Finance & Procurement Business Partner

Role Purpose:

The newly created SCM Finance & Procurement Business Partner is a key liaison point between Finance, Procurement, and SCM Operations, supporting the end-to-end financial accuracy of procurement and Supply Chain activities.

This is a strategically important role focused on strengthening our financial oversight of procurement and SCM operations, aligning cost control, process compliance, and value optimization across several departments

This role ensures financial control, compliance, and efficiency through active involvement and financial oversight of purchasing processes, cost analysis, and Accounts Payable collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Operations & Controls

• Manage the GRIR (Goods Received / Invoice Received) process by tracking and clearing aged items, coordinating with buyers, Accounts Payable shared service teams, and internal and external warehouse teams to ensure timely resolution. This has a direct impact on cash flow and indeed, validates and supports warehouse transactions that support timely AP.
• Oversee the supplier statement reconciliation process in collaboration with the AP shared service centre and local procurement teams, ensuring timely reconciliation and action on outstanding items.
• Approve Purchase Order (PO) requests, ensuring correct GL and Cost Centre coding, alignment with budget, and compliance with internal control processes.
• Manage the Capital Expenditure (CapEx) purchase requisition process, verifying that all requests are supported with quotes, align with approved budgets, and are assigned to the correct general ledger accounts and cost centres.
• Assist in strengthening RMA process to reduce AP and transfer inventory liabilities back to suppliers, working closely with QA/QC, Logistics and buying functions
• Assist in developing and managing scrap budgets incl of forward buy/EC proposals and timings, ensuring that ECOs and predicted value add are matched off against forward buys/potential scrap in order to have a defined business case (payback)
• Assist in developing stock loss budget and oversight on adjustments across all SWO stockholding locations
• Managing Financial Audits and analyses for relevant areas
• Preparing financial reports and statements
• Managing and reviewing Purchase Information Record management for accurate costing and follow up on inaccuracies
• Assisting with Budget planning and Forecasting, both annualised, in year re-casting of same.
• Ensuring accurate data entry into accounting systems.
• Maintaining up-to-date information on procurement processes, policies, and compliance requirements.

Procurement & Cost Analysis

• Conduct detailed analysis of third-party freight and warehouse costs, including:
• Breakdown of costs by type of freight (standard vs. expedited).
• Comparison of actual costs versus budget and forecasts.
• Identification of cost drivers and opportunities for savings.
• Partner with Procurement and Finance teams to support accurate reporting of logistics-related spend and assist in budget development.
• Assist with the month-end and year-end close processes, particularly in areas related to purchasing, freight, and inventory-related accruals. This will involve reporting on account cost reference variance analysis and compiling commentary on same.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a finance or procurement operations role, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams, including shared service centres.
• Strong working knowledge of GRIR processes, PO lifecycle, and capital project controls.

Skills & Competencies:

• Solid understanding of financial controls and procurement processes.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and provide actionable insights.
• Confident communicator with strong interpersonal skills to coordinate across departments (AP, Procurement, Warehouse, etc.).
• Proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and advanced Excel skills.
• Attention to detail, problem-solving mindset, and ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.