Manager, Global Finance Solutions
Date Posted: February 28, 2023
Closing Date: March 10, 2023
Reports To: Corporate Controller
Location: Vancouver
Position Summary
We are Methanex: the world’s largest producer and supplier of methanol to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and South America, with our corporate head office located in Vancouver, BC.
What’s In It For You
- A competitive total rewards package that includes annual performance bonus program, generous pension plan, extended benefits coverage, and a flexible vacation program (3 weeks to start with additional personal days)
- Open and collaborative culture with direct line of communication to Executive Leadership team
- Beautiful, newly renovated downtown office with an excellent view and snack/soda bar for when you are onsite
The Manager, Global Finance Solutions is responsible for integrating the business and finance through process change and systems/ technology solutions. This role will functionally report to the Corporate Controller and will be responsible for ongoing Oracle system support/maintenance, training for Oracle end users (M&L and Finance), benefit realization of finance systems, including but not limited to Oracle, and business transformation and innovation through process change and systems. This role has significant connection to IT and M&L through, projects, resource allocation and day-to-day operations. Specifically, this role works with IT and M&L to lead the governance for the M&L and Finance Business Systems Steering Committee and works closely with the Manager, M&L Business Systems and Manager, Cloud Services to align technology roadmaps, resourcing and budgets.
This role will lead projects as dictated by business need/value, partnering with Manager, M&L Business Systems to determine the business needs from M&L champions and Finance champions. The role is primarily responsible for identifying opportunities for process improvement and global standardization within the Finance function. Through direct reporting of a global team of business leads, and will oversee the relationship with Methanex’s third party technical service support team for Oracle.
Position Responsibilities
Oracle Solutions and Finance Innovation
- Translate business requirements or challenges into solutions and validate preliminary budget and resource estimates. In collaboration with the business and managed service provider (Accenture), prioritize and select initiatives aligned to strategic direction that are feasible factoring budget, resources, risk, supportability of technology, practical fit, and impact on organization. Solutions to be focused on, but not limited to, Oracle system.
- Drive standardization in processes across the organization.
- When business requirements cannot be met through Oracle, consult and liaise with IT team on system recommendations and collaborate on solutions.
- Ensure appropriate subject matter expertise is consulted on key decisions and business case, from business and also technical expertise from IT and 3rd parties.
- Proactively identify opportunities for process improvements and business innovation through an understanding of system functionality and industry best practice, specifically through Oracle contract / relationships / Oracle cloud customer connect / Oracle events and training, and external investigation.
- Ensure smooth coordination with integrated systems, subject matter experts, and overlapping projects – including testing through Oracle and consideration of improvements to meet business requirements. Integrated systems include Maximo, Concur, Kleinschmidt, DB Net, Elemica and the Methanex Staging Database.
- Ensure financial data quality is maintained (I.e. compliance, orphaned records etc.) and identify opportunities for data quality improvement. Use KPIs and reporting to support data quality in Oracle in all regions.
- Review and approve configuration changes to Oracle due to enhancement requests from end users, aligned with guiding principles of IT Strategy and global consistency.
- Monitor and report on enhancement requests to Steering Committee.
- Recognize and elevate decisions for review by Steering Committee; document decisions and present recommendations for senior level review for GFF and GMLT.
- Establish and maintain a roadmap of continuous improvement for the Oracle product
- Oversight and management of Oracle system cost (>$1 million USD annually) and recommendations for renewals every five years.
- Ensures that system controls are aligned with SOX requirements and that global user-based system controls are in place and operating effectively to support financial reporting. Liaise with Assistant Controller and Director, Internal Audit as necessary.
- Prepare and manage Oracle Solutions operating budget for expenditures, including Oracle costs, managed services, and dedicated Methanex staff (and contractors, as necessary).
Oracle Support
- Manage Oracle quarterly releases for ERP and monthly releases for CPQ and FCCS. This includes: alignment with Deloitte for impact, test case planning, scheduling and accountability for testing.
- Manage Oracle support tickets through SD+, including prioritization, allocation of resources through ticket volume and status review. Reports data from tickets to Operations and Steering Committees and identifies and documents recommendations based on trends.
- Review and approve configuration changes to Oracle due to identified defects.
- Regular assessment of appropriate resourcing based on business needs, volume of tickets, and Oracle update changes.
- Ensure the correct level of SME engagement within the Methanex organization is participating in assessments of enhancements and in Oracle update testing, as necessary.
- Communication and change management for stakeholders, including GFF, GMLT and end users related to Oracle support issues, disruptions, and updates.
People Leadership & Management
- Manages Oracle Solutions Team Business Leads including ~6-8 direct reports across global sites
- Coordinates in-person team meetings and cross-training in conjunction with other team deliverables
- Indirect management of IT support team (integrations, security, and technical support business analysts) (~3 indirect reports)
- Assigns work and provides day-to-day supervision and guidance to direct reports; manages performance to ensure goals are being achieved
- Coaches direct reports and provide development opportunities for their professional development and improved team effectiveness
- Manages relationship with Accenture for technical support, including contract negotiation, review of hours and feedback on team and support.
- Escalates issues through Operations Committee, and Steering Committee, as required.
Change Management and Training
- As the primary point of contact with Finance and Operations Directors for Oracle solution, manages relationship in conjunction with direct reports by understanding business requirements and systems solutions.
- Works with IT to understand IT strategy and ensures alignment of Oracle solutions and business needs to broader IT strategy. Promotes IT strategy with stakeholders.
- Works with Finance to establish strategy in terms of systems and promote global consistency with stakeholders.
- Responsibility for all global communication related to Oracle – systems outages, training, quarterly release updates.
- Makes recommendations for, coordinates and staffs training initiatives for Oracle based on business requests, scope of Oracle updates, and data from support tickets.
- Ensures Oracle OneNote and Promap process flows are up to date and has responsibility for Oracle Training SharePoint site.
- Ownership of onboarding training material for Oracle users.
- Responsibility for communication to senior leadership of key performance indicators for the group, including quality of day-to-day support and progress on projects and enhancements.
Position Qualifications
Education and/or Professional Designation
- University graduate in Business/Finance
- Accounting Qualification/ Designation
Experience and Technical Skills/Knowledge
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in Operational Finance and/or Customer Service in Marketing and Logistics Petrochemical/ Commodity industry
- Deep and broad experience, skills and knowledge of Finance processes within Methanex is essential
- Proven leadership skills, with experience in leading teams and facilitating workshops
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
- Knowledge of O365 and Advanced Excel
- ERP system literacy, Oracle Cloud; experience in complex ERP implementation and beyond.
Apply for Manager, Global Finance Solutions
At Methanex, we believe that having a diverse team and an inclusive workplace creates a better culture, better decisions and a better company. We are committed to a diverse organization that values different perspectives, backgrounds, skills and abilities. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from all qualified individuals.