Plant Controller

Rautenberg Associates; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rautenberg Associates seeks a Plant Controller to act as the financial partner to site leadership at a Wisconsin manufacturing site. You will own the plant's financial performance and stay closely connected to day-to-day operations.

Responsibilities include month-end close, cost accounting, variance analysis, and preparing forecasts. You will build business cases for site investments, maintain controls, and support audits with strong Excel and SAP skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance required.
• CPA/CMA credentials are advantageous.
• Experience in plant/factory-based accounting or operational finance.
• Strong Excel and ERP systems experience, especially SAP.

Responsibilities

• Act as financial counterpart to Plant Manager to drive profitability.
• Own month-end close, accounting, reconciliations and balance sheet.
• Translate financial results into clear performance explanations and actions.
• Analyze production spend and stock values with standard costs and variance analysis.
• Shape annual financial plan and forecasts for the plant.
• Build business cases for site investments and track outcomes.
• Maintain controls across inventory, supplier payments, and customer billing; support audits.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting & forecasting

Operational finance

Data interpretation

Communication with operations

Education

Bachelor's in accounting/finance

CPA or CMA (advantage)

Tools

SAP

Job description

Do you have a strong background in plant finance or cost accounting and enjoy working close to manufacturing operations? Are you looking to move beyond reporting into a role where you can influence operational decisions, improve performance, and support profitable growth?

We are currently seeking an experienced Plant Controller to serve as the financial partner to site leadership for a leading global organization within the food and nutrition industry.

Your responsibilities:

In this position, you will take ownership of the plant’s financial performance while remaining closely connected to day‑to‑day operations. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Act as the financial counterpart to the Plant Manager, helping translate site priorities into decisions that strengthen profitability, productivity, and cash generation.
• Take ownership of month‑end accounting and reporting, ensuring accruals, account reconciliations, and balance‑sheet positions accurately reflect site activity.
• Turn financial results and operational data into clear explanations of performance, highlighting emerging issues and recommending practical next steps.
• Examine the drivers of production spending and stock values, using standard costs and variance analysis to uncover inefficiencies and savings opportunities.
• Shape the plant’s annual financial plan and subsequent forecasts, assessing how changes in production and business conditions could affect expected results.
• Build the financial case for site investments and track project outcomes to support effective use of capital and manufacturing assets.
• Maintain reliable financial controls across inventory, supplier payments, and customer billing, while supporting audits and improvements to plant processes.
• A bachelor’s qualification in accounting, finance, or a closely related subject; CPA, CMA, or equivalent credentials would be an advantage.
• A solid grounding in interpreting financial results, building budgets and forecasts, and evaluating business performance.
• Strong Excel capabilities and practical familiarity with enterprise finance systems, such as SAP.
• The ability to investigate complex issues, explain your findings clearly, and help colleagues turn analysis into informed decisions.
• An organized, adaptable working style that allows you to balance competing demands and meet deadlines in a busy manufacturing setting.
• Ideally, a background in factory‑based accounting or operational finance, with exposure to product costing, inventory, fixed assets, and investment appraisal.
• Experience in food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, or consumer‑products businesses would be beneficial, as would leading a team or coordinating initiatives across departments.

Why the role is interesting:

This is not a purely reporting‑focused controllership position. The successful candidate will act as a genuine business partner to plant leadership, using financial insight to improve productivity, control costs, strengthen working capital, and support better operational decisions.

The role offers broad exposure to manufacturing operations, commercial decision‑making, capital investment planning, and business strategy within a global organization. It is particularly well suited to someone who understands the details behind plant performance but can also step back, challenge the business, and help leadership turn financial analysis into measurable results.