Open to opportunities

Karen Atkins

@karenatkins

I’m a finance & operations executive driving ERP transformation, compliance, and operational excellence for complex manufacturing teams.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead enterprise finance and ERP transformation, own DOD/ITAR/DFARS compliance, accelerate close and reporting automation, and partner with leadership to improve profitability in complex manufacturing.

I’m a finance executive with 15+ years leading financial strategy, operational excellence, and enterprise-wide systems transformation across complex manufacturing environments. I bring deep expertise in ERP implementations and finance systems modernization, helping organizations streamline close, strengthen controls, and improve profitability.

I’m known for accelerating close cycles, automating reporting, and building high-quality board reporting. Across roles, I’ve owned FP&A, budgeting and forecasting, cost accounting, and operational performance analytics—partnering with Presidents, GMs, and Boards to turn financial insight into clear execution.

Compliance is a core strength: I’ve led DOD/ITAR/DFARS/FARS compliance processes and governance, including costing and operational control improvements. I also focus on process automation and ICFR implementation to reduce risk while improving speed and reliability of financial reporting.

On the systems side, I’ve led ERP and finance transformation initiatives across SAP S/4 Hana, Oracle, JDE, Costpoint, Great Plains (Dynamics), M1, NetSuite, Kinaxis, and Hyperion/HFM automation. I re-engineer close and reporting processes, integrate shared services, and deliver measurable outcomes—often reducing days to close and driving significant variance improvements.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Site Finance Lead

Current

AdvanSix

Jan 2025 - Present (1 year 5 months)

Served as site finance lead and SAP S/4HANA costing SME, designing and implementing product simplification. Implemented compliance processes and strengthened operational controls.

SAP S 4HANA Cost Accounting ERP Implementation Process Automation

CFO / Controller

Craft Machine Works & Automated Machine & Technology

Jan 2022 - Jan 2025 (3 years)

Led financial strategy, DOD compliance, HRIS modernization, and ERP initiatives. Built board reporting packages and long-range business plans while implementing compliance processes and strengthening operational controls.

Financial Strategy DoD Compliance HRIS ERP Implementation Board Reporting Operational Controls

VP Finance & Compliance

Oran Safety Glass

Jan 2020 - Jan 2022 (2 years)

Owned P&L with IT leadership and enterprise compliance across ITAR, DFARS, and FARS. Directed costing, pricing, treasury, grant management, and financial analytics, and developed M&A evaluation tools.

P&L management ITAR Compliance DFARS Cost Accounting Pricing Strategy Treasury Grant Management

West Regional Controller

Hydro Aluminum Extrusion

Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 (2 years)

Led financial operations for four manufacturing sites, managing close, reporting, and pricing analytics. Re-costed product lines, built daily cost structure reporting, automated weekly financial reporting, and directed regional budgeting and ICFR implementation.

Financial Close Cost Accounting Pricing Analytics Financial Reporting Budgeting Process Automation Regional FP&A

Director of Finance & Accounting

Custom Window Systems

Jan 2017 - Jan 2018 (1 year)

Led finance for two $200M plants, owning FP&A, KPIs, forecasting, and board reporting. As acting CFO for six months, reduced days to close by 15 days, and implemented Great Plains Dynamics ahead of schedule with 20% cost savings.

FP&A KPI Management Budgeting & Forecasting Board Reporting CFO

Finance Systems Director

Polymer Group / Avintiv

Jan 2011 - Jan 2016 (5 years)

Re-engineered Oracle close processes and redesigned Hyperion reporting. Built forecasting tools that reduced variance from ±20% to 0.01% and scoped shared services by integrating NA and LATAM finance processes.

Oracle Hyperion Forecasting shared services NA LATAM Finance Integration Enterprise Reporting

Regional Controller

BAE Systems

Jan 2007 - Jan 2011 (4 years)

Led financial operations for five business units, reducing close time from 10 days to 2 days. Implemented M1 ERP and automated reporting with HFM, PeopleSoft, and Concur.

Financial Operations ERP Implementation Peoplesoft Concur

Controller

Foamex, Inc.

Jan 2004 - Jan 2007 (3 years)

Managed financial reporting, forecasting, cost control, and SAP migration. Drove improvements to cost structure and reporting to support operational decision-making.

SAP Migration Financial Reporting Forecasting Cost Control Financial Planning Operational Support