Plant Controller

Helios-Technologies-5; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Helios-Technologies-5 is seeking a Plant Controller to lead finance for the Sarasota manufacturing facility. You will run cost accounting, inventory management, and month-end close, delivering timely GAAP-compliant statements and actionable insights.

You will partner with Operations, Supply Chain, HR, IT, and Sales to drive margins, working-capital discipline, and continuous improvement while mentoring the plant finance team.

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.

Responsibilities

• Lead the plant month-end close with journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and timely reporting to corporate.
• Own cost accounting and inventory processes, including standard cost, BOM/routing support, variance analysis, and inventory valuation.
• Develop KPI dashboards and financial reviews for plant leadership; build Power BI reports and visuals.
• Drive budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for the site; provide decision support for make/buy, pricing, capacity, and product mix.
• Support CapEx planning with ROI analyses and post-investment reviews; maintain internal controls and support audits.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Cost accounting

Leadership

Communication

Business partnering

Process improvement

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA or CMA preferred

MBA preferred

Tools

Power BI

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

Position Overview: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 growthKey Responsibilities:Lead the plant month-end close, including the review of journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and timely submission of results to corporateOwn cost accounting and inventory processes, including standard cost maintenance, BOM/routing support, variance analysis, inventory valuation, cycle counts, and physical inventoryPrepare 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 decisionsTurn 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 actionsProvide decision support for make/buy, pricing and margin, capacity, product mix, and profitability improvement initiativesAnalyze manufacturing results vs. standard and plan; identify root causes and recommend corrective actions and cost-reduction opportunitiesSupport capital planning (CapEx) by building business cases/ROI, preparing requests, tracking spend, and completing post-investment reviewsMaintain an effective internal control environment; ensure compliance with company policy and US GAAP; support audits and remediationPartner with plant leadership on working capital management (inventory turns, payables/receivables coordination as applicable) and cash disciplinePartner with General Accounting (AP, AR, and related functions) to troubleshoot issues and ensure accurate, timely reportingLead, coach, and develop the plant finance team; set expectations, provide feedback, and improve processes through standardization and automationEducation and Experience:Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required8+ years of progressive manufacturing accounting/finance experience, including cost accounting and inventory3+ years of people leadership experience (direct supervision and/or leading through influence)Strong knowledge of US GAAP, internal controls, and audit support; SOX experience preferredERP and manufacturing reporting experience advanced Excel skillsCPA and/or CMA preferred; MBA a plusSkills & Competencies:Strong business partnering skills; able to translate financial results into operational actionsStrong analytical skills (variance analysis, margin bridge, standard cost, working capital) with high attention to detailEffective communicator able to influence across levels and functions, including non-finance audiencesProven ability to lead, coach, and develop a team; comfortable managing priorities in a deadline-driven environmentAdvanced 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 standardizationWhat We OfferDirect exposure to senior finance and business leadership with meaningful responsibility and ownershipOpportunities to grow alongside a global manufacturing organizationCollaborative, improvement-oriented culture that values initiative and problem-solvingCompetitive compensation and benefits