Plant Controller - Bonner Springs, KS or Dallas, TX

Job Purpose Provide financial leadership to the plant, serving as a key member of the plant leadership team and the Plant Manager's primary finance partner and co-pilot. Develop a deep understanding of plant operations, connect operational performance to financial outcomes, identify risks and opportunities, and partner cross-functionally to improve business performance.

This role partners directly with the plant leadership team in either our Bonner Springs, KS Plant or our Dallas, TX plant, and is based on site at the plant.

Essential Functions

• Financial & Operational Leadership o Serve as the plant’s finance leader and Plant Manager’s co-pilot, providing financial insight, constructive challenge, and leadership in key business decisions o Act as an engaged member of the plant leadership team, partnering across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Human Resources, Safety, and other functions o Develop a deep understanding of plant operations, including production, labor, materials, yield, waste, throughput, downtime, capacity, inventory, and other key manufacturing drivers o Participate in the Rise Recipe tier reviews – daily (L2), weekly (L3), and monthly (L4) – and follow Finance Leader Standard Work, maintaining a visible presence through regular engagement on the plant floor o Connect operational performance to cost, margin, productivity, working capital, and cash flow; translate risks and opportunities into clear actions, owners, and expected outcomes o Build financial understanding and accountability throughout the plant leadership team
• Business Performance & Decision Support o Lead financial analysis and business partnership to improve plant cost, productivity, margin (including product and customer profitability in Rise Business Insights), working capital, and capital efficiency o Move beyond explaining variances by identifying root causes and partnering with Operations to drive corrective actions o Own the financial measures in the plant scorecard – material usage and labor variance (weekly) and cost per lb (monthly) – and the narrative behind them; escalate when thresholds are breached o Lead the annual plan and forecasting processes, ensuring forecasts are driver-based, actionable, and connected to operational performance, S&OP volumes, and the plant labor plan and production schedule o Support productivity initiatives, staffing and capacity decisions, capital investments, and other significant operational decisions through financial analysis and scenario modeling o Track and validate benefits from Rise Recipe, productivity, and capital initiatives and hold the organization accountable for committed results o Clearly communicate what happened, why it happened, what is expected next, and what action is required
• Financial Management, Cost Accounting & Controls o Own the plant's monthly close (by WD5) and accurate, timely financial reporting, including planning, forecasting, balance sheet management, reconciliations, and variance analysis; complete and own the standard P&L package and scorecard provided by the Finance Center of Excellence, adding commentary and actions o Maintain strong manufacturing cost accounting, including standard costs, material usage, labor, yield, waste, overhead, inventory, and other manufacturing variances, with a quarterly review of standard costs o Ensure the integrity of plant financial and operational data, using LaunchPAD as the single source, and provide meaningful analysis of underlying operational drivers o Maintain strong controls over inventory (including cycle counts and the inventory deviation log), purchasing (including GR/IR monitoring), expenses, capital, production reporting, and other plant financial processes o Support internal and external audits and ensure compliance with company accounting policies and control requirements o Partner with Regional Finance Operations, the Finance Center of Excellence, and other Plant Controllers to improve processes, tools, analytics, and consistency
• Support food safety program, quality standards, and legality of manufactured products
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned Qualifications (Education, Experience, Competencies)
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant advanced degree or certification preferred
• 10+ years of progressive finance or accounting experience, including meaningful manufacturing or plant finance experience
• Food manufacturing, consumer products, or process-manufacturing experience preferred
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, cost accounting, standard costing, forecasting, inventory, financial controls, and performance analysis
• Previous Plant Controller, Plant Finance Manager, or Operations Finance leadership experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functionally, including with non-finance leaders
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear business actions and constructively challenge assumptions
• Strong Excel and ERP capabilities; SAP or comparable manufacturing ERP experience preferred
• Experience with Lean, continuous improvement, capital investment, ERP implementation, or business transformation preferred
• Ability to work on-site in a manufacturing environment and travel among assigned facilities as needed