Plant Controller

Description

Plant Controller

Where finance meets the factory floor

You don't sit in the office waiting for numbers to tell a story. You walk the plant, talk to operators, challenge assumptions, and connect what's happening on the floor to what's showing up in the P&L.

If you've led accounting in a manufacturing environment and know that cost accuracy starts with operational reality, this role is built for you.

We're a progressive, growth-oriented manufacturing company looking for a Plant Controller who can own the financial heartbeat of the operation. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll drive accounting, costing, controls, and reporting, while partnering closely with Operations to improve performance.

What You'll Own

Be the financial leader on the plant floor

• Act as a trusted advisor to Operations, not just a reporter of results
• Translate financial data into clear, actionable insights for plant leadership
• Connect production activity, labor, materials, and variances to real business outcomes

Drive accurate, disciplined manufacturing accounting

• Lead all plant accounting activities in compliance with U.S. GAAP
• Own monthly close, financial statements, budgeting, forecasting, and audit coordination
• Ensure costing integrity across all systems, transactions, and SKUs
• Investigate and explain actual vs. standard variances with precision

Own inventory, costing, and controls

• Lead cycle counting and physical inventories with operational alignment
• Ensure work orders are fully burdened and aligned to the corporate cost model
• Strengthen and continuously improve internal controls across inventory and manufacturing
• Conduct ongoing audits of transactions and master data for accuracy and impact

Turn data into operational improvement

• Analyze cost of goods, run costing studies, and identify margin opportunities
• Lead process improvements using Lean tools (as-is / to-be flow mapping)
• Pull and analyze data from SQL and ERP systems to improve visibility and decision-making
• Partner cross-functionally to drive efficiency, cost reduction, and performance

Lead systems and continuous improvement

• Work within ERP (Infor Visual Manufacturing) and support transition to MS Dynamics 365
• Recommend and implement system enhancements
• Develop and deliver ERP and process training to close gaps and elevate team capability

Build and develop your team

• Lead and coach the Cycle Counter / Inventory Analyst
• Set clear goals, develop capability, and raise the bar on performance
• Establish best practices across accounting, warehousing, and operations support

What You Bring

• Bachelor's (or Master's) in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• Proven experience as a Plant Controller or senior manufacturing finance leader
• Deep expertise in cost accounting within a process manufacturing environment
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP in manufacturing
• Experience working inside an ERP environment (Visual, SAP, Oracle, Epicor, D365, etc.)
• Advanced analytical skills. Comfortable pulling data from SQL and building models in Excel
• Ability to operate at both the strategic level and the transac