Plant Controller

CARL BUDDIG GROUP•Tinley Park, IL

1d•$150,000 - $167,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Controller is a finance leadership role responsible for operational accounting, cost control, inventory integrity, financial performance support, and finance process transformation for two food manufacturing facilities. The role is a key finance business partner to plant leadership, operations, supply chain, IT, and corporate finance and accounting, with particular emphasis on lunchmeat operations. Work is split between the corporate office in Tinley Park and plant locations in Montgomery and South Holland, Illinois, with regular on-site presence and consistent weekly travel to both plants. The Plant Controller leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of financial processes, systems, reporting, controls, and process flows to improve data reliability, system integration, decision-making, and operational performance. The role requires leading change, mapping current- and future-state processes, translating business requirements into system and reporting needs, and partnering across functions to implement scalable solutions. This position reports directly to the Vice President of Finance and Accounting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment, including cost accounting, inventory accounting, or a similar role.
Strong financial modeling skills using Excel.
Ability to distill complex financial information into a narrative that drives decision-making.
Ability to build credibility with plant teams, collaborate across all levels, communicate with candor and respect, and balance corporate financial discipline with practical operational partnership.
Experience with ERP, planning, production, inventory, and reporting systems, including improving process flows and system integration and translating operational needs into finance and reporting requirements.
Experience working with multiple databases, integrating data from different sources, validating data flows, and improving reporting accuracy through system design and process discipline.
Strong critical-thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to lead change, including documenting current-state processes, designing future-state workflows, supporting system testing, training users, and driving adoption after implementation.
Ability and willingness to split time between Tinley Park, Montgomery, and South Holland, Illinois, with regular plant presence and consistent weekly travel to both plants.
Comfort working in manufacturing plant environments and engaging directly with plant teams and operational processes.
Comfort with long periods of sitting and extended periods working on a computer.

Nice To Haves

CPA.
Manufacturing experience in the consumer packaged goods industry.
Proficiency in Microsoft D365.
Experience with planning tools such as Planful, business intelligence tools, workflow automation, or system implementation projects.

Responsibilities

Apply US GAAP and maintain inventory integrity through controls, monthly and annual inventory counts, and processes that improve inventory accuracy.
Build understanding of plant layouts, production flows, labor and yield drivers, inventory movement, systems, and standards through regular time at the Montgomery and South Holland facilities.
Assess accounting operations, process flows, system touchpoints, and data handoffs; recommend and implement improvements that strengthen controls, improve data reliability, reduce manual work, and support decision-making.
Serve as the point of contact for external auditors and coordinate audit activities and documentation for lunchmeat plant operational activities.
Analyze and accurately report operational financial results to business units and corporate management.
Establish, monitor, and reinforce operational KPIs with plant leadership, translating financial results into actions to improve cost, yield, labor efficiency, waste, and inventory performance.
Analyze costs, prepare variance reports, and provide insights to optimize profitability; develop and monitor operational business performance metrics.
Partner with FP&A on budgets, forecasts, cost analysis, and inventory activities, including understanding the impact of purchasing prices on commodity costs.
Continuously improve plant finance processes by streamlining workflows, automating manual activities, strengthening data governance, and standardizing practices across locations.
Lead finance workstreams for system transformation initiatives, including requirements gathering, process mapping, testing, implementation support, user adoption, and post-implementation stabilization for standard costing, inventory, production reporting, and related processes.
Partner with IT, operations, supply chain, accounting, FP&A, and external implementation partners to improve integration between ERP, planning, production, inventory, and reporting systems.
Provide leadership, coaching, development, and practical training to staff, peers, and plant partners to strengthen financial acumen, accountability, and ownership of operating results.
Align process design, data requirements, system integration points, reporting needs, and user adoption with cross-functional teams including Accounting, Finance, Treasury, Supply Chain, QA, Purchasing, HR, IT, operations, and implementation partners.
Provide training, documentation, and practical support on system functionality, master data standards, process changes, and best practices.
Build trust with plant teams, communicate directly and constructively, and model a team-first approach in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Health Savings Account (HSA)
401(k) plan with company match
Vacation and PTO
Tuition reimbursement
Potential discretionary bonus based on personal and company performance; not guaranteed