The Opportunity

Independent Electric (IE) seeks an experienced and energetic finance professional with strong management skills to drive our organization's financial operations. At IE, our leaders focus on building customer-centric strategies, empowering and developing associates, driving change management, and delivering results.

The VP of Finance role at IE is an Executive Leadership position, which partners both vertically and horizontally across the organization. The position has dual reporting lines to the IE President and Sonepar VP of Finance for the West Region.

Business and Financial Leadership

• Continuous financial review to control and monitor the business and improve its performance
• Collaborate with other functional leaders and drive process improvement through the organization
• Understand and help control sales investments and gross margin evolution, and assist other departments in gross margin improvement initiatives
• Provide accurate, timely, and meaningful reporting, including analytics to highlight areas for improvement and cost savings, more specifically ensure a close follow-up of discretionary, adaptable, and controllable costs.
• Assess, manage, and minimize the risk of accounts receivable and inventory levels to ensure optimal financial performance
• Ensure that a strong and reliable internal control framework exists in the Company, enhance and adapt it in collaboration with other functional leaders, and develop and implement procedures improving the operational excellence of the Company that effectively manage the risks
• Participate in the creation and implementation of action plans and recommendations made by internal or external auditors or by Sonepar Internal Control team in a timely manner
• Prepare financial models for strategic initiatives and investments such as branch expansions and relocations, acquisitions, and significant capex investments.
• Provide financial guidance on contracts, agreements, and proposals and liaise with the Corporate legal department when necessary
• Communicate and report transparently to the Sonepar VP of Finance for West Region

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Prepare annual budgets and quarterly forecasts at the Company and branch level, including analysis against actual performance.
• Develop and prepare KPI metrics and reports for operations, regions, and branches
• Prepare management commentary and financial presentations
• Support Sonepar FP&A on required reporting and analysis
• Anticipate and foresee the evolution of the financial aspects of the Company, inform management of trends, evolutions, risks, and opportunities

Finance Operations

• Manage and develop the team of local financial operations resources, including the Credit team
• Enforce all Sonepar policies, ensure controls are in place and operating effectively
• Manage the T&E and inventory corporate card program within the Concur platform
• Develop appropriate customer and vendor relationships to manage assets

Accounting

• Financial ownership of all accounts
• Collaborate and maintain a strong relationship with Shared Services and Corporate Finance tea
• Manage internal and external audits of all types
• Research and resolution of accounting issues, development of accounting estimates

Qualifications

• 10+ years of financial management, with experience in the distribution industry preferred
• Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) from a 4-year college or University in Accounting/Finance; With CPA is a plus
• Proven track record as a leader who can solve problems and resolve conflicts
• Supervisory experience as the direct manager of a department with responsibility for hiring, accountability, performance reviews, team development, etc.
• Self-motivated, curious, and with a high sense of urgency
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to manage effectively in a matrixed organization
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office products and ERP systems. Experience with Eclipse ERP is a plus
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About Independent Electric

Independent Electric opened in 1976 with ten employees to serve electrical contractors working in the high-tech aerospace industry. Today, IE is one of the most prominent electrical distributors in the markets it serves, employing 600 associates. IE manages over 1 million square feet of warehouse space across 23 branches in Northern California and Arizona, including central distribution centers in San Leandro, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. IE serves the broad electrical construction market with dedicated resources specialized in lighting, switchgear, wire management, tools & safety, renewable energy, utility, project design and management, and logistics solutions. IE is a subsidiary of Sonepar USA, part of the global Sonepar family.

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What are the Benefits?

401K Plan, Health Insurance (medical, dental, and vision), Paid Vacation, Paid Sick, Paid Personal, Paid Holidays, Flexible Spending Accounts (Health and Dependent Care), Paid Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement Employee Discounts, and a definitive career path.