Plant Controller - River Falls, WI

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 River Falls, WI. 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