Plant Controller

Sun Hydraulics; Sarasota (FL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exposure to senior leadership

Global manufacturing organization

Collaborative culture with continuous–

Continuous improvement mindset

Job summary

Sun Hydraulics in Sarasota, FL seeks a Plant Controller to lead plant accounting and finance, including cost and inventory, month-end close, budgeting, and reporting aligned with US GAAP. You will partner with Operations, Supply Chain, HR, IT, and Sales to drive profitable growth and working-capital discipline.

You will supervise a small finance team, develop KPI dashboards in Power BI, and provide actionable insights on margins, variances, and capital projects. CPA/CMA preferred; MBA a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• 8+ years of progressive manufacturing accounting/finance experience including cost accounting and inventory.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP, internal controls, and audit support; SOX experience preferred.
• Advanced Excel and ERP reporting experience; Power BI skills a plus.
• CPA and/or CMA preferred; MBA a plus.
• Strong business partnering and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant month-end close with journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Own cost accounting and inventory processes including standard cost, BOM/routing, variance analysis.
• Prepare KPI dashboards and financial reviews for plant leadership showing margins and working capital.
• Develop Power BI reports and data models to enable data-driven decisions.
• Drive budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for the site.
• Provide decision support for make/buy, pricing, capacity and profitability initiatives.
• Mentor and develop plant finance staff; drive process improvements and automation.

Skills

US GAAP

Financial analysis

Leadership / people management

Business partnering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA and/or CMA preferred

MBA a plus

Tools

Power BI

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

The Plant Controller is the senior finance leader for the Sarasota manufacturing facility and a key member of the site leadership team. The Plant Controller leads plant accounting and finance, including cost/inventory accounting, month-end closing, reporting, budgeting/forecasting, internal controls, and decision support. Ensures timely, accurate financial statements and management reporting aligned with U.S. GAAP and company policy; supports internal/external audits (including SOX where applicable); and delivers clear insights on margins, variances, inventory, and operational performance. Partners with Operations, Supply Chain, HR, IT, and Sales to drive profitable growth, working-capital discipline, and continuous improvement, and works in unison with the VP of Finance and Segment Controller to align financial priorities and standards across the segment.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervise the cost accounting function (currently 1 direct report)
• Attract, develop, and mentor finance staff to maximize performance and support career growth

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the plant month-end close, including the review of journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and timely submission of results to corporate
• Own cost accounting and inventory processes, including standard cost maintenance, BOM/routing support, variance analysis, inventory valuation, cycle counts, and physical inventory
• Prepare and present KPI dashboards and financial reviews for plant leadership (margin, conversion cost, scrap, PPV, labor/overhead, absorption, working capital)
• Utilize and build out Power BI reporting (including data modeling, DAX measures, and visualization best practices) to interpret operational and financial data and enable timely, data-driven decisions
• Turn complex data from multiple sources into clear reporting and actionable insights (dashboards, variance bridges, concise executive summaries)
• Drive budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for the site; partner with leaders to align assumptions, targets, and actions
• Provide decision support for make/buy, pricing and margin, capacity, product mix, and profitability improvement initiatives
• Analyze manufacturing results vs. standard and plan; identify root causes and recommend corrective actions and cost-reduction opportunities
• Support capital planning (CapEx) by building business cases/ROI, preparing requests, tracking spend, and completing post-investment reviews
• Maintain an effective internal control environment; ensure compliance with company policy and US GAAP; support audits and remediation
• Partner with plant leadership on working capital management (inventory turns, payables/receivables coordination as applicable) and cash discipline
• Partner with General Accounting (AP, AR, and related functions) to troubleshoot issues and ensure accurate, timely reporting
• Lead, coach, and develop the plant finance team; set expectations, provide feedback, and improve processes through standardization and automation

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required
• 8+ years of progressive manufacturing accounting/finance experience, including cost accounting and inventory
• 3+ years of people leadership experience (direct supervision and/or leading through influence)
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP, internal controls, and audit support; SOX experience preferred
• ERP and manufacturing reporting experience advanced Excel skills
• CPA and/or CMA preferred; MBA a plus
• Strong business partnering skills; able to translate financial results into operational actions
• Strong analytical skills (variance analysis, margin bridge, standard cost, working capital) with high attention to detail
• Effective communicator able to influence across levels and functions, including non-finance audiences
• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop a team; comfortable managing priorities in a deadline-driven environment
• Advanced data visualization and reporting skills, including Power BI (report development, data modeling, and dashboard design)
• Continuous improvement mindset with experience improving processes, controls, and reporting through automation and standardization

What We Offer

• Direct exposure to senior finance and business leadership with meaningful responsibility and ownership
• Opportunities to grow alongside a global manufacturing organization
• Collaborative, improvement-oriented culture that values initiative and problem-solving