The Controller will be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, overseeing the month-end and year-end close processes, managing internal controls, and providing financial insight to support operational and strategic decision-making.
The ideal candidate has strong manufacturing accounting experience and understands the financial drivers of a plant environment, including standard costing, inventory, bill of materials, labor and overhead, manufacturing variances, capital expenditures, and cost reduction initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Lead all accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, payroll accounting, and financial reporting.
- Manage monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes.
- Prepare accurate financial statements and management reports in accordance with GAAP.
- Ability to produce customized lender specific reporting and perform covenant ratio calculations.
- Work closely with state and local governments applying for and acquiring state/local grants.
- Establish and maintain appropriate accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls.
- Coordinate annual audits and tax-related activities with external accounting firms and advisors.
- Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards and company policies.
- Oversee standard costing and cost accounting processes.
- Analyze manufacturing costs, including direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
- Monitor and explain material, labor, overhead, purchase price, production, and other manufacturing variances.
- Maintain accurate inventory valuation and oversee physical inventory counts and cycle-count programs.
- Partner with operations to improve inventory accuracy, production efficiency, and cost visibility.
- Review bills of materials, routings, labor standards, overhead rates, and cost assumptions.
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction and operational improvement.
- Partner with the CFO and leadership team on budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning.
- Provide financial analysis and recommendations to plant and operational leaders.
- Develop and monitor key financial and operational metrics.
- Analyze profitability by product, customer, plant, or business unit.
- Support capital expenditure analysis and ROI evaluations.
- Translate financial results into actionable insights for non-financial leaders.
- Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales, HR, and Engineering.
- Support ERP improvements, financial systems enhancements, and process automation.
- Understanding of payroll processes and requirements around federal, state and local tax compliance.
- Experience with setting up and structuring banking accounts for different entities
- Develop processes that improve the efficiency and scalability of the finance function.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience, preferably within a manufacturing environment.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing cost accounting and inventory accounting.
- Experience with standard costing, variance analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
- Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP and internal controls.
- Experience with an ERP system such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar.
- Advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capabilities.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills.
- CPA, CMA, or MBA is preferred but not required.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.