Assistant Manager - Plant

Sids Farm; Tumakuru; On-site; INR 8,00,000 - 12,00,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading dairy production firm in Karnataka seeks a Plant Controller responsible for all financial operations at the plant level. You will oversee financial reporting, budgeting, and compliance, and partner with operational teams to drive efficiency. Ideal candidates have 6-8 years of experience in Plant Finance within the dairy sector, along with strong analytical and communication skills. This role offers a competitive salary and benefits in a dynamic work environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Performance-based incentives

Health and wellness benefits

Qualifications

• 6 to 8 years of experience in Plant Finance, Costing, or FP&A within Dairy or FMCG.
• Strong understanding of dairy operations, milk procurement, and processing.
• Expertise in costing, variance analysis, and financial controls.

Responsibilities

• Oversee financial accounting and reporting for the dairy plant.
• Implement and monitor plant budgets and standard costing systems.
• Partner with plant and procurement teams for cost monitoring.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Semi-Qualified Cost Accountant (ICWA)

Tools

Excel

Tally

Microsoft Office

Tally Prime

Job description

The Plant Controller is responsible for overseeing all financial and accounting functions at the plant level. This role ensures accurate reporting of production costs, inventory valuation, inventory optimization, variance analysis, and adherence to financial controls. The individual acts as a financial business partner to plant operations, providing insights that drive cost efficiency, cost control, process optimization, and drive towards profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Planning & Reporting

Oversee financial accounting and reporting for the dairy plant, including procurement of raw milk, packaging materials, utilities, and manpower costs; prepare and analyse monthly MIS, cost statements, and variance reports for management review; ensure accuracy in stock valuations of raw milk, work-in-progress, and finished dairy products; manage month-end and year-end closure processes in coordination with corporate finance; provide insights into plant-level profitability, operational efficiencies, and cost drivers.

2. Cost and Budgetary Control

Implement and monitor plant budgets and standard costing systems; track and analyze batch-wise production data in line with key cost elements such as milk loss, yield variance, power & fuel costs, cold storage expenses, and other plant-level overheads; identify cost-saving opportunities and drive continuous improvement initiatives; conduct product costing analysis and profitability analysis across SKUs (milk, curd, ghee, paneer, etc); support management in CAPEX evaluations, capital budgeting & ROI calculations, and feasibility studies.

3. Operational Support and Analysis

Partner with the plant and procurement teams to monitor milk procurement costs, chilling expenses, and transport costs, and their efficiency; analyze daily production data to ensure optimum utilization of raw materials and other resources, and overheads; validate production efficiency reports, yield analysis, and wastage reports; support operational teams in cost reduction and efficiency improvement projects.

4. Compliance, Audit, and Control

Ensure compliance with company policies, statutory norms, and internal audit requirements; oversee physical verification of inventory, milk stock, packaging materials, and other store and lab-related inventory; maintain strong internal controls for inventory management, asset control, material usage, and consumption; coordinate with corporate office staff and auditors for statutory and internal audits, providing all required data and documentation.

5. People and Process Management

Supervise and mentor the plant finance and stores accounting teams; strengthen financial discipline and process compliance across all plant departments; drive automation and digitalization initiatives to improve financial transparency.

Qualifications and Skills

Education: Semi-Qualified Cost Accountant (ICWA) required.

Experience

• 6 to 8 years of experience in Plant Finance, Costing, or FP&A within the Dairy or FMCG manufacturing sector.
• Strong understanding of dairy operations, milk procurement, processing, and cold chain logistics.
• Expertise in costing, variance analysis, and financial control in a manufacturing setup.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Tally.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• High attention to detail and integrity in financial reporting.
• Solid proficiency in Microsoft Office, Tally Prime.

Benefits

Competitive salary and performance-based incentives; opportunity to be a key player in the growth of a high-impact D2C brand; collaborative and dynamic work environment focused on innovation and community engagement; health and wellness benefits.