Financial Analyst, Plant Controllership

Rivian•Normal, IL

About The Position

Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract. As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations. We are seeking a Financial Analyst, Plant Controllership to strengthen and scale Rivian’s financial rigor across manufacturing operations. This role sits at the intersection of Finance, plant controllership, and day-to-day plant operations, with a clear mandate: deliver accurate, timely, and insightful financial analysis that supports plant performance, cost discipline, and informed decision-making. You will operate as a core member of the Plant Controllership team, partnering closely with Senior Financial Analysts, Plant Controllers, Plant Directors, Operations Finance, and central Finance. You will support standard costing, month-end close, variance analysis, and forecasting, ensuring plant results are well understood and clearly communicated. This role is a connector between Finance and Operations, helping ensure our systems, processes, and reporting work together to support a scalable, well-controlled, and performance-driven manufacturing environment. Why This Role Matters Enable Reliable Plant Financials: You will help ensure that plant financial results—costs, variances, and margins—are accurate, timely, and well-documented, forming the basis for leadership decisions. Make Costs Understandable and Actionable: You will support analysis that translates materials, labor, and overhead costs into clear, line-of-sight views for Plant Directors and Operations leaders. Improve Forecasting and Budget Discipline: You will contribute to building and maintaining forecasts and budgets for the plant, helping teams plan labor, overhead, and operating costs more effectively. Connect Daily Operations to the P&L: You will help trace how production volumes, productivity, scrap, and other operational drivers show up in the financials, increasing transparency and accountability.

Requirements

1-3 years of experience in Finance, FP&A, Controllership, Accounting, or a related field, ideally with exposure to manufacturing, supply chain, or operations.
Foundational understanding of cost accounting concepts, including standard costing, inventory valuation, and basic variance analysis.
Experience supporting month-end close, forecasting, or budgeting processes in a corporate or plant environment.
Proficiency with Excel (e.g., lookups, pivot tables, basic scenario analysis) and comfort working with large data sets.
Exposure to ERP systems (SAP or SAP S/4HANA preferred) and the ability to extract and reconcile data from multiple sources.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy in numbers and documentation.
Ability to communicate financial information clearly and succinctly to stakeholders who may not have a finance background.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a dynamic environment, with a willingness to ask questions and learn.
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field required.

Nice To Haves

Experience working directly with manufacturing or plant operations teams.
Familiarity with automotive, EV, or high-volume manufacturing environments.
Experience with data visualization or reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or similar).
Exposure to continuous improvement or Lean concepts applied to financial or operational processes.

Responsibilities

Support Senior Financial Analysts and Plant Controllers in preparing regular financial reviews for Plant Directors and Operations leaders, including variance commentary and key insights.
Respond to day-to-day finance questions from plant partners, providing data pulls, ad hoc analysis, and clear explanations of financial results.
Build relationships with Operations, Supply Chain, and central Finance teams to understand their information needs and ensure deliverables are aligned and on time.
Participate in plant and finance meetings to stay connected to operational plans and upcoming changes that may impact financial performance.
Assist with month-end close activities for the plant, including preparation and review of journal entry support, accruals, and reconciliations in partnership with Accounting and Controllership.
Help validate inventory and WIP balances and support reconciliations between operational and financial systems where needed.
Prepare standard reporting packages and schedules (e.g., cost bridges, variance summaries, plant P&L extracts) to support leadership review and audit requirements.
Maintain organized documentation and workpapers that support close, audit, and internal control expectations.
Support the preparation of plant-level forecasts and budgets for volume, labor, overhead, and manufacturing expenses, working closely with Operations and Senior Financial Analysts.
Update and maintain financial models and templates used for forecasting, budgeting, and performance tracking, ensuring assumptions and inputs are clearly documented.
Track actual performance against budget and forecast, flagging variances and assisting in root-cause analysis and follow-up actions.
Prepare clear, concise charts and tables that help leadership quickly grasp trends in cost, productivity, and other key financial metrics.
Assist in maintaining standard costs, BOMs, and routings by providing analytical support to Cost Accounting and Operations teams.
Prepare and analyze basic manufacturing variance reports (e.g., material, labor, overhead), helping to identify patterns and potential issues for further investigation.
Support material, scrap, and rework cost analyses by gathering data, validating inputs, and building simple models under the guidance of senior team members.
Contribute to standard cost and margin analyses at plant or program level by assembling data sets and supporting calculations and reconciliations.
Help streamline recurring financial reports and processes (e.g., standard templates, data sources, checklists) to reduce manual effort and error risk.
Partner with Finance Systems, IT, or reporting teams to improve data accuracy and usability in key tools and systems, particularly within SAP S/4HANA and related reporting solutions.
Document key analysis steps and report logic so that work can be replicated, reviewed, and improved over time.
Proactively look for small improvements in how data is pulled, structured, and presented, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement in plant finance.