Plant Controller

Kerry South Dakota, United States of America

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Plant Controller

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

The Plant Controller will work closely with plant management on all aspects of the financial operations of the plant including but not limited to controlling and reporting the plant costs; understanding and explaining plant manufacturing performance; identification of cost savings and operational efficiency opportunities and generally supporting Plant and Corporate Management to make timely and informed decisions concerning financial performance of the business.

This role is a key member of the leadership team in the facility and will be expected to be integral to non-financial KPI delivery as well, by understanding, supporting and challenging the other functions as required.

This role is open at our facility in Evansville, Indiana. Kerry has 50 sites across North America. Our Evansville plant is part of the Coatings Business, which is a key part of our overall Meat EUM, and has over 140 employees. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced and ambitious finance leader to develop broader commercial and strategical skills, plant leadership experience and one who is looking for exposure to the business level leadership team at a key plant in our Coatings footprint. The work environment is fast-paced, challenging, and results-driven.

This position is planned to include the controller responsibilities for a smaller site within the division in Hot Springs, Arkansas after the first year.

The plant operates on an SAP ERP System; and ideally the candidate will have prior experience in SAP, but this is not essential as training will be provided. Experience on a similar system otherwise would be desirable.

Key responsibilities

Other Key responsibilities/expectations include:

Partner with all members of the site leadership team to ensure ownership and accountability of financial performance, whilst identifying process improvement and cost reduction opportunities across all plant related cost categories (materials; labor; equipment; indirect purchases; and inventory).
Present plant financial analysis and scorecard to plant and business unit management, with strong emphasis on Operational performance linked to SKU and Asset Productivity and Inventory/Waste Management.
Preparation of all daily, weekly, period end operational performance reports with comments and recommendation for corrective action.
Including Plant P+L and Commercial Performance (With Support from Commercial Finance partners as needed – Building a good working relationship between Operations and Commercial Finance will be key to the success of the role)
Partner with the Plant Manager in the monthly presentation of operating results to business unit management, and future strategic decisions for the plant.
Responsible for Month End period closing, and associated balance sheet management, accruals and purchase order reconciliation.
We have a centralized Product Costing Team who work with the plants supporting activities during the month and over month end close. The Plant Controller will be expected to understand the Product Costing Process and support the central team as needed.
Be hands on to ensure strong process adherence across the plant for all relevant metrics including, but not limited to Inventory Control and Risk Management, Cycle Counting Accuracy, Inventory Obsolescence, Vendor Payment Management and Customer Billing (AP and AR are centralized, but the plant processes are key to a smooth operation).
The plant controller is expected to understand the processes sufficiently to support the operation of them, and whilst not responsible for day to day completion, they are the site gatekeeper to ensure compliance and an escalation point.
Capital Projects Performance Reporting (linking in with Meat EUM Capital resource).
Budgeting, Forecasting and Financial Planning.
Project “Accelerate” Financial Management and Tracking.
Kerry’s regional cost management and initiatives program
Kerry Best Practice Implementation.
Participate in Gemba walks.
All other duties as assigned.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Reports directly to Operation Finance Manager for the Coatings business unit and indirectly to the Plant Manager.

This position is responsible for making recommendations based on trends, business opportunities, and potential improvements in efficiency or cost savings, costing up capital investments with the appropriate support, and delivering day to day operations as required.
- A key aspect as well is being aware of and highlighting any risks to necessary compliance or performance that we need to address as a business team
This position will be working with minimal or no direct supervision from line manager on a day to day basis, but they visit the plant to support/review performance as needed and will ensure regularly virtual/remote connects in between.
- The Plant Manager will support as needed as well on a day to day basis.

Qualifications and skills

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Accounting or Finanace required
Minimum 4-6 years of experience, experience in a manufacturing facility preferred
CPA, CMA or equivalent is desired but not required
Proficient knowledge of SAP and Accounting Systems and experience with performance-based measurement highly desired.
- ERP/SAP and Company specific systems training will be provided as required
Strong and broad knowledge of Excel and associated systems is essential.
Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail, good communication, organization, prioritization and time management skills while handling multiple ongoing projects in a very fast-paced, challenging environment
Prior experience with long term strategic planning, investing analysis, acquisition, capital, cost management, capital reporting, budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, financial reporting, managing fixed assets, book-keeping, processing accounts receivable and accounts payable, budgeting, intercompany allocations, year-end audit and technical accounting are all highly desired
Experience in Commercial and Manufacturing work environments (food, chemical or Pharmaceutical industry) are preferred, but not required

The pay range for this position is $88,602 - $163,432 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on 09/10/2026.

Nearest Major Market: Evansville

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