Plant Controller

Jobtailor; Wood Dale (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks an experienced Operations Finance leader to partner with plant directors at Wood Dale and Elk Grove to deliver financial insights and cost improvement initiatives. You will own site-level budgets, forecast performance, and contribute to capital planning.

The role requires 7+ years in manufacturing finance, CPA/CMA preferred, and strong ERP experience (SAP/Oracle) with Excel proficiency. You will translate complex data into clear narratives for non-finance audiences and ensure SOX

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in operations finance, plant controlling, or manufacturing finance.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• Proven track record partnering with operational leaders to deliver cost improvements.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) and financial reporting tools.
• Strong ability to translate complex data into clear business narratives for non-finance audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop site-level operating budgets and financial forecasts.
• Partner with plant directors and leadership teams to deliver financial insights.
• Analyze plant-level cost performance including variances in material, labor, and overhead.
• Identify and track cost improvement and productivity initiatives.
• Deliver monthly financial reporting, variance analysis, KPI dashboards, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with Cost Accounting and global finance for cost accounting accuracy.
• Support capital expenditure planning and post-investment analysis.
• Make financial data accessible to non-finance stakeholders and drive accountability.
• Facilitate month-, quarter-, and year-end close processes for both sites.
• Maintain internal controls, SOX compliance, and audit readiness.
• Analyze inventory performance, establish targets, monitor KPIs, and improve productivity and forecast accuracy.

Skills

Operations finance

Cost improvement

Interpersonal skills

Relationship building

Communication

Financial data synthesis

Collaboration

KPIs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Power BI

Tableau

Microsoft Excel

Job description

• Develop site-level operating budgets and financial forecasts
• Partner with plant directors and site leadership teams at Wood Dale and Elk Grove to deliver financial insights
• Analyze plant-level cost performance, including material, labor, and overhead variances
• Identify and track cost improvement and productivity initiatives
• Deliver monthly financial reporting, variance analysis, KPI dashboards, and risk and opportunity assessments
• Collaborate with Cost Accounting and global finance teams to ensure consistent and accurate plant-level cost accounting
• Support capital expenditure planning and post-investment analysis
• Make financial data accessible to non-finance stakeholders and foster financial accountability
• Facilitate month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes for both sites
• Maintain internal controls, SOX compliance, and audit readiness
• Analyze inventory performance, establish inventory targets, monitor KPI trends, and improve inventory productivity, forecast accuracy, and profitability

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in operations finance, plant controlling, or manufacturing finance within an industrial or manufacturing environment
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field
• Proven track record of partnering with operational leaders to identify and deliver cost improvement or productivity outcomes
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or equivalent)
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial reporting tools
• Ability to synthesize complex financial data into clear, compelling business narratives for non-finance audiences
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
• Ability to build trusted relationships with plant and operations leadership
• CPA, CMA, or equivalent professional accounting designation (or active pursuit) preferred
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations within a publicly traded company preferred
• Background in standard costing, inventory management, or manufacturing variance analysis preferred
• Familiarity with Lean/continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Kaizen, VPS) preferred
• Experience with Power BI or Tableau preferred
• Prior experience collaborating across global finance teams in a matrixed organization preferred

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in financial analysis, budgeting, and reporting within manufacturing environments, with a strong focus on cost improvement initiatives and collaboration with operational leadership. Proficient in synthesizing complex financial data for diverse stakeholders while ensuring compliance with internal controls and SOX regulations.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Operations Finance Experience
• Financial Reporting Proficiency
• Cost Improvement Initiatives
• ERP Systems Experience
• CPA or CMA Certification

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Financial Forecasting
• Variance Analysis
• Cost Accounting
• Inventory Management
• Budget Development
• KPI Monitoring
• Capital Expenditure Planning
• Manufacturing Variance Analysis
• Standard Costing
• Financial Data Synthesis

Soft Skills

• Interpersonal Skills
• Influencing Skills
• Relationship Building
• Collaboration
• Communication

Certifications & Qualifications

• CPA
• CMA

Industry Keywords

• Manufacturing Finance
• Plant Controlling
• Lean Methodologies
• Continuous Improvement
• SOX Compliance

Tools & Technologies

• Microsoft Excel
• Power BI
• Tableau
• SAP
• Oracle