Plant Controller

Job Description Be an essential element to a brighter future.

We work together to transform essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health. Join our values-led organization committed to building a more resilient world with people and planet in mind. Our core values are the foundation that make us successful for ourselves, our customers and the planet.

Job Description We work together to transform essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health. Join our values-led organization committed to building a more resilient world with people and planet in mind. Our core values are the foundation that make us successful for ourselves, our customers and the planet.

Albemarle is hiring for a Plant Controller. This position is located in Magnolia, AR , on-site.

What You Will Do The Plant Controller is the senior finance leader and trusted business partner for the Magnolia site. As a core member of plant leadership, this role owns plant financial performance and drives disciplined, fact-based decision-making. You will translate operational and financial data into actionable insights that improve cost, cash, productivity, and profitability.

Serve as the finance co-pilot to plant leadership, partnering closely with the Plant Manager and operations leaders to drive financial accountability, cost discipline, and informed decision-making.

Own plant financial planning and performance, including budgeting, forecasting, manufacturing accounting, standard costing, inventory valuation, cost and margin analysis, and financial reporting.

Lead accurate and timely month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, including reconciliations, accruals, inventory accounting, and variance reporting.

Establish a rigorous cost-management cadence, connecting key operational drivers such as volume, yield, material usage, labor, maintenance, energy, downtime, and overhead to financial results.

Analyze performance against budget, forecast, and prior year; identify root causes, risks, opportunities, and corrective actions for unfavorable variances and cost leakage.

Lead the Annual Operating Plan, rolling forecasts, scenario analysis, and predictive insights to improve forecast accuracy and identify cost, margin, and cash risks early.

Partner with operations, supply chain, maintenance, engineering, procurement, and commercial teams to improve productivity, working capital, inventory, and cash performance.

Evaluate capital projects and productivity initiatives, including assumptions, cash flow, returns, risks, alternatives, and post-investment benefits.

Develop driver-based models, dashboards, and automated reporting using SAP, Excel, and applicable business-intelligence tools, creating reliable and transparent financial insights.

Strengthen data quality and governance, particularly SAP production, purchasing, costing, and master data, while identifying opportunities to simplify processes and reduce manual work.

Ensure compliance with US GAAP, SOX, company policies, and internal controls, including coordination of audits and timely resolution of findings.

Communicate complex financial and operational topics in clear, practical terms and influence cross-functional decisions without relying on formal authority. It’d be great if you also have:

Demonstrated track record of driving measurable cost reduction, stronger cost ownership, and improved plant profitability in a complex manufacturing environment.

Outstanding analytical ability: rapidly structures ambiguous problems, interrogates large data sets, detects patterns and anomalies, tests assumptions, and converts findings into action.

Highly technical and hands-on, with the curiosity and persistence to trace…