Plant Controller

Peraton•Knoxville, TN

23d•$112,000 - $179,000•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton is seeking a Plant Controller who will serve as the senior financial leader for the Remotec manufacturing site in Clinton, Tennessee. This role owns the plant P&L, cost accounting, inventory integrity, forecasting, and internal controls, and partners with the Plant Manager and operations leadership to improve cost, cash, and decision quality as the site scales production. The Controller translates complex manufacturing activity—multi-level bills of material, purchased electronics and components, labor and overhead absorption, new product introduction, and aftermarket/warranty exposure—into accurate financial results and actionable insight. Success requires a manufacturing cost-accounting foundation, comfort on the shop floor, and the ability to influence operations without sacrificing control.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
12+ years of progressive manufacturing finance or cost accounting experience, including plant or multi-plant responsibility.
Demonstrated ownership of a manufacturing P&L and job order cost environment (BOMs, routings, labor and overhead rates, variance analysis).
Hands-on month-end close, inventory accounting, and internal controls experience.
Advanced Excel and fluency with ERP manufacturing modules; ability to extract and challenge transactional data.
Willingness to work on-site, would be a plus but not required, at the Clinton, TN plant and engage directly with production leadership.
US Citizenship

Nice To Haves

CPA, CMA, or MBA.
Experience in discrete manufacturing of complex products (robotics, industrial automation, machinery, electronics assembly, aerospace, or automotive).
Familiarity with lean manufacturing, value-stream costing, and operational excellence metrics (OEE, first-pass yield, on-time delivery).
NPI, configure-to-order, or project/job-cost exposure in addition to standard production costing.

Responsibilities

Financial leadership and P&L ownership: Own the site income statement, balance sheet items under plant control, and cash conversion metrics (inventory, payables, and working-capital drivers). Lead annual operating plan, monthly forecasts, and rolling outlooks; explain volume, mix, price, and cost variances to plant and corporate leadership. Present results in operations reviews; recommend corrective actions on margin, absorption, scrap, overtime, and spend. Partner with the Plant Manager as a co-leader of site performance, not solely as a reporting function.
Cost accounting and manufacturing analytics: Maintain job order cost system for robot assemblies and subassemblies, including multi-level BOMs, routings, labor rates, and overhead rates. Analyze purchase price, material usage, labor efficiency, overhead absorption, scrap/rework, and yield variances; drive root-cause action with production, quality, and supply chain. Support new product introduction (NPI) costing, make-vs-buy analysis, and engineering change order (ECO) cost impact. Model capacity, overtime, shift structure, and automation investment versus labor cost. Track quality cost of poor quality (COPQ), warranty expense, field-failure trends, and aftermarket/service margin where applicable.
Inventory, close, and controls: Ensure inventory accuracy across raw, WIP, and finished goods. Update inventory reserves for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods monthly to ensure that the balance sheet is accurately reflecting the value of the inventory that is on site. Lead cycle count program, annual physical inventory, and reconciliation of ERP to the general ledger; investigate shrink, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory. Execute a timely, accurate month-end close (typically 3–5 business days) including accruals, reserves, intercompany, and cutoff. Design and monitor site internal controls over inventory, payroll, purchasing, capex, and revenue recognition for shipments; support SOX or equivalent testing if required by corporate accounting. Coordinate external and internal audits for the site if required.
Capital, cash, and commercial support: Evaluate and track capital projects (equipment, facility upgrades, & tooling) including ROI, payback, and post-implementation reviews. Support customer pricing, contract costing, and large-order margin analysis in coordination with sales and program management. Identify working-capital opportunities: safety stock policy, supplier terms, consignment, and finished-goods strategy.
Team, systems, and site partnership: Lead, coach, and develop plant finance staff (cost accountants and clerks) and set clear close and reporting cadences. Improve ERP/MRP use for costing, inventory, and shop-floor transactions (Global Shop). Build trusted relationships with operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, HR, and EHS; spend time on the floor to understand process reality. Uphold a culture of integrity, safety, and data discipline.