Plant Controller Job

Job Summary (include Context and Environment)

Directly reports to:   Plant Controller Supervisor

Other matrix reporting (indirect) – Plant Controller for the following locations: Grand Rapids, MI, North Kansas City, MO, Torrance, CA

• Direct responsibility for all financial aspects of multiple manufacturing facilities, tollers and warehouses, in particular:
  • Grand Rapids Plant
  • North Kansas City Plant
  • Torrance Plant

This position faces many challenges due to context and environment:

• Travel estimated at 10-15%
• Requires working additional hours outside of normal work day/work week to meet certain deadlines throughout the year.
• Serving various internal customers’ needs including, Plant, Finance, and Business Management, without compromising the integrity or timeliness of accounting responsibilities.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities with % Breakdown:

• 25% - Provide financial leadership and support to all levels of plant and corporate management by providing timely and accurate reporting and analysis for actual results, budget and forecast needs concerning plant financial data. Provide trend, key data, statistical or other ad-hoc analyses as requested.  Update plant and corporate management regularly to ensure that any significant financial issues or areas for concern are raised and addressed timely.

• 25% - Ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the monthly close including an understanding of all plant variances, impacts of inventory counts on results and cost center charges.  Identify any need for manual financial statement adjustments and submit journal entry requests to Business Operations Accounting for review and posting.  Provide support to production in the analysis of these variances and in the development of product costs. 
   
• 15% - Control all plant financial functions pertaining to inventory and the production operation in order to accurately state the plants financial position. Provide support and guidance to the plant staff to ensure that the “true” cost to manufacture products is captured; Bills of Materials regularly reviewed and maintained, absorption rates and methodologies verified, costing updated as needed.  Coordinate with Business Operations Accounting to ensure proper reserves are maintained for both production and supplies inventories at all plant and warehouse locations.

• 15% - Organize, develop and manage plants’ annual budget activities (variable and fixed costs), to include total cost to manufacture.  Validate appropriateness of allocation of costs to produced products. 

• 10% - Involved actively in plant operations to observe and communicate meaningful financial impact of plant activities along with results; provide recommendations to improve performance and enhance strategic decisions.  Advise and provide guidance to plant staff on the management of plant spending.

• 5% - Safeguard the plant assets by conducting physical observation of inventory and fixed assets, as required by company policy. Ensure that any required adjustments are recorded timely or communicated to Business Operations Accounting, if a manual journal entry is required.   Coordinate with project managers and Business Operations Accounting to ensure capital projects are capitalized timely and depreciated appropriately by the Business Operations Accounting team. 
   
• 5% - Ensure compliance with sales/use tax and property tax activities. Develop and implement systems to ensure prompt and accurate audit completion.  Support plant safety goals and objectives. Assist in internal and external audits.

Minimum Qualifications and Education Required

Min Years of Experience

• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience

Education and area of focus

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance

Certifications/Trainings:

N/A

Competencies -Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs)

• In Depth knowledge of general accounting principles
• Some experience in a manufacturing environment; Process Manufacturing a plus
• Experience using SAP or other ERP system a plus
• Ability to create ad-hoc and moderately complex analyses
• Proficient with Excel - pivot tables/more complex functions
• Ability to work with minimal supervision

• Keep information confidential; Engender trust and respect.
• Conduct work in accordance with all applicable rules and policies.
• Looks for opportunities to strengthen presentation skills; oscillates easily between high level and details depending on audience
• Participates more Independently with Leadership - minimal to moderate support from management, pending newness to business, Developing Leadership Team Expertise
• Prioritizes tasks and provides appropriate level of response timely; consistently and accurately meets deadlines with minimal supervision
• Able to evaluate options and make appropriate decisions; Seeks counsel on more complex issues; Understands business drivers and risks.
• Problem solver - Identifies root causes and provides solutions; Implements improvement ideas
• Maintains high expectations for self & colleagues; accepts feedback and addresses performance issues quickly
• Willingly shares knowledge across team; Develop to mentor others on basic concepts.  May assist in training peers.
• Proficient in knowledge of Organization, Processes and Customers; Able to identify and drive SAP/Finance Process improvements; Participates on project teams and developing toward lead
• Discerns what information should be elevated and does so appropriately and timely.  Shares subject matter knowledge with other groups to ensure the success of Arkema.

HES Requirement – All Jobs

-Supports the site HES policy and complies with all regulatory and internal requirements

-Participates in HES activities provided by site management and Arkema Inc. (e.g., Behavioral Base Safety, SafeStart, etc.)

-Supports and promotes the reporting of all health, safety, environmental, near-miss, accident or injury incidents

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and keyboard.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work.

• Light to moderate lifting may be required.
• Regular, predictable attendance is required; including monthly and quarter-driven hours as business demands dictate.
• Moderate noise (i.e., business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic).
• Ability to work in a confined area.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.