Plant Controller

Plant Controller

$135,000-$155,000 + 10-15% Bonus
Onsite | Wheeling, IL (some flexibility available)

Our client, a leading private label and contract food manufacturer, is seeking a Plant Controller to support one of its manufacturing facilities. This is a highly visible role reporting to the Director of Manufacturing Finance and serving as a strategic financial partner to plant leadership.

Our client has built a strong reputation in frozen pizza, salad dressing, and BBQ sauce manufacturing. The company offers a collaborative culture, strong operational leadership, and long-term growth potential within a stable and expanding organization.

Why Join as the Plant Controller?

• High-impact role with ownership of plant financial performance
• Opportunity to make the role your own in a collaborative environment
• Strong company culture with a team-oriented atmosphere
• Clear long-term growth and succession opportunities
• Stable organization with strong benefits

Key Responsibilities for the Plant Controller

• Lead all plant financial activities, including budgeting, forecasting, and month-end close
• Monitor and analyze manufacturing variances, providing actionable recommendations to improve plant performance
• Generate and maintain plant manufacturing budgets related to labor, material yields, operating outputs, and departmental spending
• Review weekly and period-end operational performance reports with plant leadership
• Partner with operations teams to identify cost reduction opportunities across materials, labor, inventory, and overhead expenses
• Verify inventory valuation accuracy and monitor inventory adjustments
• Maintain internal controls over factory assets, including raw materials, supplies, equipment, and capital assets
• Support and guide ERP system usage and maintenance (Just Food experience is a plus)
• Assist with monthly operating presentations to senior leadership
• Ensure compliance with accounting policies, internal controls, and manufacturing finance procedures

Qualifications for the Plant Controller

• 7+ years of accounting and finance experience with at least 2 years of true Plant Controller experience
• Strong background in food manufacturing or CPG manufacturing environments
• Hands-on experience with inventory management, costing, and manufacturing variance analysis
• Proven experience owning plant budgets, forecasts, and month-end close processes
• Strong analytical and Excel skills with the ability to work comfortably in large data sets
• ERP system experience required;
  Just Food experience preferred but not required
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance preferred
• Strong communication skills and ability to work cross-functionally with operations leadership
• Experience in manufacturing environments with GMP standards preferred

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2026

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