Plant Controller

ob Title – Plant Controller

Department – Finance

Location – Mount Prospect, IL /Commack, NY, USA

Work Mode – Hybrid

Summary

The Plant Controller is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, preparing and maintaining financial records, and supporting daily accounting operations.

Responsibilities

• Work order management – review work orders prior to final close for variances with the goal of improving production / reducing errors; prep work order for final closure by plant production management;
• Lead weekly manufacturing meetings – review work orders, scheduling issues, discuss and review manufacturing variances
• Review & approve cycle count entries before posting to general ledger
• Support new product launches and customer new business bids– create P&L forecast; work with sales, production, etc. to develop costing and P&L profile
• Month end close – handle all close activities related to inventory
• Calculate non-product revenue billings for PPV, storage fees, customs duties, freight, & OTIF calculation for Unilever – calculate amount owed to either party
• Slow moving / obsolete inventory reserve calculation
• Lower of cost or market reserve calculation
• Monthly storage fee calculation
• Reconcile perpetual to general ledger balance
• Reconcile spare parts inventory
• Discuss with plant management opportunities to bill customers for plant specific initiatives – bespoke equipment purchases, Kaizen even savings, etc.
• Follow up with key customers to collect non-product billings (PPV, storage charges, OTIF, freight, customs, etc)
• Participate in monthly business review meetings with Plant Leadership – discuss/ Calculate labor productivity, discuss plant performance on production (ie variances), highlight future profitability considerations (ie PPV coming up in the future); explain monthly financial results to Plant Management
• Hold monthly CapEx review meetings – discuss project status, dollars spent vs to be spent, status of each project, close out / capitalize completed projects, and calculate savings / costs of new projects
• Hold monthly Continuous Improvement project meetings – review CI projects, quantify benefits and track realization of savings
• Perform account reconciliations for accounts / duties listed above
• Approve inventory destructions / disposals
• Budget plant expenses for forecasting
• Forecast material costs for monthly forecast efforts
• Help create new bills of materials as needed and maintain BOM inventory in customer portals
• Support monthly financial statement analysis – bridge performance vs Budget and PY and forecast
• Roll standard costs annually
• Other responsibilities as assigned

Required Qualifications and Competencies

• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience as a staff accountant.
• Demonstrated knowledge of accounting and corporate finance principles and procedures, e.g., GAAP.
• Internal or external audit experience.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUP) and experience with accounting software platforms like QuickBooks, SAP, or Oracle.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical, prioritization and organization skills.
• Ability to regularly meet deadlines, maintain confidentiality and work well in a lean team environment.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a closely related field; CPA a plus.