Crane Authentication is the world leader in brand authenticity and integrity, with a heritage spanning more than 40 years. We serve many of the world’s leading brand owners, licensors, and media rights owners (including around half of the Interbrand 100 Best Global Brands 2021) and are the only provider that addresses brand value and vulnerability across physical and digital domains. Crane is also a provider of high-security and compliance solutions to governments. At Crane, designers work with technologists, integrators, analysts, and domain experts to ensure solutions are brand-led, practical, and effective.
As a partner to businesses and governments, Crane Authentication offers expertise and cutting-edge innovations that protect and enhance products, secure identities, safeguard revenues, and enforce compliance. Customers from different business sectors and levels of government trust its team of 1,250 people for their expertise in R&D, security design, engineering, and data-driven insights. With a presence in 15 countries on three continents, the Crane Authentication team understands the regional nuances of the opportunities and challenges facing its customers.
Position Summary & Objective
The Assistant Controller is a key finance leader for the Lancaster manufacturing site, responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and audit-ready financial results while partnering with plant leadership to drive manufacturing performance. The role owns site-level month-end close execution, balance sheet integrity, manufacturing cost accounting, inventory analysis, forecasting and operating planning support, and internal controls execution in a U.S. GAAP and SOX-controlled environment. The position combines hands-on accounting leadership with financial analysis, operational partnership, and continuous improvement across close, reporting, cost control, and working capital processes.
Essential Functions Performed by the Position
- Lead and manage month-end close activities for the Lancaster manufacturing site, including journal entries, accruals, reclasses, overhead reporting, account reconciliations, and close review packages.
- Ensure expenses, inventory, labor, overhead, and manufacturing costs are recorded in the proper period in accordance with U.S. GAAP and company policy.
- Own balance sheet integrity for assigned site accounts, including bank, inventory, intercompany, accrual, prepaid, reserve, and other key reconciliations.
- Prepare, review, and analyze monthly manufacturing performance reporting, including labor, material, overhead, scrap, usage, yield, inventory, and production efficiency variances.
- Perform and oversee manufacturing cost accounting activities, including standard cost versus actual analysis, inventory valuation, reserves, and cost center review.
- Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, and plant leadership to explain financial results, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend corrective actions.
- Support the annual operating plan, periodic forecasts, and site financial outlooks, including manufacturing overhead, labor, period expenses, inventory, and working capital assumptions.
- Review and challenge forecast inputs from operational leaders and finance partners to ensure completeness, accuracy, and alignment with current business trends.
- Develop and maintain site KPIs tied to production, efficiency, inventory, cost performance, and working capital; provide concise commentary for leadership review.
- Execute, document, and improve internal controls and SOX-related requirements; support internal audit, external audit, and management review requests with complete and accurate evidence.
- Serve as a hands-on ERP user and data integrity owner for site finance processes, ensuring transactions reconcile to the general ledger and supporting resolution of system or master data issues.
- Support payroll, sales reporting, intercompany activity, authorized payment processes, and other site finance activities as required.
- Provide coaching, review, and day-to-day support to site accounting / finance resources and shared services partners, as assigned.
- Drive process improvements that accelerate close, strengthen controls, improve forecast accuracy, and increase visibility to manufacturing cost drivers.
- Provide general ad hoc analysis and day-to-day support to the Controller, Finance Leadership, and Lancaster site leadership team.
Position Qualifications - Education
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
- CPA, CMA, MBA, or equivalent advanced credential preferred but not required.
Experience
- Minimum 7+ years of progressive accounting, controllership, manufacturing finance, plant finance, or cost accounting experience.
- Direct experience in a manufacturing environment required; experience with inventory, standard costing, overhead, and variance analysis strongly preferred.
- Hands-on ownership of month-end close, journal entries, accruals, balance sheet reconciliations, and financial reporting packages.
- Experience operating in a SOX-controlled, audit-driven, or public-company environment preferred.
- ERP experience required; NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, or equivalent system experience preferred.
- Prior experience supervising, reviewing, or coaching accounting / finance resources preferred.
Language Proficiency
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP, financial close, internal controls, and manufacturing cost structures.
- Demonstrated ability to connect plant operating performance to financial results and communicate insights to non-finance stakeholders.
- Strong control mindset with disciplined documentation, evidence retention, account ownership, and audit readiness.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial analysis skills; ability to build clear reporting, reconciliations, and variance bridges.
- Excellent attention to detail with an ownership mindset and ability to meet tight close and reporting deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to summarize complex financial issues clearly and professionally.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize competing demands, and partner effectively across functions and locations.
- High integrity, discretion, confidentiality, and professionalism in handling financial and business-sensitive information.
- Continuous improvement mindset with ability to identify root causes, simplify processes, and strengthen controls.
- Positive, collaborative, assertive, and hands-on style suited to a manufacturing site environment.
- Working Hours and Conditions
- Office and remote work environment, with regular partnerships with Lancaster manufacturing site leadership and operations teams.
Travel Requirements
Periodic travel to other Crane Authentication offices or manufacturing / finance locations may be required.
What we offer:
Crane offers competitive benefits, tailored to each region in which we operate. In addition to benefits, our employees enjoy perks such as company-sponsored wellness programs, volunteer opportunities, regular team building and engagement events and learning and development opportunities.
We value diversity at our company. Everyone who applies with the qualifications will receive consideration for employment without regard to: age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
