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.

• 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

• 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

• 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