Automation and Operational Excellence Lead Manager (Commercial Finance)

About the role

Reynolds American is evolving into a global multi-category business. Our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™ by Building a Smokeless World. To achieve our ambition, we are looking for colleagues who are ready to join us on this journey. Tomorrow can’t wait, let’s shape it together! REYNOLDS AMERICAN has an exciting opportunity for an Automation and Operational Excellence Lead Manager (Commercial Finance) in Winston-Salem, NC. BELONGING, ACHIEVING, TOGETHER Collaboration and teamwork underpin everything we do here at Reynolds American. We know that collaborating with colleagues is what makes us stronger and best prepared to meet our business goals.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Transformation Team to analyze current-state processes and design simplified future-state solutions to address ways of working, pain points and streamline operations.
• Develop scalable automation capabilities and process re-engineering initiatives that improve efficiency, accuracy, and user experience.
• Assess, design, and implement automation solutions across Commercial Finance, including Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), and workflow automation.
• Build automation capabilities within Commercial Finance and foster adoption of emerging technologies.
• Rapidly prototype new automation tools and support their deployment within established DBS and control frameworks.
• Partner with the Data Innovation Lab, AI/Copilot Lab, and external technology vendors to co-develop and deploy automation solutions.
• Collaborate with Commercial Finance and business stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and value delivery.
• Promote and share best practices in automation, process excellence, and continuous improvement across Commercial Finance and broader Finance teams.
• Act as a subject matter expert and coach for automation opportunities and methodologies.
• Define and monitor success metrics for automation initiatives, including hours saved, error reduction, cycle-time improvements, and ROI.
• Provide regular reporting on benefits realization and business impact.
• Establish and maintain an automation governance framework covering opportunity intake, prioritization, ROI standards, controls, compliance requirements, and risk assessment.
• Ensure automation initiatives align with organizational policies and control standards.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in Finance, Commercial Finance, or Commercial Planning & Insights.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Experience participating in process improvement, automation, reporting, or transformation initiatives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Exposure to automation technologies such as Databricks, Copilot, Power Automate, Power Apps, RPA tools, AI-enabled solutions, or similar platforms is preferred.
• Experience with Power BI, MicroStrategy, Tableau, Alteryx, SQL, or other data visualization and analytics tools is a plus.
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt or equivalent process improvement training is advantageous.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and proficiency with data analysis tools.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of BPC / SAP systems is a plus.
• Experience in consumer-driven or FMCG businesses is preferred.