Cost Controller​/Plant Controller

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak is North America's premier designer and manufacturer of special trackwork. With a 160‑year legacy, we lead the industry in shaping rail solutions. Operating across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, we prioritize our people, sustainability, and innovation.

We are currently looking for a Plant Controller / Cost Controller to join our team in Decatur, IL.

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Controlling, the Plant Controller/Senior Cost Accountant will perform and lead a variety of financial management and reporting responsibilities at the vaRS Nortrak facility in Chicago Heights, IL, and work closely with the Plant Manager.

• Complies with all Nortrak safety policies and regulations.

• Complete month‑end procedures and prepare internal management reports.
• Analyze profitability by product, project, and customer.
• Lead monthly financial reviews with the CFO, VP Controlling, Plant Manager, and other departments.
• Support process improvement initiatives and assist with cost‑saving plans.
• Perform profitability and cost analyses for a variety of projects, investments, and products.
• Assist decision making at a plant level with regular and ad‑hoc analyses.
• Prepare internal budgets and monitor actual results against budget.
• Prepare quarterly revenue forecasts in collaboration with the production team.
• Work closely with Purchasing, HR, and Sales to optimize cost, pricing and overhead.

• Manage product costing in SAP and review standard costs monthly.
• Review and reconcile labor reports and analyze actuals vs production benchmarks.
• Monitor inventory costing, balance, and movement.
• Collaborate with Production Team in managing inventory counts and various operations.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve costing and labor variances with different groups.

• Monitor and enforce compliance with internal policies at the plant level.
• Monitor vendor invoices, provide classification, and address errors.
• Monitor and resolve sales order issues with Sales and Account Managers.
• Ad‑hoc reporting and financial management tasks as required.
• Support plant team with analytical and financial tasks.
• Ensures all costing is current, accurate and complete. Continuously verifies estimated costs against actuals.
• Manage deadlines and prioritize bids based on complexity, priority, and risks.

• Maintains knowledge of state‑of‑practice. Identifies and recommends cost effective material, design, and process options.
• Liaise with sub‑trades for quotations and analyze quotes compared to historical data.
• Use financial and non‑financial data to make informed assumptions for costing.

• Build and nurture healthy working relationships with a wide range of employees.
• Take interest and ownership of your responsibilities.
• Participate and engage in different initiatives as needed.
• Actively participate in production meetings to gain an understanding of products and manufacturing procedures.
• Perform peer‑review on other estimators’ work and provide feedback.
• Eager to improve and support other estimators.
• Maintain and collaborate a good working relationship with other functions and divisions.

• Adhere to Nortrak's Environmental Procedures, Practices and Policies.

• Undergraduate Degree in Accounting, Business or Finance or equivalent – CPA or CMA is an asset.
• Minimum of 3+ years of accounting experience, ideally in manufacturing – exposure to foundry is an asset.

• Experience with financial planning and analysis.
• Understanding of cost accounting methodologies.
• Ability to analyze financial and non‑financial data and clearly articulate opportunities for improvement and/or risk areas.
• Advanced Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills.
• Experience with ERP systems – ideally SAP.
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills combined with sound professional judgement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer; occasional standing and walking for your scheduled shift.
• Must remain stationary for extended periods and move throughout the…