Plant Controller

Manufacturing – Full P&L Ownership – Strategic Business Partner

Are you a hands-on Plant Controller who loves being on the floor as much as in the numbers? This role is a key business partner to the Plant Manager, owning the full financial picture of a manufacturing facility while helping leadership make fast, fact-based decisions.

Position Summary

The Plant Controller is responsible for all operational accounting, internal controls, and financial reporting for a manufacturing plant in accordance with GAAP. This role owns the plant’s Income Statement and Balance Sheet, standard cost structure, budgeting and forecasting, and plays a critical role in driving operational performance and profitability. The Plant Controller works closely with operations leadership to translate what is happening on the shop floor into clear financial insight and action.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic “co‑pilot” to the Plant Manager, providing financial insight, analysis, and recommendations that drive plant performance and cost improvements.
• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual closing processes for the plant, ensuring timely and accurate financial statements, reconciliations, and variance analysis.
• Lead development of annual budgets and ongoing forecasts (weekly, monthly, quarterly), including volumes, standard costs, overhead rates, labor, and key operational KPIs.
• Manage and continuously improve cost accounting, including standard costing, BOMs/routings understanding, overhead allocation, burden studies, and product/job profitability analysis.
• Design, maintain, and interpret dashboards and KPIs for the plant (yield, scrap, labor efficiency, machine utilization, inventory turns, etc.) to support operations decision-making.
• Ensure accurate valuation of inventory and support cycle counts and physical inventories; partner with operations and materials teams to strengthen inventory accuracy and controls.
• Maintain a strong internal control environment in alignment with company policies, SOX and GAAP requirements; prepare for and support internal and external audits.
• Provide business modeling and scenario analysis for new products, capital investments, pricing, customer and market segmentation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor and analyze spending, margins, and manufacturing variances; identify risks and opportunities, and proactively recommend corrective actions.
• Partner with Commercial/Sales teams to understand customer profitability, price/mix dynamics, and to support value-based pricing decisions.
• Support and help lead ERP and financial system initiatives, including improvements to reporting, costing, and data integrity.
• Lead, mentor, and develop plant accounting staff; build a collaborative, service‑oriented finance function that supports operations while maintaining strong governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration with an accounting focus.
• 5+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience in a manufacturing environment, including significant exposure to plant-level cost accounting and operational finance.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and internal control practices; experience with SOX environments is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience with standard costing, manufacturing variances, inventory accounting, and analysis of BOMs/routings, labor, and overhead.
• Proven ability to prepare, present, and explain financial results and KPIs to both financial and non‑financial leaders.
• Advanced proficiency with Excel and solid experience working within an ERP/manufacturing system environment (experience with major ERP platforms is preferred).
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to move quickly from data to insight to action.
• Effective leader and team player with the ability to mentor staff, influence cross‑functional partners, and build trust at all levels of the organization.

Please submit a resume for consideration. Only those qualified applicants who provide a resume will be contacted. If you would like to learn more about Manufacturing, Production, or Operations opportunities, contact David McKnight with gpac at 608-514-9815.  Resumes can be confidentially sent to david.mcknight@gogpac.com

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.

GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.