Plant Controller

Huhtamaki Group; Waterville (ME); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental & Vision

401(k) and pension

Tuition reimbursement

Wellness program

Paid time off

Paid time off

Job summary

Huhtamaki Waterville plant is seeking a Plant Controller to lead site finance, partner with plant leadership, and drive cost optimization and strong controls. You will oversee budgeting, forecasting, and performance reviews, while guiding cost-to-serve analyses, capital decisions, and manufacturing process improvements.

This onsite role requires strong analytical skills and a collaborative mindset. You will manage a finance team, implement automation and dashboards, and ensure compliance with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance or related field is required.
• Five or more years of manufacturing operations finance or accounting leadership experience.
• Experience with costing, budgeting, forecasting, inventory accounting and controls.
• Proven people leadership and cross-functional influence.
• Strong ERP and advanced Excel skills; ability to automate and report.
• Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong ERP and advanced Excel skills and ability to drive automation and analytics.

Responsibilities

• Partner with plant leaders to develop and execute financial and operational plans.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, monthly performance reviews, and reporting key trends and risks.
• Analyze labor, material usage, yield, scrap, downtime, inventory, and other drivers.
• Lead product costing, standard costs, variance analysis, and cost-to-serve analysis.
• Monitor capital spending, post‑investment reviews, and incentive tracking.
• Maintain internal controls and ERP accuracy; support audits and compliance.
• Support audits, fixed assets, reconciliations, and ERP data integrity.
• Develop the plant Finance team and drive continuous improvement.
• Advance reporting through automation, dashboards, and data visualization.

Skills

People leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Analytical thinking

Communication

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA or CMA; master’s degree desirable

Tools

Oracle

ERP systems

Excel

BI/Visualization tools

Job description

## Plant ControllerApply: #LI-Onsite: Waterville, ME, USA: Full time: Posted Yesterday: End Date: October 30, 2026 (23 days left to apply): R048327**Enjoy a career, packaged with care, whilst helping protect food, people and the planet**We are a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions. We’re on a mission to make all packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable. Every day, we ensure the hygiene and safety of food and drink for people around the world. We are Huhtamaki.You could be part of our vision. Because it’s our talented people that make it happen. Our people on the shop floor producing innovative, sustainable products. Our people in our offices delivering excellence for our customers every day. It’s every one of us working together.We offer a place where you can feel safe, be supported, and make an impact so we can all focus on the future together.**Job Summary**The Plant Controller is the financial leader for the Waterville site and a key member of the plant leadership team. This role partners with plant and Finance leaders to improve cost, performance, controls, and decision-making through clear financial analysis and recommendations. **Key Responsibilitie**s**Business Partnership and Performance**• Partner with plant leaders to develop and execute financial and operational plans.• Lead budgeting, forecasting, monthly performance reviews, and reporting key trends, risks, and opportunities.• Analyze labor, material usage, yield, scrap, downtime, productivity, inventory, and other operating drivers.• Provide actionable insights that improve cost competitiveness, working capital, and operating performance. **Costing, Capital, and Decision Support**• Lead product costing, standard costs, cost modeling, variance analysis, and cost-to-serve analysis.• Evaluate decisions related to capacity, staffing, sourcing, inventory, productivity, and manufacturing processes.• Assess capital proposals, including cost, cash flow, ROI, utilization, and operational benefits.• Monitor capital spending and benefits, support post-investment reviews, and track applicable incentives. **Controls and Financial Integrity**• Maintain effective internal controls and compliance with Huhtamaki accounting policies and reporting standards.• Partner with centralized Finance on close activities, reconciliations, fixed assets, transactions, and financial reporting.• Maintain accurate ERP, inventory, and product-costing records.• Support audits and site compliance programs, including safety, SQF, food safety, and housekeeping. **People and Continuous Improvement**• Lead and develop the plant Finance team, setting clear priorities and accountability.• Champion continuous improvement and validate financial benefits.• Improve reporting and decision support through automation, dashboards, data visualization, and ERP discipline.• Support World Class Operations and cross-functional process standardization. **Qualifications*****Required:***• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.• Five or more years of manufacturing operations finance or accounting leadership experience.• Experience in costing, budgeting, forecasting, inventory accounting, controls, and capital evaluation.• People-leadership experience and the ability to influence cross-functional teams.• Strong ERP and advanced Excel skills, including inventory, costing, reconciliations, and account review.• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills; ability to turn complex analysis into clear recommendations.• Experience leading change or continuous improvement. ***Preferred***• CPA or CMA; master’s degree desirable.• Oracle, BI, visualization, reporting automation, and manufacturing systems experience.• Lean, Kaizen, World Class Operations, or similar continuous improvement experience.• Food packaging, paperboard, converting, or related manufacturing experience. **Work Environment**• Onsite at the Waterville manufacturing site with regular shop-floor and plant leadership engagement.• Periodic support outside normal business hours may be required for close, budgets, audits, inventory, or significant operating events.• Physical ability to do work requiring frequent stooping, standing, squatting, bending, crawling, twisting, walking and lifting up to 50 lbs. occasionally. ***What we offer in return**** Our products are only as good as the people we hire, so we make sure to hire the best and treat them accordingly. Huhtamaki offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, 401K, and a pension. We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks – opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, employee referral bonus program, wellness program, onsite medical staff, monthly employee plate store benefits, monthly onsite boot truck, and various mentorship programs – that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally. You’ll also enjoy Paid Time Off and holiday pay because we believe a work-life balance is more than just a buzzword – it’s part of our culture.Trace your own Path! Join us to shape the future together!Equal Employment OpportunityHuhtamaki is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disabled.