SAP 4HANA Implementation Financial Accounting Manager

About the role

Our client is hiring a SAP 4HANA Implementation Financial Accounting Manager to join their international automotive company. This is a contract position with a hybrid work arrangement requiring 3 days onsite (mandatory) and 2 days remote (subject to weekly manager approval; some weeks may require 4–5 days onsite).

Requirements

• Certified Public Accountant or master’s degree in accounting, taxation, financial planning, or business administration
• 10+ years of management experience
• 7+ years of management experience in the automotive industry
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting
• 10+ years of experience in accounting, tax, controlling, or finance
• 10+ years of experience with finance systems, including SAP 4HANA and at least 5 finance system implementations
• 10+ years of collaboration on projects with diverse and distributed teams
• Hands-on experience implementing new accounting standards such as IFRS or US GAAP
• 10+ years of cross-functional collaboration in accounting, tax, controlling, and business areas
• 10+ years of automotive industry experience in cost accounting, financial planning (budgeting, forecasting), public accounting, tax accounting, or corporate accounting

Skills

• Broad knowledge of general accounting topics
• Specific knowledge of warranty, goodwill, buyback, and service contract accounting, including US lemon law
• Advanced knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel
• Advanced use of BI tools (Tableau, QLIK, Power BI)

Responsibilities

• Analyze US GAAP/IFRS standard treatments for complex topics and service contracts, including US lemon law implications for buybacks
• Perform complex financial analysis for business cases using Power BI, Qlik, or Tableau
• Plan, budget, and forecast for Warranty, Goodwill, and Service Contracts (WGSC), including:
  • Projects: New Warrants System (NWS), Datamart, Qlik CPO, oil-only automation
  • Analysis: Battery State of Health; Maintenance Upgrade programs; Multi-Component contracts
  • Planning and comparison for Warranty, Goodwill, and Service Contracts
• On a monthly basis, provide actual vs. plan variance analysis of financial results and create senior management reporting
• Perform quarterly reviews of Warranty/Goodwill/Service Contract provisions and liabilities to ensure appropriate reserve levels
• Develop and implement tools to enhance and automate accounting processes
• Manage financial analysis of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements (balance sheet and P&L) against budget, forecast, and prior-year actuals, including total company analysis by segment and product line
• Create reporting for senior management and collaborate with controlling on consolidated group views
• Manage monthly Financial Statement Meetings, explaining variances and business developments to heads of accounting and controlling
• Independently plan Long-Range Plan (LRP), budget, forecast, and outlook for provisions related to Warranty, Goodwill (over $2 billion), and deferred revenue positions for Roadside Assistance, Scheduled Maintenance, Maintenance Plan Upgrades, and CPO Protection (over $1.5 billion)
• Collaborate cross-functionally with multiple business departments to monitor program profitability/loss for service contracts at the vendor code/program level
• Provide timely analyses, reporting, and proposals on program structure, pricing, efficiencies, and cost-saving opportunities to direct and upper management
• Organize and facilitate quarterly management briefings on Warranty/Goodwill/Maintenance Plans/Recalls and coordinate preparation with process partners
• Conduct quarterly studies of Warranty & Goodwill provisions, Maintenance (Scheduled & Upgrades), and CPO Protection to validate appropriateness of provisions and reserves
• Serve as subject matter expert for warranty provisions and deferred revenue positions, ensuring effective system utilization and data accuracy
• Drive process automation and system enhancements in collaboration with IT in Financial Analysis and Warranty
• Prepare ad hoc analyses, presentations, and estimates for direct and upper management
• Investigate fundamental accounting treatments under IFRS for balance sheet and P&L items
• Verify internal accounting controls are in place and effective
• Work with external auditors during annual audits and mid-year reviews