The Operations Controller is responsible for the day-to-day financial support and analysis of plant operations within a food manufacturing facility. This role owns core plant controlling activities, including manufacturing cost analysis, standard costing, inventory valuation, variance analysis, operational reporting, forecasting support, and capital expenditure tracking. The Operations Controller partners closely with Operations, Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, Quality, Procurement, and other cross-functional teams to improve financial performance, strengthen controls, and support data-driven decision-making. The role works under the direction of the Controlling Manager, who retains overall responsibility for plant finance. The role is on-site in a food manufacturing facility and requires adherence to GMPs, food safety, and food defense requirements.
Key ResponsibilitiesPlant Controlling & Operational Finance- Serve as a primary day-to-day finance partner to plant Operations and provide financial insight into manufacturing performance, cost drivers, productivity, and profitability.
- Monitor key plant performance metrics and translate operational results into clear financial impacts and actionable insights.
- Support the Controlling Manager with plant financial planning, performance reviews, forecasts, and business decision support.
- Identify financial risks, performance gaps, and cost-saving opportunities and work with operational leaders to develop corrective actions.
Cost Accounting & Analysis- Own and maintain standard costing processes and monitor standards for accuracy and relevance.
- Analyze manufacturing variances, including material usage, labor efficiency, food waste, yield, purchase price, and overhead absorption.
- Monitor production costs and identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve productivity, and strengthen margins.
- Perform product cost analysis for existing and new products and support accurate costing assumptions.
- Partner with Operations and Production teams to understand manufacturing processes, cost drivers, and performance trends.
Inventory Management- Oversee financial controls and reconciliation processes for raw materials, work-in-process (WIP), and finished goods inventory.
- Ensure accurate inventory valuation and investigate material inventory discrepancies and financial impacts.
- Support physical inventory counts and cycle count programs and ensure appropriate financial follow-up on count results.
- Analyze inventory obsolescence, shrinkage, excess stock, and other inventory risks and recommend appropriate actions.
- Partner with Warehouse, Supply Chain, Production, and Finance teams to improve inventory accuracy and controls.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Reporting- Support development of the plant budget, forecasts, and latest estimates in partnership with the Controlling Manager and operational leaders.
- Prepare and analyze recurring plant performance reporting, including production volume, labor, waste, yield, overhead, inventory, gross margin, and other operational KPIs.
- Analyze actual results against budget, forecast, prior periods, and operational expectations and explain significant variances.
- Develop financial models and ad hoc analyses to support operational decisions, productivity initiatives, and cost improvement opportunities.
- Ensure plant leaders have timely, accurate, and understandable financial information to support decision-making.
Financial Close & Reporting- Lead plant-related activities for month-end and year-end close in coordination with the Controlling Manager and Accounting team.
- Prepare and review journal entries related to inventory, production, manufacturing variances, accruals, and other plant-related activity.
- Ensure plant financial results are complete, accurate, properly supported, and submitted within established close timelines.
- Investigate unusual financial results, reconcile key plant accounts, and resolve identified issues in partnership with Accounting and operational teams.
Business Support & Profitability Analysis- Partner with the Controlling Manager, Commercial Finance, and Operations teams to support profitability analysis by customer, product, SKU, technology, and region.
- Assist in identifying margin improvement opportunities through product mix, pricing inputs, productivity, waste reduction, and cost improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure accurate reporting of operational and business performance metrics.
- Provide ad hoc financial analysis and decision support to plant and operational leadership teams.
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Management- Support the capital planning process and development of the plant capital expenditure budget.
- Collaborate with Transformation, Maintenance, Operations, IT, Engineering, and Finance teams to evaluate and prioritize capital projects.
- Prepare financial analyses, business cases, and return-on-investment (ROI) calculations to support proposed capital investments.
- Track capital project expenditures against approved budgets, forecasts, and latest estimates.
- Monitor project status and provide regular reporting on capital spending, project completion, and budget variances.
- Maintain accurate fixed asset information and support timely capitalization of completed projects in accordance with company policies and accounting standards.
- Coordinate with project managers to ensure appropriate accounting treatment of capital and expense expenditures in compliance with company policies and legal requirements.
- Support fixed asset audits, asset verification activities, and periodic reviews of asset useful lives and depreciation schedules.
- Identify opportunities to improve capital reporting, project controls, and asset management processes.
Compliance & Internal Controls- Maintain strong financial controls over plant accounting, inventory, costing, capital expenditures, and operational reporting processes.
- Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, company policies, and internal control requirements.
- Support internal and external audits and ensure timely resolution of plant-related audit requests and findings.
- Maintain appropriate documentation for inventory, cost accounting, reconciliations, and plant finance processes.
- Ensure food manufacturing costing and financial practices comply with company and regulatory requirements.
Continuous Improvement & Systems- Identify and implement process improvements in costing, forecasting, reporting, inventory controls, and plant financial processes.
- Support Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, productivity, and waste reduction initiatives with financial analysis and benefit tracking.
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