Operations Controller
FrieslandCampina | Darlington, WI
Salary: $96,000 - $150,000/year
Compensation is based on your education, years of direct experience, manufacturing finance background, and overall qualifications.
Schedule & Location
- Full-Time, Monday - Friday (Salaried, Exempt)
- Based onsite in Darlington, Wisconsin
- Monthly travel to our Turtle Lake, WI facility
- Travel to FrieslandCampina's Netherlands offices approximately twice per year
Build a Career Where Finance Meets the Factory Floor
If you're the kind of finance professional who wants to understand why the numbers look the way they do, not just report them, then we should talk.
At FrieslandCampina, our Operations Controller is much more than the person responsible for budgets, forecasts, and month-end reporting. You'll be a trusted partner to our Wisconsin Operations leadership team, helping connect what's happening on the manufacturing floor to the financial performance of the business.
Why did costs move? Where are we losing efficiency? What happens if production changes? Is an investment really going to deliver the return we're expecting?
You'll dig into those questions, turn data into insights, and help our leaders make smarter decisions.
If you enjoy combining finance, operations, data, and problem-solving, and you'd rather be part of the conversation than simply report on it afterward, you'll probably love this role.
Why Join FrieslandCampina?
You spend a lot of time at work. We think it should be somewhere you're challenged, supported, and genuinely enjoy coming to every day.
Make a Difference
This isn't a role where you'll spend your entire day behind a spreadsheet.
You'll work directly with Operations leaders across our Wisconsin manufacturing facilities, learning how the business actually runs and helping connect operational decisions to financial results.
You'll analyze performance, challenge assumptions, identify opportunities, and bring forward insights that help our teams improve cost, efficiency, profitability, and overall performance. Your numbers won't just end up in a report, as they'll help drive decisions.
Keep Growing
This role gives you exposure well beyond traditional accounting, and well beyond a single manufacturing site.
You'll be based in Darlington while partnering with leaders across both of our Wisconsin facilities, including regular visits to our Turtle Lake operation. You'll also work closely with fellow Controllers and Finance partners across FrieslandCampina's global organization, including traveling to our Netherlands offices approximately twice each year.
Whether you're looking to deepen your manufacturing finance expertise, strengthen your business-partnering skills, or gain experience working within a truly global organization, you'll have plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact.
We've Got You Covered
- $96,000 - $150,000/year, based on education and direct experience
- Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance starting 1st of the month following 30 days
- 401(k) with up to 4% Company Match
- 23 Paid Vacation days annually & 13 paid Holidays (including 1 floating holiday)
- Company-paid Life Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
What You'll Be Doing
No, you won't just be closing the books and sending reports. You'll help our Operations team understand the story behind the numbers, and what we can do differently because of them.
Your day may include:
- Partnering with Operations leaders to understand financial performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Turning operational and financial data into clear, useful insights for leadership.
- Building and managing budgets, forecasts, and financial plans.
- Comparing actual performance against budget and digging into what's driving the difference.
- Helping leaders understand costs, profitability, working capital, and the financial impact of operational decisions.
- Maintaining and improving standard costing and cost calculations.
- Building meaningful weekly and monthly reports around operational and financial performance.
- Monitoring KPIs and identifying trends, risks, or opportunities that need attention.
- Supporting investment decisions and evaluating different financial scenarios before decisions are made.
- Ensuring accruals and operational financial information are accurate and properly recorded.
- Reviewing processes and controls to identify financial risks and protect company assets.
- Leading or supporting finance-related projects and improvement initiatives.
- Looking for smarter ways to work, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve financial visibility across the operation.
Who We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who's comfortable with numbers, but even better with what those numbers mean.
You're curious, you ask questions, and you don't accept "that's how we've always done it" as an explanation.
You're comfortable walking into a room with Operations, Engineering, or Finance leaders and translating complicated financial information into something everyone can actually use.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of related finance, accounting, controlling, or financial analysis experience.
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and management reporting.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work with large amounts of data and turn that information into meaningful insights.
- Strong attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture.
- Ability to communicate financial information clearly to people outside of Finance.
- Strong organization and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- High level of integrity, accountability, and independence.
- Ability to travel monthly to Turtle Lake and approximately twice per year internationally to the Netherlands.
Bonus Points If You Have...
- Experience supporting manufacturing or production facilities with operational or cost accounting.
- Strong understanding of standard costing and manufacturing variances.
- Hands-on experience with SAP, particularly in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience using Power BI or similar business intelligence tools, along with HFM or other financial reporting systems.
- Experience building those essential financial models or scenario analyses.
- Expertise in supporting capital investments or business cases.
- Partnering directly with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, or Operations leadership.
You'll Probably Love This Role If...
- You naturally want to know the "why" behind the number.
- You enjoy working with people who don't necessarily speak "Finance."
- You can explain complicated financial information without making it complicated.
- You're comfortable respectfully challenging assumptions, even with senior leaders.
- You enjoy getting out of the office and understanding how the operation actually works.
- You can zoom into the details without losing sight of the bigger picture.
- You'd rather identify a problem and help solve it than simply report that it exists.
- You're comfortable working independently but genuinely enjoy collaborating with others.
- You see Finance as a business partner, not the department that tells everyone "no."
If you're reading that list thinking, "Yep, that's me," we'd really love to meet you.
Systems & Technology
You'll work with several systems and tools to turn operational data into meaningful financial insights.
Experience with the following is especially valuable:
- SAP
- Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office
- Power BI or similar reporting and analytics tools
- HFM or similar financial reporting systems
We're not looking for someone who simply knows where to click. We're looking for someone who understands the information behind the system, recognizes when something doesn't look right, and knows how to dig deeper.
Our Values
Everything we do comes back to three simple values.
We Act With Respect
We treat one another with integrity, professionalism, and respect, even when we're challenging an idea or looking at a problem differently.
We Aim Higher
We're curious. We ask questions. We take ownership and keep looking for smarter, better ways to work.
We Succeed Together
The best financial insights don't happen in a Finance bubble. They happen when people across the business share information, challenge assumptions, and solve problems together.
Ready to Turn Numbers Into Impact?
If you're looking for a Finance role where you'll have a seat at the table, learn the operation from the inside out, and see your analysis turn into real business decisions, we'd love to talk with you.
Bring your financial expertise. Bring your curiosity. And definitely bring your willingness to ask, "But why?"
We'll gives you the opportunity to turn those questions into meaningful improvements for the business.
Apply today and build your future with FrieslandCampina.
Pay: $96,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) 4% Match
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Profit sharing
- Referral program
- Travel reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you possess in-depth experience and expertise with budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and management reporting.
Education:
Experience:
- Manufacturing Finance: 3 years (Preferred)
- SAP: 1 year (Required)
Location:
- Darlington, WI 53530 (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
