FX-and-Working-Capital Recovery Leader

The mandate

Plants buy imported electronics and metals in dollars and euros, sell largely in pesos and rely on contractual price-reset formulas that customers apply months later. Currency moves, inventory buffers and overdue OEM receipts have combined into liquidity shortages despite reported programme margins. The regional treasurer departed during emergency funding, creating a twelve-month seat before new model launches and annual customer repricing.

The interim leader will connect firm and forecast purchase, inventory, production, shipment, invoice, collection and price-recovery cash by programme and currency. Work includes exposure definition, hedge and natural-offset logic, customer recovery, supplier terms, inventory decisions, short-term funding and plant accountability. The aim is not simply faster collections or more hedging, but a coherent economic margin and cash response to mismatched timing.

A permanent regional treasurer will be appointed by month seven and lead the final repricing cycle plus one plant liquidity stress. Handover requires the successor to decide a hedge under uncertain production, challenge an inventory build and negotiate an evidence-based cash escalation with a major customer. The transfer includes programme exposures, contracts, hedge history, customer claims, supplier constraints, forecasts and residual funding concentration.

The seat can direct cash and FX execution within limits, set exposure and forecast standards, prioritise collections, recommend inventory and purchasing constraints, negotiate operational payment timing and allocate approved facilities. It cannot change customer pricing unilaterally, approve sales terms, trade outside policy, halt safety-critical supply, sign borrowing, interpret tax, waive credit controls or close a plant.

The remit excludes acting as sales head, plant manager, procurement leader or permanent chief financial officer. Success means programme cash and currency exposures are visible, price recovery is evidenced, inventory decisions reflect liquidity, customer receipts improve and a successor can manage launches. Cash cannot be improved by damaging supplier continuity or booking unsupported commercial recoveries.

Why this seat is open

The liquidity event exposed how plant plans, customer pricing and treasury hedges used different volume and timing assumptions just as leadership departed. Upcoming launches leave no room for a prolonged search. Temporary authority is needed to command cross-functional cash, make difficult inventory and hedge choices and establish a permanent regional treasurer through live repricing pressure.

What you will own

• Map programme cash across imported purchases, supplier terms, inventory, production, shipment, invoice, collection and price adjustment.
• Establish committed and forecast currency exposures by date, entity, programme, confidence, natural offset and hedge status.
• Reconcile contractual commodity and FX recovery to customer approval, invoice, receipt and remaining economic margin.
• Challenge inventory and procurement decisions using production need, lead time, obsolescence, currency and liquidity consequence.
• Direct collection and dispute escalation with evidence while preserving customer relationships and authorised commercial ownership.
• Manage cash, facilities and hedges inside delegated limits with transparent plant and group treasury decisions.
• Induct the successor through launch, hedge and customer choices and transfer every exposure and recovery claim.

Candidate qualifications

• Has led treasury and working-capital recovery for automotive manufacturing with imported inputs, staged launches and OEM customers.
• Understands forecast and firm FX exposure, natural hedges, price-adjustment clauses, inventory, tooling payments and programme cash.
• Has managed customer recovery lags and supplier continuity during severe currency movement and launch demand.
• Can challenge plant inventory and sales forecasts without assuming their operational and commercial authority.
• Has executed hedges under volume uncertainty with clear designation, limits and residual exposure.
• Demonstrates permanent regional treasury succession through live customer, plant and market decisions.

Non-negotiables

• Will work onsite in Mexico City and complete monthly plant residencies and fortnightly customer exposure reviews.
• Must disclose relationships with OEMs, suppliers, banks, hedge providers, manufacturers and advisers.
• Brings plant-level FX and cash recovery; corporate hedging or receivables collection alone is insufficient.
• Will not manufacture cash through unsupported price recovery, unsafe supply interruption or out-of-policy trading.

1. 49 words maximum. Which timing difference most distorts FX margin on an automotive customer programme?
2. 49 words maximum. How would you hedge a launch when purchase commitments exceed reliable production forecasts?
3. 49 words maximum. What inventory or customer decision must the permanent treasurer own before handover?