Plant Controller

Vaco by Highspring; Port Coquitlam; On-site; CAD 115,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring is helping a leading Canadian food manufacturing company in Port Coquitlam, BC hire a Plant Controller for a permanent on-site position. The role drives financial performance and oversees the Finance team and month-end close.

The ideal candidate holds a CPA designation with 4–6 years in manufacturing accounting, plus supervisory experience and strong cost accounting expertise (standard costing or ABC).

Qualifications

• CPA designation (Canadian or international equivalent).
• 4–6 years of progressive accounting experience with increasing responsibility.
• Manufacturing industry experience; food manufacturing preferred.
• Supervisory or team lead experience in accounting/finance.
• Strong cost accounting expertise, including standard costing and ABC.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the Finance team by setting goals, coaching, mentoring, developing staff, and managing day-to-day performance to ensure strong operational effectiveness.
• Drive continuous process improvements across Finance to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and adherence to internal policies, quality standards, and compliance requirements.
• Prepare comprehensive financial reporting packages, including financial statements, bridging schedules, AP/AR reconciliations, and executive-level analysis to support decision-making.
• Oversee the month-end closing process, ensuring timely completion, issue resolution, and adherence to established schedules and reporting timelines.
• Manage compliance activities and coordinate work with external partners for audits, tax filings, pension reporting, and other statutory requirements.
• Maintain advanced oversight of accounting systems, including general ledger mapping, configuration, troubleshooting, period closing controls, and system-related updates or corrections.
• Lead and maintain general ledger governance, including chart of accounts management, and provide Finance support for the ERP system.
• Review daily, weekly, and monthly operational reporting (including yield and labour metrics), analyzing variances against targets and historical data to support operational performance.
• Partner with facility accountants, operations leaders, and plant management to analyze reporting accuracy, support cost control initiatives, and provide business analysis aligned with organizational objectives.
• Ensure timely completion and review of balance sheet reconciliations, strengthen cost accounting processes, collaborate across Finance functions, and evaluate profitability for new production lines.

Skills

Cost accounting

Leadership

Process improvements

Financial analysis

Education

CPA designation (Canada or international)

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Job Type: Permanent, 5 days on-site, Port Coquitlam, BC

Job Salary: $115,000 - $129,000

About the Company

Our client is an industry leader in the food manufacturing space. They are looking for a Plant Controller to join their team!

Why Work Here

• Join a recognized leader in the Canadian food manufacturing industry
• Take on a unique role that blends commercial finance, operations support, and business performance insights
• Benefit from a strong compensation package paired with comprehensive benefits

About the Opportunity

• Provide leadership to the Finance team by setting goals, coaching, mentoring, developing staff, and managing day?to?day performance to ensure strong operational effectiveness
• Drive continuous process improvements across Finance to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and adherence to internal policies, quality standards, and compliance requirements
• Prepare comprehensive financial reporting packages, including financial statements, bridging schedules, AP/AR reconciliations, and executive-level analysis to support decision-making
• Oversee the month-end closing process, ensuring timely completion, issue resolution, and adherence to established schedules and reporting timelines
• Manage compliance activities and coordinate work with external partners for audits, tax filings, pension reporting, and other statutory requirements
• Maintain advanced oversight of accounting systems, including general ledger mapping, configuration, troubleshooting, period closing controls, and system-related updates or corrections
• Lead and maintain general ledger governance, including chart of accounts management, and provide Finance support for the ERP system
• Review daily, weekly, and monthly operational reporting (including yield and labour metrics), analyzing variances against targets and historical data to support operational performance
• Partner with facility accountants, operations leaders, and plant management to analyze reporting accuracy, support cost control initiatives, and provide business analysis aligned with organizational objectives
• Ensure timely completion and review of balance sheet reconciliations, strengthen cost accounting processes, collaborate across Finance functions, and evaluate profitability for new production lines

About You

• CPA designation (Canadian or internationally recognized equivalent)
• 4–6 years of progressive accounting experience with increasing responsibility
• Manufacturing industry experience; food manufacturing experience is preferred
• Supervisory or team lead experience in an accounting or finance environment
• Strong cost accounting expertise, including standard costing and/or activity?based costing (ABC)