First Alert is a manufacturer of residential fire safety and IOT products, and the Connected Home and Security division of Newell Brands. In this role I headed managerial finance function with oversight of commercialization, operations, and FP&A in regards to corporate reporting, variance analysis, budgeting & forecasting, and decision support. I collaborated extensively with all functions of the business as well as Newell HQ to drive growth, increase efficiency, and optimally allocate resources of a fast-paced, constantly changing enterprise. I reported directly to the division CFO and spent substantial time with the division executive leadership providing analysis and strategic insight. In this role I designed extensive integrated models, tools, dashboards, reports, and analyses that successfully communicated status, trends, and supported crucial decisions. I also hired, trained, and mentored a team of 4 analysts to support these tasks.

Drove critical revenue and margin growth initiatives through in-depth operational data and financial analysis, evaluation of current financial operating procedures and creation of detailed analytics for two international lines of business with 18 product categories and more than 10,000 SKUs. Performed thorough analysis of financial results pertaining to $350M in annual business, supporting executive leadership and sales/marketing personnel. Provided weekly sales forecasts to senior management detailing daily shipment information and monthly/quarterly customer sales estimates. Trained account management staff on proper utilization of diverse financial concepts and modeling tools. Leveraged Excel-based modeling tools to analyze more than 2,000 opportunities annually at SKU-level to determine impact on P&L. Actively supported annual/semiannual financial planning with primary emphasis on P&L consolidation.

I transitioned from Marketing to Finance with this role, shifting my focus fully to quantitative analysis of customer profitability and pricing controls. I Analyzed product pricing proposals from Trade Marketing team to verify adherence to internal policies, margin expectations and customer requirements. Ensured the proper rationality of invoices/net pricing across all sales channels. Provided approval for periodic promotional pricing documentation for use at industry trade shows. Actively monitored retail price points within key customers to establish comparative pricing models.

In this role I supported Trade Marketing Managers with quantitative analysis of major accounts, assisted with optimization of product planograms, completed qualitative analysis of competing products, and oversaw product data management for major retailers such as Lowe's and Home Depot. This role was instrumental in providing a strong foundation in product knowledge that helped me throughout my ten-year career with First Alert.