Plant Controller

Morton Salt•Fairless Hills, PA

About The Position

The Plant Controller oversees accounting activities for the Fairless Hills and Long Beach facilities, ensuring accurate financial records and compliance with U.S. GAAP. The role coordinates annual direct and period cost budgets, ensures accurate inventory valuation, and analyzes monthly financial performance and budget variances. Working closely with plant management and cross-functional teams, the Plant Controller provides financial insights, identifies cost-saving opportunities, and supports operational efficiency and informed business decisions. The position is primarily performed in an office environment. The Plant Controller periodically enters production, warehouse, and other manufacturing areas to conduct cycle counts, verify inventory, and support related financial controls. These visits may involve exposure to industrial equipment, moving machinery, noise, and other typical manufacturing conditions. Required site safety procedures and personal protective equipment must be followed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting required.
Minimum of five years of experience in a similar role.
Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
Knowledge of SAP.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office.
Ability to work across plant management, engineering, operations, finance, and audit teams.
Follow required site safety procedures and use personal protective equipment when entering manufacturing areas.

Nice To Haves

MBA or CPA preferred.

Responsibilities

Coordinate annual direct and period cost budgets; calculate production, support, service, headcount, and energy requirements using sales volume forecasts, and support plant budget presentations.
Analyze monthly financial results, explain variances, forecast future performance, prepare management reports, and recommend cost-reduction opportunities.
Prepare and approve monthly journal entries, including prepaid expenses, accruals, payroll, and energy, maintenance, and support cost transfers; communicate asset retirement obligations and lease changes to Corporate Accounting.
Review and approve purchase requisitions in SAP SRM, allocation slips, check requests, and cash payments; respond to vendor inquiries.
Monitor capital project spending and timely capitalization; maintain accurate fixed asset and depreciation records, perform periodic asset reviews and counts, and retire obsolete equipment and related spare parts.
Partner with Production and Supply Chain to maintain inventory accuracy; identify obsolete and slow-moving items, resolve COGI errors, conduct physical counts, reconcile results, and post adjustments.
Review payroll documentation and postings for accuracy and timeliness; coordinate with payroll and supervisors and calculate hourly employee vacation accruals.
Reconcile monthly general ledger accounts, including inventory, accruals, prepaids, payroll, fringe benefits, accounts payable clearing/suspense, and other balance sheet accounts.
Support the Plant Manager and Senior Manager Plant Controlling – Solar with accounting process improvements, reporting, audits, systems, and ad hoc analysis.
Investigate and resolve complex standard costing and inventory control issues, coordinating accounting activities to ensure accuracy, effective financial controls, and efficient budget management.