Plant Controller - River Falls, WI

Best Maid Cookie Company; Town of River Falls (WI); On-site; USD 124,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Best Maid Cookie Company in River Falls, WI, is seeking a Finance-Supply Chain Leader for the plant. You will partner with the Plant Manager as the finance co-pilot, linking operations to financial outcomes and leading the monthly close and forecasting processes.

The role requires deep manufacturing cost accounting knowledge, cross-functional collaboration, and on-site leadership to improve productivity and capital efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• CPA, CMA, MBA or other advanced degree or certification preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive finance or accounting experience with manufacturing exposure.
• Food manufacturing/consumer products experience preferred.
• Strong cost accounting, forecasting, and financial controls understanding.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the plant's finance leader and Plant Manager's co-pilot in key decisions.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, and HR.
• Develop understanding of production, labor, materials, yield, and waste.
• Lead monthly close, variance analysis, and standard P&L package.
• Maintain cost accounting, standard costs, inventory, and variance reviews.
• Ensure data integrity using LaunchPAD as the single source of truth.
• Support audits and ensure policy compliance across plant finance processes.
• Drive productivity initiatives and capital investment analyses.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Leadership influence

Financial acumen

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance

CPA/CMA/MBA or equivalent

Tools

Excel

ERP systems (SAP or equivalent)

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Finance-Supply Chain Finance Full Time River Falls, River Falls, WI, US

Salary Range: $124,000.00 To $155,000.00 Annually

Job Purpose

Provide financial leadership to the plant, serving as a key member of the plant leadership team and the Plant Manager's primary finance partner and co-pilot. Develop a deep understanding of plant operations, connect operational performance to financial outcomes, identify risks and opportunities, and partner cross-functionally to improve business performance. This role partners directly with the plant leadership team in River Falls, WI. and is based on site at the plant.

Essential Functions

• Financial & Operational Leadership
  • Serve as the plant's finance leader and Plant Manager's co-pilot, providing financial insight, constructive challenge, and leadership in key business decisions
  • Act as an engaged member of the plant leadership team, partnering across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Human Resources, Safety, and other functions
  • Develop a deep understanding of plant operations, including production, labor, materials, yield, waste, throughput, downtime, capacity, inventory, and other key manufacturing drivers
  • Participate in the Rise Recipe tier reviews - daily (L2), weekly (L3), and monthly (L4) - and follow Finance Leader Standard Work, maintaining a visible presence through regular engagement on the plant floor
  • Connect operational performance to cost, margin, productivity, working capital, and cash flow; translate risks and opportunities into clear actions, owners, and expected outcomes
  • Build financial understanding and accountability throughout the plant leadership team
  • Lead financial analysis and business partnership to improve plant cost, productivity, margin (including product and customer profitability in Rise Business Insights), working capital, and capital efficiency
  • Move beyond explaining variances by identifying root causes and partnering with Operations to drive corrective actions
  • Own the financial measures in the plant scorecard - material usage and labor variance (weekly) and cost per lb (monthly) - and the narrative behind them; elevate when thresholds are breached
  • Lead the annual plan and forecasting processes, ensuring forecasts are driver-based, actionable, and connected to operational performance, S&OP volumes, and the plant labor plan and production schedule
  • Support productivity initiatives, staffing and capacity decisions, capital investments, and other significant operational decisions through financial analysis and scenario modeling
  • Track and validate benefits from Rise Recipe, productivity, and capital initiatives and hold the organization accountable for committed results
  • Clearly communicate what happened, why it happened, what is expected next, and what action is required
• Financial Management, Cost Accounting & Controls
  • Own the plant's monthly close (by WD5) and accurate, timely financial reporting, including planning, forecasting, balance sheet management, reconciliations, and variance analysis; complete and own the standard P&L package and scorecard provided by the Finance Center of Excellence, adding commentary and actions
  • Maintain strong manufacturing cost accounting, including standard costs, material usage, labor, yield, waste, overhead, inventory, and other manufacturing variances, with a quarterly review of standard costs
  • Ensure the integrity of plant financial and operational data, using LaunchPAD as the single source, and provide meaningful analysis of underlying operational drivers
  • Maintain strong controls over inventory (including cycle counts and the inventory deviation log), purchasing (including GR/IR monitoring), expenses, capital, production reporting, and other plant financial processes
  • Support internal and external audits and ensure compliance with company accounting policies and control requirements
  • Partner with Regional Finance Operations, the Finance Center of Excellence, and other Plant Controllers to improve processes, tools, analytics, and consistency
• Support food safety program, quality standards, and legality of manufactured products
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Qualifications (Education, Experience, Competencies)

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant advanced degree or certification preferred
• 10+ years of progressive finance or accounting experience, including meaningful manufacturing or plant finance experience
• Food manufacturing, consumer products, or process-manufacturing experience preferred
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, cost accounting, standard costing, forecasting, inventory, financial controls, and performance analysis
• Previous Plant Controller, Plant Finance Manager, or Operations Finance leadership experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functionally, including with non-finance leaders
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear business actions and constructively challenge assumptions
• Strong Excel and ERP capabilities; SAP or comparable manufacturing ERP experience preferred
• Experience with Lean, continuous improvement, capital investment, ERP implementation, or business transformation preferred
• Ability to work on-site in a manufacturing environment and travel among assigned facilities as needed