from the ground up, then coach and develop them from individual contributors into broader ownership roles
• Hold the team accountable to a standard of ownership, rigor, and board-ready output
Business Partnership & Analysis
• Own the largest and most complex financial analyses that span multiple functional areas, including areas not yet covered by a dedicated team member
• Translate complex, ambiguous business questions into structured, actionable analysis
• Serve as a thought partner to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and to the finance business partners on the team
• Reach defensible conclusions when working with messy, incomplete, or imperfect data
Capital & Business Case Development
• Own the development of capital request presentations and business cases, from analysis through executive and board-level presentation
• Serve as the primary interface to the CFO on financial analytics and forward-looking business modeling
Standards & Tools
• Stay forward-thinking on AI and data tools, and use them in practice
• Candidates will have access to Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude as tools to support their work - these tools do not replace critical thinking, and all outputs must be owned by the individual as if they were their own
This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all of the "essential functions" for purposes of the ADA.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, or a related field from an accredited four (4) year college or university; MBA a plus but not required
• 10+ years in FP&A, Consulting, or Analytics; experience within a business unit of a manufacturing organization is a plus
• Demonstrated experience creating and owning board-level presentations
• Track record managing and developing a team
• Strong cross-functional partnering experience
• AS400 and/or SAP experience preferred but not required
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
• Strong critical thinking, accountability, prioritization, humility, and influencing skills are required
• Comfortable self-orienting quickly and driving work to completion without oversight
• On-site 5 days per week, Waupaca, WI
• If selected for consideration, candidates must successfully complete a selection process that includes a screening, 2 interviews, a case study & presentation, reference check/verification, and a pre-employment drug screen
BENEFITS:
Waupaca Foundry offers competitive wages and exceptional benefits, including:
• Medical, dental, vision
• Short and long term disability
• Life insurance
• 401(k)
• Employer funded retirement plan
• Paid vacations/holidays
• Wellness program
• Fitness membership
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Employer supported career development, including tuition reimbursement