Accounting - Financial Reporting Manager
- items.
- Supervisory Responsibilities: could be part of Responsibilities or separate? The posting includes "Supervisory Responsibilities: Will lead, coach, and develop one exempt employee (Cost Accountant), to including setting clear performance expectations and strategic goals, coaching and developing, prioritizing daily workloads, providing continuous performance feedback, and addressing performance gaps and missed commitments with a solutions-oriented, constructive approach." This could be part of Responsibilities or a separate section. Since we have a heading for Responsibilities, we can include supervisory responsibilities within that list. Or we could create a separate section "Team Leadership" but not in allowed headings. Allowed headings are limited to those list. So we should put supervisory responsibilities under Responsibilities.
- Qualifications: includes bachelor's degree required, 5-7+ years experience, MBA/MSF preferred, demonstrated success as collaborative leader, proficiency with Microsoft Office advanced Excel, working knowledge of ERP systems such as Oracle (highly preferred) or SAP, etc.
We can put under Qualifications.
- Skills: maybe we can extract skills like Lean mindset, Leader Standard Work, cost control, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, inventory management, BOM review, investment evaluation, continuous improvement, leadership, communication, etc. But we need to avoid inventing. The posting includes some skill-like statements: "experience operating within a Leader Standard Work (LSW) framework", "proficiency with Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel", "working knowledge of ERP systems such as Oracle (highly preferred) or SAP". Those could go under Skills. However we already have Qualifications covering education/experience and some skills. The instruction says prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones. So we could combine Qualifications and Skills into one section called Qualifications (or Requirements). But we have both Requirements and Qualifications headings allowed. We need to decide.
We have "Requirements" heading allowed. Could put education/experience under Requirements, and skills under Skills. But we must avoid thin sections. Let's see if we have enough content for each.
We have:
- About the role: substantive.
- Responsibilities: substantive list.
- Qualifications: education, experience, preferred degrees, leadership, ERP knowledge, Excel.
- Skills: maybe we can list specific technical skills: advanced Excel, ERP (Oracle/SAP), LSW, Lean mindset, cost accounting, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, inventory management, BOM review, investment evaluation, continuous improvement, etc. Many of these are already in responsibilities/qualifications. Might be redundant.
Better to have sections: About the role, Responsibilities, Qualifications. Possibly also Benefits/Pay/Schedule if present. The posting does not mention benefits, pay, schedule. So we omit those.
We also need to include company description? The opening paragraph about SMP is substantive. Should we include that? It's about the company, not the role. Could be part of About the role or a separate "About the company" but not allowed heading. Could incorporate into About the role as context. The instruction: "Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones." So we could include company overview in About the role section.
Thus About the role will contain: company description + role overview.
Now we need to format HTML: use
for section headings. Use
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. Use
for prose. We must not include any markdown code fences. Just raw HTML. We must not include job title heading. So no
Finance Manager
. We need to ensure we preserve all substantive information: company description, role overview, duties, supervisory responsibilities, qualifications (education, experience, preferred degrees, leadership, ERP, Excel). Also maybe mention location Independence, KS. Also mention continuous improvement environment, Lean mindset, LSW framework. Let's craft. Section About the role:About the role
thenwith company description and role overview. We need to be careful not to duplicate lines. Let's write:
Established in 1919 and traded on the NYSE, Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP) is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of premium automotive replacement parts utilized in the maintenance, repair, and service of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket. Additionally, SMP provides customized solutions for vehicle control and thermal management products in diversified end markets represented by its Engineered Solutions segment. Globally, SMP employs over 6,000 employees across nearly 40 manufacturing, distribution, and engineering facilities and offices located in North America, Europe and Asia. SMP sells its products primarily to automotive aftermarket retailers, program distribution groups, warehouse distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and original equipment service part operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Mexico, and other Latin American countries.
Then role overview:Finance Manager position based in Independence, KS, reporting to the Plant Manager. The role requires a Lean mindset and experience operating within a Leader Standard Work (LSW) framework to drive daily accountability, eliminate waste, and align plant financial performance with operational goals. The Finance Manager manages all financial matters, owns financial budgeting and ongoing forecasts, partners closely with the Plant Manager to drive strategic plant decisions, identify issues, and help drive plant performance and profitability. The role also focuses on increasing financial visibility, leading local cost‑reduction initiatives, and ensuring timely execution of reporting.
We could combine into onebut better separate paragraphs. Now Responsibilities:
Responsibilities
then- with each duty as
- .
List items:
- Managing the accounting system and ensuring timely and accurate collection and reporting of cost‑related financial information.
- Performing timely and accurate manufacturing cost variance analysis.
- Interfacing with plant management and plant staff on cost control measures and implementing cost reductions.
- Leading and assisting in the budget planning and forecasting process for Independence costs in accordance with corporate guidelines.
- Leading the facility’s annual update of standard costs in accordance with corporate guidelines.
- Ensuring inventory balances are properly stated in accordance with US GAAP and corporate guidelines.
- Reviewing bills of materials for accuracy and confirming that the BOM represents the actual product produced.
- Evaluating investment projects submitted by the Independence leadership team to verify accuracy and that returns meet corporate guidelines.
- Supporting SMP‑I's Quality, Environmental and Financial Management Systems; responding to findings or requests promptly and appropriately.
- Supporting SMP‑I's continuous improvement initiatives.
- Partnering with other members of the leadership team to exemplify and create a culture of ownership and responsibility for outcomes.
- Leading, coaching, and developing one exempt employee (Cost Accountant): setting clear performance expectations and strategic goals, coaching and developing, prioritizing daily workloads, providing continuous performance feedback, and addressing performance gaps and missed commitments with a solutions‑oriented, constructive approach.
We need to ensure we didn't miss any: "Supports SMP-I's Quality, Environmental and Financial Management Systems. Responds to findings or requests timely and appropriately. Supports SMP-I's continuous improvement initiatives." Already covered.
Now Qualifications:
Qualifications
then- maybe? But qualifications include education, experience, preferred degrees, leadership, ERP, Excel. Could be a mix of prose and list. The instruction: Use
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits, and
for prose. So if we have a list of qualifications, we can use
- . However some qualifications are not strictly list items (like "A bachelor’s degree in accounting is required, plus 5-7+ years of experience in a manufacturing cost environment.") That could be a list item. We'll make each bullet a qualification.
List:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting required.
- 5‑7+ years of experience in a manufacturing cost environment.
- Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Science in Finance (MSF) strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success as a collaborative leader who drives results by empowering the team.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel for analysis, tracking, and reporting.
- Working knowledge of ERP systems such as Oracle (highly preferred) or SAP, etc.
We could also include "Experience operating within a Leader Standard Work (LSW) framework" but that's more about role; we already covered in About the role.
Now we need to ensure we didn't include any boilerplate like EEO, application instructions, etc. We removed "SUBMIT RESUME BY MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 2026" and EEO statement.
Now output only HTML fragment.
Let's construct:
About the role
Established in 1919 and traded on the NYSE, Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP) is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of premium automotive replacement parts utilized in the maintenance, repair, and service of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket. Additionally, SMP provides customized solutions for vehicle control and thermal management products in diversified end markets represented by its Engineered Solutions segment. Globally, SMP employs over 6,000 employees across nearly 40 manufacturing, distribution, and engineering facilities and offices located in North America, Europe and Asia. SMP sells its products primarily to automotive aftermarket retailers, program distribution groups, warehouse distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and original equipment service part operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Mexico, and other Latin American countries.
Finance Manager position based in Independence, KS, reporting to the Plant Manager. The role requires a Lean mindset and experience operating within a Leader Standard Work (LSW) framework to drive daily accountability, eliminate waste, and align plant financial performance with operational goals. The Finance Manager manages all financial matters
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits, and
- .
List items:
- Managing the accounting system and ensuring timely and accurate collection and reporting of cost‑related financial information.
- Performing timely and accurate manufacturing cost variance analysis.
- Interfacing with plant management and plant staff on cost control measures and implementing cost reductions.
- Leading and assisting in the budget planning and forecasting process for Independence costs in accordance with corporate guidelines.
- Leading the facility’s annual update of standard costs in accordance with corporate guidelines.
- Ensuring inventory balances are properly stated in accordance with US GAAP and corporate guidelines.
- Reviewing bills of materials for accuracy and confirming that the BOM represents the actual product produced.
- Evaluating investment projects submitted by the Independence leadership team to verify accuracy and that returns meet corporate guidelines.
- Supporting SMP‑I's Quality, Environmental and Financial Management Systems; responding to findings or requests promptly and appropriately.
- Supporting SMP‑I's continuous improvement initiatives.
- Partnering with other members of the leadership team to exemplify and create a culture of ownership and responsibility for outcomes.
- Leading, coaching, and developing one exempt employee (Cost Accountant): setting clear performance expectations and strategic goals, coaching and developing, prioritizing daily workloads, providing continuous performance feedback, and addressing performance gaps and missed commitments with a solutions‑oriented, constructive approach.
We need to ensure we didn't miss any: "Supports SMP-I's Quality, Environmental and Financial Management Systems. Responds to findings or requests timely and appropriately. Supports SMP-I's continuous improvement initiatives." Already covered.
Now Qualifications:
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. Use