Darigold is seeking a Plant Controller to serve as the financial leader for the Lynden, WA manufacturing plant. This role partners closely with Plant Leadership and Operations to drive cost discipline, operational performance, and financial integrity.
The Plant Controller owns plant-level financial reporting and leads the team responsible for plant accounting activities. This role provides clear insight into production and cost trends and partners with plant leadership to support informed decisions that drive growth and profitability. The position requires a strong operational presence, building relationships with production teams to understand processes firsthand and ensure accurate reporting of production activity, labor, and inventory. This is a hands-on leadership role with broad exposure across accounting, forecasting, cost management, internal controls, and continuous improvement initiatives.
This position reports to the Director of Operations Accounting. Travel between plant locations and headquarters may be required (typically less than 20%).
What You Will Do:
- Data Integrity – Collaborate with operations teams to ensure that plant activity for production, shipments, plant expenses, and inventory adjustments are recorded timely and accurately so that information in systems can be relied upon for accounting, financial reporting, supply chain execution, and analysis.
- General Accounting: Ensure compliance with Darigold policies and procedures in accordance with U.S. GAAP with respect to period recognition of costs, capital vs. expense, accruals, etc.
- Internal Controls – Assess design and execution of local internal control practices that support accurate financial reporting, data integrity, and safeguarding of assets. Provide feedback and recommendations to strengthen control environment.
- Cost Accounting – Coordinate with Cost Accounting team to ensure accuracy of standard costing for the monthly accounting close and reporting cycle, including inventory reconciliations and valuation, production reporting, key statistical entries, manufacturing variances and other financial reporting requirements. Responsible for preparation and/or review of plant account reconciliations.
- Planning & Forecasting- Coordinate the plant Annual Operating Plan (AOP) with preparation of the plant budget, monthly spend forecasts, and ongoing reporting and analysis of actual costs vs, budget, key drivers of variances, and identifying opportunities for cost management. Drive operations budget by partnering with Plant Leadership to identify cost reduction opportunities, identify capital investment opportunities for cost management and support execution of same.
- Reporting - Responsible for monthly journal entries. Overhead analysis and reporting; including labor and overhead. Participate in plant problem solving and Continuous Improvement (CI) teams as finance subject matter expert by providing manufacturing support and analysis in such areas as process performance, capital spending, inventory management, customer service objectives, production costing, and cost reduction.
- Standardization and Documentation – Lead efforts to document processes and procedures, including standardizing and reducing duplicative / inefficient processes. Identify and support implementation of improved processes across all plants as appropriate.
- Special Projects – Lead or assist special projects from time to time as part of the Corporate Finance team, including user acceptance testing in support of systems implementations.
- Facilitate trusting relationships through effective communication, follow through on commitments, resolving conflicts and supporting our CORE values by recognizing the work of others.
- Some travel may be required to plant / periodically to HQ (less than 20% of time, depending on location)
What You Will Bring:
- Strong team player with effective communication skills, both oral and written
- Demonstrated problem solving skills, with an emphasis on process improvement and efficiency
- Strong understanding of standard cost accounting and its implications in a manufacturing environment
- Knowledge of inventory control within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, following through on commitments
- Understanding of U.S. GAAP and design of internal controls
- High degree of initiative and flexibility
- Willingness to challenge the status quo
- Ability to manage multiple priorities with an analytical mindset
- Proficient in Excel
Education, Experience and Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or related field (e.g. Finance, Business) OR equivalent level progressive Accounting experience
- Minimum of 3-5 years of accounting experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment
- 401k competitive employer matching
- Comprehensive medical, dental & vision benefits
- Employer paid life & disability coverage
- Paid time off and paid holidays
- 8 weeks paid parental leave
- Education assistance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible hybrid working arrangement where it applies (up to 1 day/week after initial 90 days and approval by hiring manager and HR)
- Compensation range: $101,838.07 to $152,757.11 (individual wage based on previous experience, knowledge, and skills)
Our Commitment to Diversity:
Achieving our vision to Lead Dairy Forward requires cultivating and supporting a team with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are committed to providing a workplace based on mutual respect where all employees feel included and can bring their best and authentic selves to work every day. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Affirmative Action Employer. We welcome all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, marital status, creed, religion, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. As a condition of employment applicants offered a role will be required to successfully pass our pre-employment background screen, receive a negative drug screen result & confirm eligibility to work in the U.S. We participate in E-Verify - please follow the links for details, English (https://e-verify.uscis.gov/emp/media/resourcesContents/EverifyPosterEnglish.pdf) / Spanish (https://e-verify.uscis.gov/emp/media/resourcesContents/EverifyPosterSpanish.pdf) & view our Right to Work Statement, English (https://e-verify.uscis.gov/emp/media/resourcesContents/WebBPPOSTERRtoWEnglishversion.pdf) / Spanish (https://e-verify.uscis.gov/emp/media/resourcesContents/WebBPPOSTERRtoWSpanishversion.pdf).
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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.
