Divisional Plant Controller (New Plant Build-Out)An established, PE-backed manufacturer is building a brand-new flagship plant and distribution hub in the Atlanta metro, and hiring the first finance leader it has ever embedded inside one of its plants.This is a build-out. If you have personally stood up the finance function for a new plant (a build-out, start-up, relocation, or consolidation), or stepped into one that wasn't running smoothly and fixed it, and can walk through exactly what you put in place, keep reading.This role is for you if:You have personally built a plant finance function (start-up, build-out, relo, or consolidation), or stepped into one that wasn't running smoothly and fixed it, and can walk through exactly what you put in placeYou know a plant floor cold: efficiency/OEE, bill of materials, scrap and waste, absorption, plant spend, forecasting, AOP and budgets, capital/capitalizationYou operate without a net. No one is sitting next to you; you already know what needs to be done and you do itYou default to building. You document, create, standardize, and train processes that don't exist yetYou are energized by ambiguity. A lot here is not laid out A-to-Z, and you want to be the one who figures it outYou will be onsite for the build and want to be, because you know the plant floor doesn't trust a finance partner who isn't thereYou are comfortable in an older, legacy ERP.
You've been around the block, not fresh out of schoolThis role is not for you if:Your plant experience is stepping into a mature, smoothly running close and keeping it going. You have never built or fixed oneYou have been adjacent to plant operations (corporate FP&A, reporting-only) but never personally owned efficiency, BOM, absorption, and wasteYou need defined process, a team, and structure handed to you before you can performYou want fully remote or a corporate-office seat. This role is onsite at the plant through the buildYou expect someone else to make the calls. There is no controller above you at this plant; you set what "good" looks likeAbout the company:A PE-backed manufacturer and distributor, standing up a new flagship manufacturing plant with an attached distribution hub in the Atlanta metro. A true build, with infrastructure going in in real timeRuns lean in finance.
This is the first finance role ever placed inside one of its plants; you are creating the standard, not inheriting itA full onsite leadership team is being built around this plant (plant director, engineering, quality, continuous improvement, HR, warehouse). You won't be alone, but finance is yoursThe culture and the leadership:This is a company that hires people it trusts and then lets them do the work. The leadership here values problem-solvers and judgment over watching the clock or dictating how you get there. You'll be valued for what you build and how you think, not for hours logged.Flexibility that's real, not a policy on paper. Go to your kid's game, handle life; no one is counting hoursOnsite through the build, which the right person wants to be there for, with genuine openness to hybrid as the plant stabilizesYou'll report to a leader who wants a true problem-solver and partner, gives you room to run, and trusts you to own it.
Founder of Talent Co worked with her personally and can confirmA lean, close-knit team where your work is seen and your judgment carries weightAutonomy with real support. You own the finance function, and leadership backs youWhat you will own:Stand up and own the plant finance function end to end (controls, processes, reporting, month-end close) where little exists todayOwn the plant P&L drivers: efficiency/OEE, bill of materials accuracy, scrap and waste, absorption, plant spend, and variance analysis, and translate them for operationsServe as the finance right hand to the plant director, in the details daily, not a month-end readoutBuild the annual operating plan (AOP), budgets, forecasts, and capital/capitalization tracking through the build and ramp-upCreate, document, and train the processes, controls, and reporting cadence that do not exist yetBe hands-on and strategic: both a doer (journal entries, close) and a partner who sets directionWhat's different about this opportunity:A true build. You set what great looks like for plant finance, and it becomes the model across the network, not just at this siteFirst-ever embedded plant finance role, with high visibility to the Senior Director, VP, and CFOGrowth up and out, into a large, growing supply chain, procurement, category management, and commercial organizationNo layers. You own the callsA growing manufacturing network, with new sites and expansion aheadWhat we are looking for:Must-haves:Plant / manufacturing controller experience that includes a build-out, start-up, plant relocation, consolidation, or turnaround of a plant that wasn't running smoothlyFluency in plant/cost finance: OEE, BOM, absorption, scrap/waste, plant spend, forecasting, AOP, budgets, capitalA self-directed operator who has built and documented process without oversightWilling to be onsite in (SE Atlanta metro) through the build with potential hybrid afterIdeal:A mix of large-company and small-company / lean-team experiencePlastics / blow molding, fluids / chemical, or high-volume filling backgroundCompensation:Base: $140,000 + Bonus - with some flex based on backgroundBonus: 10%+ with a high payout historyRelocation: AvailableLocation: SE Atlanta Metro | 30 min from the airport