Director of Finance in Vega Baja at PeopleLift

Company: Confidential client (a leading manufacturer and food distributor in Puerto Rico)
Location: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico (on-site)
Employment type: Full-time, exempt
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer / General Manager

About the Company

Our client is one of Puerto Rico's established names in food manufacturing and distribution. It supplies retailers, foodservice operators, and institutional customers across the island. The company has a long record of growth, runs integrated production and distribution, and is investing in its financial infrastructure to support its next stage of expansion.

The Director of Finance leads all financial operations for the organization, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, tax compliance and internal controls. As a strategic partner to executive leadership, this person turns financial data into decisions on pricing, product and route profitability, inventory, capital investment and working capital. The role manages the finance and accounting team and makes sure the company meets all local and federal financial and tax obligations.

Financial Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the annual budget, rolling forecasts and long-range financial plan in partnership with executive leadership.
• Give leadership monthly analysis of performance against budget, key variances and recommended actions.
• Build and track KPIs for manufacturing and distribution, such as gross margin by product line and customer, cost per case, route profitability, inventory turns and days sales outstanding (DSO).
• Evaluate capital expenditure requests, equipment investments and expansion opportunities through ROI and cash-flow analysis.

Accounting & Reporting

• Oversee the full accounting cycle, including month-end and year-end close, general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, and payroll accounting.
• Make sure financial statements are accurate, timely and GAAP-compliant.
• Manage the relationship with external auditors and lead the annual audit.
• Oversee cost accounting for manufacturing operations, including standard costing, bills of materials, production variances and COGS analysis.

Treasury & Working Capital

• Manage cash flow, liquidity and banking relationships, including credit facilities and loan covenant compliance.
• Improve working capital through inventory control, collection practices and vendor payment terms.
• Oversee customer credit policies and credit risk management.

Tax & Regulatory Compliance

• Keep the company compliant with Puerto Rico and federal tax obligations. This includes income tax, Sales and Use Tax (IVU), municipal license taxes (patentes municipales), CRIM property taxes and filings through the Departamento de Hacienda (SURI).
• Work with external tax advisors on planning, including any applicable tax incentive decrees.
• Maintain internal controls, policies and procedures that protect company assets and support audit readiness.

Team Leadership & Systems

• Lead, develop and mentor the finance and accounting team, setting clear goals and accountability.
• Drive process improvement and automation in the ERP and financial reporting tools.
• Work with Operations, Sales, Procurement and Logistics on financial decisions across the business.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.
• At least 8 years of progressive experience in accounting and finance, including at least 3 years in a management or leadership role.
• Experience in manufacturing, food distribution, consumer goods or a similar operations-heavy industry.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, cost accounting and financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of Puerto Rico tax requirements (Hacienda, IVU, CRIM, patentes municipales).
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite) and advanced Excel.
• Business-level fluency in Spanish and English, written and spoken. This is needed to communicate with local vendors, government agencies, auditors and U.S.-based partners.
• Authorization to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), preferably licensed in Puerto Rico, or a CMA or MBA.
• Experience with inventory-intensive operations, including perishable goods, cold chain or route-based distribution.
• Experience leading an ERP implementation or finance transformation.
• Familiarity with Puerto Rico tax incentive programs.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Business partnership and executive communication
• Integrity and sound judgment with confidential information
• Leadership and team development
• Process improvement and attention to detail

This is an on-site position at the company's Vega Baja facility. The role is mainly office-based and involves long periods of computer work. It also includes periodic visits to production, warehouse and distribution areas, which may be noisy or temperature-controlled (including cold storage). Occasional travel within Puerto Rico may be required.

The essential functions of this role must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities.

• Competitive base salary and annual performance bonus
• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Retirement plan
• Paid vacation and sick leave in accordance with Puerto Rico law, plus company holidays
• Christmas bonus (Bono de Navidad) as required by Puerto Rico law
• Opportunity to shape the financial strategy of a respected Puerto Rico company

Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or social origin, social condition, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, political affiliation or beliefs, military or veteran status, status as a victim or perceived victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other characteristic protected by federal law or Puerto Rico law. This includes Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, the ADEA, GINA and Puerto Rico Law No. 100 of 1959, as amended.

In keeping with Puerto Rico's Equal Pay Act (Act 16-2017), applicants will not be asked about their salary history.

Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process may contact PeopleLift at catiana@peoplelift.com. Accommodation requests are handled confidentially.

Our client is an EEOC Employer and encourages all minority groups to apply.

By applying to this job, as part of our typical recruiting process, from time to time, we may contact you regarding positions that we feel are a good fit for you or engage with you during the recruiting process via SMS text message. Message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile phone service plan. At any time you can get more help by replying HELP to these texts, or you can opt-out completely by replying STOP. Our Terms of Service are available at www.peoplelift.com.