Regional Plant Controller

WATLOW ELECTRIC MALAYSIA SDN. BHD.; Kedah; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

13th month salary

Contractual bonus

Miscellaneous allowances

Job summary

WATLOW ELECTRIC MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. is seeking an experienced finance leader to partner with regional operations and drive budgeting, forecasting, and cost accounting across Kelim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah.

You will establish robust reporting, manage working capital, and lead the plant finance team in a dynamic manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate brings 10+ years in manufacturing finance, strong knowledge of standard costing and capital investment evaluation, and hands-on ERP/Oracle

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related discipline; professional accounting qualification is strongly preferred.
• Typically 10+ years of progressive finance experience in manufacturing, plant controlling, cost accounting, or operations finance.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• ERP experience; Oracle experience preferred; strong spreadsheet and data-analysis capability.
• Proven people leadership and change-management experience across functions and cultures.

Responsibilities

• Partner with regional operations, plant managers, supply chain, procurement, and commercial teams to evaluate performance and support decisions.
• Lead plant budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, and scenario analysis; ensure alignment with operational plans.
• Establish consistent plant reporting and review routines for revenue, margin, conversion cost, productivity, labor, overhead, inventory, and capital expenditure.
• Govern standard costing, bills of material, routings, overhead rates, variance analysis, and inventory valuation across the region.
• Drive improvements in inventory, payables, receivables, and cash conversion with clear ownership and action plans.
• Review business cases, validate financial assumptions, track approved spending, and conduct post-investment reviews.
• Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks, including obsolete inventory, excess capacity, and FX impacts.
• Standardize regional plant finance processes, improve ERP/reporting utilization, and automate recurring analysis.
• Lead, coach, and develop plant controllers and finance teams; promote collaboration and professional growth.
• Fluent business English; regional language capability is an advantage.

Skills

Financial leadership

Forecasting

Budgeting

Cost accounting

Financial analysis

Internal controls

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

CPA/CA/CMA/ACCA

Tools

ERP

Oracle

Job description

Must be willing to work at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah.

Key Responsibilities

Business partnership: Partner with regional operations, plant managers, supply chain, procurement, and commercial teams to evaluate performance, identify risks and opportunities, and support fact-based decisions.

Planning and forecasting: Lead plant budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, and scenario analysis; challenge assumptions and ensure alignment with operational plans and regional targets.

Performance management: Establish consistent plant reporting and review routines for revenue, margin, conversion cost, productivity, labor, overhead, inventory, capital expenditure, and cash flow.

Cost accounting: Govern standard costing, bills of material, routings, overhead rates, labor rates, variance analysis, and inventory valuation across the region.

Working capital: Drive improvements in inventory, payables, receivables, and cash conversion through clear ownership, analytics, and operational action plans.

Capital investment: Review business cases, validate financial assumptions, track approved spending, and conduct post-investment reviews to confirm delivery of committed returns.

Risk management: Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks, including obsolete inventory, excess capacity, unfavorable purchase-price exposure, customer or supplier concentration, and foreign-exchange impacts.

Process improvement: Standardize regional plant finance processes, strengthen data quality, improve ERP and reporting utilization, and automate recurring analysis where practical.

Team leadership: Lead, coach, and develop plant controllers and finance teams; set clear expectations, build succession plans, and promote collaboration and professional growth.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline; a professional accounting qualification such as CPA, CA, CMA, or ACCA is strongly preferred.

Typically 10 or more years of progressive finance experience, including significant responsibility in manufacturing, plant controlling, cost accounting, or operations finance.

Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing variances, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, internal controls, and capital investment evaluation.

Proficiency in ERP, Oracle experience preferred; strong spreadsheet and data-analysis capability.

Proven people-leadership and change-management experience, with the ability to influence across functions and cultures.

Fluent business English; additional regional language capability is an advantage.

Watlow, founded in 1922 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We already established more than 100 years.

Watlow, approximately $1 billion in annual revenues has seen tremendous growth, while demonstrating strong profitability and cash generation. The company manufactures heaters, sensors, and controls internationally for a wide range of high growth end markets. Acquired by Tinicum a leading Private Equity Firm in 2021, Watlow is positioned for future growth. This is a great opportunity to join a growing company that is going through change. At Watlow, while demonstrating uncompromising integrity, respect, commitment to teamwork, and relentless drive to add value.

Watlow, founded in 1922 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We already established more than 100 years.

Watlow, approximately $1 billion in annual revenues has seen tremendous growth, while demonstrating strong profitability and cash generation. The company manufactures heaters, sensors, and controls internationally for a wide range of high growth end markets. Acquired by Tinicum a leading Private Equity Firm in 2021, Watlow is positioned for future growth. This is a great opportunity to join a growing company that is going through change. At Watlow, while demonstrating uncompromising integrity, respect, commitment to teamwork, and relentless drive to add value.

Perks and benefits Great opportunity to join as pioneer team 13th-month Contractual Bonus & other Bonus Miscellaneous allowances, gifts & awards Yearly 18 days of Public Holidays and many mores~