A Day in the Life of a Senior Finance Director at Parker Meggitt
A day for Shawna, a Senior Finance Director, involves prioritizing tasks based on urgency and team support needs, acting as the second highest authority for approvals ("purchase orders or contracts"). This includes juggling daily requests, long-term projects like SOX compliance and inventory counts, and collaborating with other departments, constantly re-prioritizing tasks to ensure timely completion.
Executive/Leadership, Project Management, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Communication
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Shawna Anderson
Sr. Finance Director
Parker Meggitt
California State University, Northride, 2009
UCLA Anderson School of Business, MBA
Finance
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Finance
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Shawna's role involves high-level decision-making and approval authority for contracts and purchase orders, showcasing the significant responsibilities at her level.
2. The intense focus on inventory management and process improvement highlights the dynamic and challenging nature of her work, requiring constant prioritization and adaptation.
3. Collaboration with cross-functional teams (operations, supply chain) on major initiatives like physical inventory counts and SOC compliance demonstrates the importance of teamwork and communication in achieving organizational goals.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of your role look like?
To understand the top priorities facing my team, I need to be aware of what requires my attention. This ensures they have a clear path for timely review and the support they need, whether I'm reviewing things myself or if items require my approval.
I am the second-highest authority at my facility, below the general manager. This means purchase orders, contracts, and other items requiring my approval come my way. Currently, we have an intense focus on inventory.
I likely receive one or two random questions or new deliverables daily. I have to decide if I need to assign these to a team member or handle them myself. I am also constantly looking ahead to what's due tomorrow, later this week, and next month.
I try to incorporate general improvement priorities into the daily schedule. If I don't prioritize them, they will never get done. Of course, I also need to collaborate with my counterparts in other functions on various topics.
Right now, we are preparing for a site-wide, wall-to-wall physical inventory count. I need to work with my counterparts in operations and supply chain to prepare properly. We are also on a journey to become SOX compliant and are undergoing an audit.
This requires me to stay on top of my emails. I constantly reprioritize and create an urgent and less urgent to-do list, likely twice a day. Then, I try to determine who needs to take on which tasks to ensure everything gets completed.
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