Introduction to the job:

The Wilton Factory Business Controller is a strategic finance partner responsible for driving financial transparency, discipline, and insight across operating expenses, headcount planning, and long-term capacity projections. This role leads Opex and workforce planning during the annual planning and long-range planning cycles, ensuring alignment between operational capacity, labor strategies, and financial outcomes.

The position owns monthly close, actuals, and forecasting for labor and Opex, with a strong focus on analyzing production work order variances and clearly communicating cost drivers, trends, and risks to Business Line leadership. The Business Controller develops and maintains labor rate assumptions and applies them consistently across planning, forecasting, and business case support, enabling informed decision making around investments, productivity initiatives, and growth.

Acting as a trusted advisor to Operations and Business Lines, this role connects financial results to operational performance, supports data driven decisions, and continuously improves planning, forecasting, and reporting processes to support sustainable long term business performance.

Roles and responsibilities:

Operating Expense (Opex) & Headcount Planning

Lead Opex and headcount planning activities during the annual planning and long-range planning cycles, partnering closely with Operations and Business Line (BL) leaders. Develop and maintain workforce and headcount plans aligned to production volume, productivity assumptions, and long-term capacity requirements. Translate operational capacity plans into financial forecasts, identifying cost drivers, risks, and opportunities.

Long-Term Capacity & Workforce Projections

Build multi-year labor and capacity models to support strategic planning, investment decisions, and scenario analysis. Assess labor demand versus supply, identifying gaps and efficiency opportunities to support sustainable growth. Partner with operations to ensure workforce projections are aligned with production strategies and capital plans.

Monthly Close, Actuals, and Forecasting

Own monthly financial close activities for labor Coverage, PWO and Opex, including analysis of actuals versus forecast and plan. Prepare and present monthly forecast updates, highlighting key variances, trend drivers, and risks to outlook. Ensure forecast accuracy through continuous refinement of assumptions related to labor rates, productivity, and volumes.

Production Work Order & Labor Coverage Variance Analysis

Analyze production work order variances, including labor efficiency, rate, and volume impacts. Clearly communicate variance drivers and corrective actions to Business Lines and operational leaders. Develop standardized reporting to provide visibility into cost performance and operational effectiveness.

Labor Rates & Business Case Support

Develop and maintain annual labor rate assumptions, including direct, indirect, facility and any other burdened cost components. Provide labor cost inputs for business cases, investment proposals, make/buy decisions, and productivity initiatives. Support continuous improvement projects by quantifying financial benefits and tracking realization.

Business Partnership & Reporting

Act as a trusted finance partner to one of the three "Mini-Factories" (TBD) and BL leaders, providing insights that enable informed operational and strategic decisions. Create concise, executive-level reporting and presentations linking financial performance to operational outcomes. Drive process improvements in planning, forecasting, and reporting to improve timeliness and accuracy.

Education and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience.
• FSAP manufacturing experience preferred.
• Strong competence with tools, systems, and analytical methods used in cost accounting and financial analysis.
• Fluent in English

Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to translate and statistically analyze data and present findings clearly in written, graphical, or verbal formats.
• Strong customer-service orientation and ability to build effective relationships.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and email systems.
• Ability to confidently present information and respond to questions from managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze data, reports, and financial documents.
• Ability to work under deadlines, adapt to new information, and interact effectively with others.
• Physical capability to perform routine office tasks, occasional lifting up to 20 lbs, and movement across campus as needed; ability to travel depending on business requirements.
• Ability to maintain focus in moderate noise environments and handle tasks requiring close, color, peripheral, and depth vision as needed.

Additional Responsibilities:

There is potential for exposure to strong magnetic fields, high voltage and currents.