Plant Financial Controller

Parcc Associates; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Parcc Associates is seeking a Plant Financial Controller to lead the financial operations of a large manufacturing facility with ~400 employees. You will partner with the Plant Manager and site leadership to manage accounting, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and internal controls.

You will oversee cost accounting, variance analysis, and capital planning, ensuring GAAP compliance and accurate reporting for plant performance and profitability improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• At least three years of financial leadership experience within a manufacturing plant or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading annual budgeting and recurring financial forecasting processes.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing cost accounting, standard costing, inventory accounting, and variance analysis.
• Experience supporting a large manufacturing operation with significant production volume and workforce complexity.
• Working knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, financial reporting, and audit requirements.
• Experience with ERP and financial reporting systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Previous experience managing and developing accounting or finance professionals.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary financial advisor to the Plant Manager and plant leadership team.
• Provide financial insight and recommendations related to production, labor, material usage, capital investments, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Translate financial results into clear, actionable information for operational leaders.
• Participate in plant leadership meetings and support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Identify financial risks, performance gaps, and opportunities to improve profitability.
• Lead the annual operating budget and long-range financial planning processes for the plant.
• Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual financial forecasts.
• Partner with department leaders to establish realistic assumptions for production volume, labor, material costs, overhead, capital spending, and operating expenses.
• Monitor actual performance against budget and forecast.
• Prepare detailed variance analysis and communicate the operational drivers behind financial results.
• Update forecasts based on changing production demand, staffing levels, commodity costs, and business conditions.
• Oversee the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes for the facility.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of plant financial results.
• Review journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, reserves, and financial schedules.
• Maintain the integrity of the plant’s general ledger and financial reporting processes.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, company accounting policies, and corporate reporting requirements.
• Prepare financial presentations and performance reports for plant and corporate leadership.

Skills

Financial leadership

Cost accounting

Variance analysis

Excel modeling

Financial forecasting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration

CPA / CMA / MBA preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

JD Edwards

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

Manufacturing Operations | Financial Leadership | Budgeting & Forecasting

Position Summary

A large, established manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced Plant Financial Controller to lead the financial operations of a manufacturing facility with approximately 400 employees.

This position will serve as the senior financial leader for the plant and a strategic business partner to the Plant Manager and site leadership team. The Plant Controller will oversee plant accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cost accounting, internal controls, and operational performance analysis.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting knowledge with hands-on manufacturing finance experience. This individual should be comfortable working closely with operations, engineering, supply chain, and corporate finance to improve profitability, control costs, and support informed business decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership and Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary financial advisor to the Plant Manager and plant leadership team.
• Provide financial insight and recommendations related to production, labor, material usage, capital investments, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Translate financial results into clear, actionable information for operational leaders.
• Participate in plant leadership meetings and support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Identify financial risks, performance gaps, and opportunities to improve profitability.

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Lead the annual operating budget and long-range financial planning processes for the plant.
• Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual financial forecasts.
• Partner with department leaders to establish realistic assumptions for production volume, labor, material costs, overhead, capital spending, and operating expenses.
• Monitor actual performance against budget and forecast.
• Prepare detailed variance analysis and communicate the operational drivers behind financial results.
• Update forecasts based on changing production demand, staffing levels, commodity costs, and business conditions.

Plant Accounting and Financial Reporting

• Oversee the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes for the facility.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of plant financial results.
• Review journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, reserves, and financial schedules.
• Maintain the integrity of the plant’s general ledger and financial reporting processes.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, company accounting policies, and corporate reporting requirements.
• Prepare financial presentations and performance reports for plant and corporate leadership.

Cost Accounting and Operational Analysis

• Oversee plant cost accounting, including standard costing, overhead allocation, labor rates, material costs, and manufacturing variances.
• Analyze purchase price, labor efficiency, material usage, scrap, yield, productivity, and overhead variances.
• Partner with operations to understand production performance and identify opportunities to reduce cost.
• Review product costs, bills of material, routings, and inventory valuation for accuracy.
• Support new product costing, pricing analysis, make-versus-buy decisions, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate plant profitability by product, customer, department, or production line.

Inventory and Working Capital

• Oversee accounting and financial controls related to raw materials, work in process, and finished goods inventory.
• Support cycle counts, physical inventories, and inventory reconciliation processes.
• Analyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and recommend appropriate reserves or corrective actions.
• Partner with supply chain and operations to improve inventory accuracy and working capital performance.

Internal Controls and Compliance

• Establish and maintain strong financial and operational controls across the plant.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, approval requirements, and internal control procedures.
• Coordinate internal and external audits and respond to audit requests.
• Identify control weaknesses and implement corrective actions.
• Protect company assets through effective financial oversight and accountability.

Capital Planning

• Support the preparation and financial evaluation of capital expenditure requests.
• Develop return-on-investment, payback, and cash-flow analyses for equipment and facility investments.
• Track approved capital projects against budget and forecast.
• Conduct post-investment reviews to evaluate whether projects achieved expected financial and operational results.
• Lead, develop, and mentor the plant accounting and finance team.
• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, and professional development plans.
• Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Improve finance processes, reporting capabilities, and the use of technology and automation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• At least three years of financial leadership experience within a manufacturing plant or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading annual budgeting and recurring financial forecasting processes.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing cost accounting, standard costing, inventory accounting, and variance analysis.
• Experience supporting a large manufacturing operation with significant production volume and workforce complexity.
• Working knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, financial reporting, and audit requirements.
• Experience with ERP and financial reporting systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Previous experience managing and developing accounting or finance professionals.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting a manufacturing facility with 300 or more employees.
• Financial responsibility for a plant operating across multiple shifts.
• Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or cost-reduction initiatives.
• Experience with capital planning and financial justification of equipment investments.
• Familiarity with SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, Microsoft Dynamics, or a comparable manufacturing ERP system.
• Financial planning and analysis
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Plant and operational accounting
• Standard costing and variance analysis
• Inventory and working capital management
• Financial reporting and month-end close
• Internal controls and compliance
• Capital expenditure analysis
• Operational business partnership
• Team leadership and development

What This Opportunity Offers

• A highly visible financial leadership position within a large manufacturing facility.
• Direct partnership with plant and corporate leadership.
• The opportunity to influence plant performance, cost structure, and profitability.
• Leadership responsibility for budgeting, forecasting, operational finance, and plant accounting.
• A stable organization with opportunities for professional growth and advancement.