Plant Controller - Legacy Turkey - Melrose, MN

Legacy Turkey•Melrose, MN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Controller is responsible for leading all accounting, financial reporting, cost accounting, budgeting, and internal control functions for a high-volume turkey processing facility. This role serves as a key business partner to plant operations, providing financial insight and analysis that drives profitability, operational efficiency, yield optimization, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate possesses a strong manufacturing accounting background with extensive experience in cost accounting, inventory management, production reporting, and financial analysis within a food processing, protein, agricultural, or manufacturing environment. Located in Melrose, MN , Legacy Turkey employs many people in a variety of roles with varying levels of expertise. We hire individuals with a strong work ethic who align with our core values.

Requirements

5-7+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
3+ years in a Controller, Assistant Controller, Cost Accounting Manager, or similar leadership role.
Manufacturing, food processing, protein processing, poultry, turkey, meat processing, or agricultural industry experience strongly preferred.
Extensive experience with cost accounting and inventory management in a production environment.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field required.
Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting requirements.
Advanced cost accounting expertise, including standard costing, variance analysis, yield reporting, and inventory valuation.
Experience with ERP systems and manufacturing reporting platforms.
Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modeling skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Knowledge Proficiency in logistics and inventory management systems
Applicants must not now, or at any time in the future, require employer sponsorship for a work visa.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer.
Must be 18 years of age or older

Nice To Haves

CPA, CMA preferred.

Responsibilities

Direct all plant accounting activities, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting.
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management reports.
Analyze financial performance, identify trends, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.
Lead month-end and year-end closing processes, including journal entries, reconciliations, and accruals.
Ensure compliance with GAAP, company policies, and regulatory requirements.
Support external audits, internal audits, and corporate reporting requirements.
Maintain and oversee standard costing systems for live production, processing, packaging, and distribution activities.
Analyze variances related to labor, overhead, yields, material usage, and production efficiency.
Monitor turkey processing yields, by-product recovery, shrinkage, and waste to identify improvement opportunities.
Manage inventory accounting, including raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, packaging materials, and supplies.
Conduct and oversee physical inventory counts and cycle count programs.
Ensure accurate valuation of inventories and cost allocations across products and departments.
Partner with plant management to evaluate operational performance and drive cost improvement initiatives.
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production, labor efficiency, yields, throughput, and profitability.
Provide financial analysis supporting capital expenditures, process improvements, and operational investments.
Assist operations leadership in understanding financial impacts of production decisions and performance metrics.
Identify opportunities to improve margins through cost control, efficiency gains, and yield optimization.
Lead annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes for the facility.
Develop labor, overhead, production, and capital expenditure budgets.
Monitor performance against budget and provide variance analysis with corrective action recommendations.
Support long-range planning and profitability analysis.
Establish and maintain strong internal controls over financial reporting, inventory, cash management, and purchasing.
Ensure compliance with company policies and applicable financial regulations.
Monitor and improve financial processes to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
Evaluate risks and implement corrective measures where necessary.
Lead and develop plant accounting staff.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational partnership.
Collaborate effectively with corporate finance, operations, procurement, and supply chain teams.