Description:
Location: Bogart, Georgia (on-site)
The Opportunity
Craftsmanship is built on discipline, and discipline depends on knowing what things truly cost. ULM Automotive was established to become one of North America's premier manufacturers of luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van conversions, backed by the long-term vision of the ULM Family Office.
Reporting to the General Manager, the Manufacturing Controller builds the financial foundation beneath that ambition: the cost systems, inventory discipline, budgeting, and reporting a growing luxury vehicle manufacturer needs to scale profitably. This is a role that builds a finance function, not one that maintains it. Rather than inheriting legacy systems and entrenched habits, the successful candidate will define how the company measures cost, values inventory, prices its work, and understands its own performance.
About ULM Automotive
ULM Automotive designs, engineers, and manufactures premium Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van conversions for customers who expect exceptional quality, sophisticated design, and an outstanding ownership experience. Rather than operating as a traditional custom upfitter, the company is developing standardized engineering, disciplined manufacturing, and repeatable quality processes that deliver consistently while still meeting individual customer requirements. The company is headquartered in Bogart, Georgia, within the ULM Family Office.
Position Summary
The Manufacturing Controller is responsible for the company's accounting and financial management: cost accounting, inventory valuation, month-end close, budgeting and forecasting, capital analysis, transactional finance, and internal controls. Working closely with the General Manager, the Director of Operations, and the Director of Engineering, this individual ensures that every decision made on the floor, in the design studio, and with suppliers is grounded in accurate, timely, and honest numbers.
Luxury vehicles are crafted rather than simply manufactured, and that craftsmanship carries a cost that must be understood build by build. In a high-mix, low-volume environment, cost visibility is what separates a profitable vehicle from an expensive one. The Manufacturing Controller establishes what each vehicle truly costs in material, labor, and overhead, and gives leadership the clarity to protect both margin and quality. This is a hands-on role in a growing company: the successful candidate will be on the production floor as often as in the accounting system, and will be comfortable building processes that do not yet exist.
Requirements:
Key Responsibilities
Cost Accounting and Product Profitability
Build and own the cost accounting system, including standard costs, labor and overhead rates, and bills of material developed in partnership with Engineering. Establish job and build-level costing so the true cost of each vehicle and each customer configuration is known and understood. Analyze variances in material, labor, and overhead, identify their root causes with Operations, and translate the findings into actions that protect margin without compromising craftsmanship.
Inventory and Material Control
Establish inventory accuracy and valuation from the ground up, spanning raw material, work in process, and finished vehicles. Implement cycle counting, physical inventory procedures, receiving and issuing discipline, and reserves for excess and obsolete material. Partner with Purchasing and Operations so inventory supports uninterrupted production while working capital stays under control.
Financial Close and Reporting
Own the monthly and annual close, including journal entries, account reconciliations, and accruals, and deliver results on a predictable timetable. Produce financial statements and management reporting that give the General Manager and ownership a clear view of profitability, cost performance, and cash. Ensure compliance with US GAAP and with Family Office reporting requirements.
Budgeting, Forecasting, and Capital Planning
Lead the annual operating plan, the capital budget, and the rolling forecast. Model the financial impact of operational and product decisions, including capacity expansion, equipment purchases, hiring plans, facility investment, and new platform launches. Prepare capital requests with clear analysis of return, payback, and risk, and follow them through to verify that the expected benefit was actually realized.
Pricing and Quoting Support
Give Engineering and commercial leadership the cost intelligence behind pricing, quoting, and option decisions. Develop estimating tools that translate a customer configuration into a reliable projected cost and margin, compare estimate to actual once the vehicle is complete, and feed those lessons back so future quotes get sharper.
Internal Controls and Compliance
Establish the internal control environment of a company being built to last, including segregation of duties, approval authorities, purchasing and payment controls, and asset safeguards. Manage the relationship with external accountants and auditors, and ensure compliance with tax, payroll, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
Systems and Process Development
Lead the selection, implementation, and ongoing development of the ERP and financial systems that will carry the company through growth. Build the chart of accounts, costing structures, and reporting architecture deliberately, so that the systems remain sound as volume and complexity increase. Automate manual work wherever it earns its keep.
Transactional Finance and Administration
Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, banking, and cash management. In the company's early stages this work is hands-on rather than delegated, and the Manufacturing Controller is expected to do it accurately and efficiently while building the team and systems that will eventually carry it.
Business Partnership and Team Development
Serve as a genuine business partner to Operations and Engineering rather than a scorekeeper reporting after the fact. Make financial information accessible to people who do not work in finance, and hold the organization accountable to the numbers with candor and respect. As the company grows, recruit, develop, and lead the finance and administrative team.
Cross-Enterprise Contribution
During ULM Automotive's early growth, the Manufacturing Controller may occasionally contribute financial expertise to initiatives elsewhere in the Family Office portfolio. This is a bounded, value-add opportunity; building ULM Automotive's finance function remains the priority.
First-Year Priorities
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Establish the cost accounting system, including standard costs, labor and overhead rates, and build-level job costing.
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Implement inventory control, valuation, and cycle counting disciplines across raw material, work in process, and finished vehicles.
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Deliver a reliable, timely monthly close and a management reporting package trusted by ownership.
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Select and implement the ERP and financial systems that will support the company through growth.
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Build the annual operating plan, capital budget, and rolling forecast.
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Develop estimating and quoting tools that link customer configurations to projected cost and margin.
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Establish internal controls, approval authorities, and purchasing and payment discipline.
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Partner with Operations and Engineering to identify and quantify early cost-reduction and margin-improvement opportunities.
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Support the launch and production ramp-up of the first Sprinter conversion platforms with sound cost and capital analysis.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate is a hands-on manufacturing finance leader who enjoys building systems, improving processes, and working alongside the people who make the product. They bring the rigor to establish disciplined cost and control systems while recognizing that in a premium business, quality is not a line item to be squeezed. They are as comfortable on the production floor tracing where a labor hour actually went as they are presenting results to ownership. They are comfortable with ambiguity, willing to do the work themselves before there is a team to delegate to, and motivated by the chance to build a finance function properly from the start rather than repair one later.
Core Competencies
Operational Fluency. Understands how the business actually makes money, not merely how it reports. Can walk the floor, follow a build, and connect what is happening at the vehicle to what appears in the financial statements.
Analytical Rigor. Gets to root cause and does not settle for a plausible explanation. Treats a variance as a question to be answered rather than an entry to be booked.
Builder's Mindset. Creates systems, processes, and disciplines where none exist, and is energized rather than deterred by a blank page. Comfortable doing the work personally in the early stages.
Candor with Credibility. Delivers unwelcome numbers clearly, early, and constructively. Holds the organization accountable to the numbers while keeping the trust of the people being held accountable.
Integrity and Independence. Exercises independent judgment and protects the integrity of the numbers and the company's assets, including when it is inconvenient. Understands that ownership relies on the accuracy of what is reported.
Clear Communication. Translates financial complexity into language that engineers, supervisors, and craftspeople can act on, and makes financial information a practical tool on the floor rather than a report filed after the fact.
Cost Discipline without Compromise. Protects margin and the premium standard at the same time, understanding that cost discipline and craftsmanship are complementary rather than competing.
Adaptability. Adapts as the company grows, letting go of work as the team develops and continually raising the sophistication of the finance function to match the business.
Required Experience
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8 to 12 years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including at least three years as a controller, plant controller, or senior finance leader in a manufacturing environment.
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Demonstrated depth in cost accounting, including standard costing, job costing, labor and overhead absorption, and variance analysis.
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Strong experience with inventory valuation and control across raw material, work in process, and finished goods.
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Experience owning the monthly close and producing management reporting for owners or executive leadership.
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A record of building or substantially improving financial processes, controls, or systems rather than only operating established ones.
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Experience with ERP selection, implementation, or significant configuration, and strong Excel capability.
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Experience developing budgets, forecasts, and capital investment analysis.
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Strong working knowledge of US GAAP and internal control principles.
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A collaborative, floor-present working style and the ability to influence non-financial leaders.
Preferred Industry Background
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Luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversions or specialty vehicle manufacturing
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Premium RV and motorhome manufacturing; executive transportation vehicles; automotive upfitting
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Marine and yacht manufacturing; aircraft and aerospace interiors and completions
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Premium cabinetry, architectural millwork, or luxury furniture manufacturing
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Precision-engineered products and high-mix / low-volume manufacturing
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Experience within privately held, entrepreneurial, or family-owned organizations, or as an early finance hire in a growing company
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Candidates from adjacent industries who show a genuine passion for craftsmanship and financial discipline will also receive strong consideration.
Education
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Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline is required.
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CPA, CMA, or an MBA is a strong asset.
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Training in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement is viewed favorably.
Why Join ULM Automotive
Finance is where a manufacturer learns the truth about itself. As Manufacturing Controller, you will build the systems that tell ULM Automotive what its craftsmanship costs, where its money is made, and how it can grow without losing what makes it exceptional. You will do it from the beginning, with direct access to the General Manager and ownership, and with the backing of the ULM Family Office's long-term philosophy, which means building for the future rather than managing for the next quarter. For a finance leader who would rather build an operation's financial foundation than inherit someone else's, this is a rare opportunity to leave a lasting mark.
Equal Opportunity Employer
ULM Automotive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
