Finance Intern

About Us

Vanguard Soap Company is a full-line, integrated soap manufacturer headquartered in Memphis, TN. Founded in 1943, we have built an 80-year legacy supplying high-quality bar and liquid soap products to national retailers and leading branded consumer goods companies. With more than 250 associates on our Memphis campus, Vanguard combines the scale of a category leader with the agility of a privately held company.

Position Overview

The Finance Intern will gain broad, hands-on exposure to financial planning, analysis, and reporting within a dynamic manufacturing environment. Working directly alongside the VP of Finance and the broader finance team, the intern will contribute to real business decisions (preparing analysis, maintaining financial models, and supporting budgeting and forecasting. Your work will directly inform profitability and operational performance decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Support preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages for senior leadership
• Assist in building and maintaining rolling forecasts and the annual operating plan across all divisions
• Analyze actual versus budget variances and prepare clear, concise explanations for management review
• Contribute to ad hoc financial modeling, scenario analysis, and business case development

Plant & Cost Reporting

• Maintain and update plant-level reporting templates, tracking production costs, labor, and overhead
• Support production variance analysis, including standard cost versus actual cost reconciliations
• Assist in monitoring working capital metrics such as inventory turns, days sales outstanding, and payables aging

Data & Process Support

• Extract, clean, and organize financial data from ERP and other systems to support analysis
• Build and refine Excel-based models and dashboards to improve visibility into key financial metrics
• Participate in cross-functional meetings with Operations, Supply Chain, and Sales to understand business drivers
• Identify opportunities to streamline recurring reporting and improve data accuracy

What You'll Gain

• Direct mentorship from experienced finance and operations professionals
• End-to-end exposure to FP&A, cost accounting, and manufacturing finance in a real production environment
• Experience working within a full ERP environment and cross-functional business processes
• A substantive work product you can speak to in future interviews - real analysis, real impact

Qualifications

Required

• Recently completed (or currently pursuing) a bachelor's degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field
• Strong foundation in Excel, including pivot tables, and basic financial modeling
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail and comfort working with large data sets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present findings clearly to non-financial stakeholders
• Self-starter who is organized, adaptable, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

• Prior coursework or experience in cost accounting, managerial accounting, or financial modeling
• Exposure to ERP systems (ADP, NetSuite, or similar)
• Familiarity with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau
• Interest in manufacturing, consumer products, or supply chain finance

Program Details

Duration: Summer 2026 (12 weeks with opportunity to convert to FT at the end of the internship)

Location: On-site, Memphis, TN (with potential hybrid flexibility)

Compensation: Paid internship – competitive hourly rate