Plant Controller

Job Details: Job Location: Sun Hydraulics 1500 - Sarasota, FL, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Position Overview:

The Plant Controller is the senior finance leader for the Sarasota manufacturing facility and a key member of the site leadership team. The Plant Controller leads plant accounting and finance, including cost/inventory accounting, month-end closing, reporting, budgeting/forecasting, internal controls, and decision support. Ensures timely, accurate financial statements and management reporting aligned with U.S. GAAP and company policy; supports internal/external audits (including SOX where applicable); and delivers clear insights on margins, variances, inventory, and operational performance. Partners with Operations, Supply Chain, HR, IT, and Sales to drive profitable growth, working-capital discipline, and continuous improvement, and works in unison with the VP of Finance and Segment Controller to align financial priorities and standards across the segment.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Supervise the cost accounting function (currently 1 direct report)
Attract, develop, and mentor finance staff to maximize performance and support career growth

Key Responsibilities:

Lead the plant month-end close, including the review of journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and timely submission of results to corporate
Own cost accounting and inventory processes, including standard cost maintenance, BOM/routing support, variance analysis, inventory valuation, cycle counts, and physical inventory
Prepare and present KPI dashboards and financial reviews for plant leadership (margin, conversion cost, scrap, PPV, labor/overhead, absorption, working capital)
Utilize and build out Power BI reporting (including data modeling, DAX measures, and visualization best practices) to interpret operational and financial data and enable timely, data-driven decisions
Turn complex data from multiple sources into clear reporting and actionable insights (dashboards, variance bridges, concise executive summaries)
Drive budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for the site; partner with leaders to align assumptions, targets, and actions
Provide decision support for make/buy, pricing and margin, capacity, product mix, and profitability improvement initiatives
Analyze manufacturing results vs. standard and plan; identify root causes and recommend corrective actions and cost-reduction opportunities
Support capital planning (CapEx) by building business cases/ROI, preparing requests, tracking spend, and completing post-investment reviews
Maintain an effective internal control environment; ensure compliance with company policy and US GAAP; support audits and remediation
Partner with plant leadership on working capital management (inventory turns, payables/receivables coordination as applicable) and cash discipline
Partner with General Accounting (AP, AR, and related functions) to troubleshoot issues and ensure accurate, timely reporting
Lead, coach, and develop the plant finance team; set expectations, provide feedback, and improve processes through standardization and automation

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required
8+ years of progressive manufacturing accounting/finance experience, including cost accounting and inventory
3+ years of people leadership experience (direct supervision and/or leading through influence)
Strong knowledge of US GAAP, internal controls, and audit support; SOX experience preferred
ERP and manufacturing reporting experience advanced Excel skills
CPA and/or CMA preferred; MBA a plus

Skills & Competencies:

Strong business partnering skills; able to translate financial results into operational actions
Strong analytical skills (variance analysis, margin bridge, standard cost, working capital) with high attention to detail
Effective communicator able to influence across levels and functions, including non-finance audiences
Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop a team; comfortable managing priorities in a deadline-driven environment
Advanced data visualization and reporting skills, including Power BI (report development, data modeling, and dashboard design)
Continuous improvement mindset with experience improving processes, controls, and reporting through automation and standardization

What We Offer

Direct exposure to senior finance and business leadership with meaningful responsibility and ownership
Opportunities to grow alongside a global manufacturing organization
Collaborative, improvement-oriented culture that values initiative and problem-solving
Competitive compensation and benefits

Qualifications: