OUR TEAM IS OUR BEST ASSET

About West Liberty Foods

West Liberty Foods was formed in 1996 under the guiding principles of the Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative. The continued success of West Liberty Foods is due to the dedication, enthusiasm and support of our grower/owners.

Our mission is to be a leading food manufacturer by converting needs, ideas and expertise into value for our members, business partners and consumers.

West Liberty Foods manufactures hundreds of meat and poultry products that can be found in well-known grocery stores and top restaurant chains nationwide. Recognized as one of the top protein processors in North America, we have the capacity to produce over 650 million pounds of food products per year across our facilities. We are The Surprisingly Big Company®, and we’re right in your backyard.

Build your career with West Liberty Foods and be a part of an exciting, collaborative team environment!

We are currently hiring for:

Job Title: Plant Controller

Job Summary: Functions as an integral part of the plant management team, providing direction and support in areas requiring financial expertise in accordance with the strategic objectives of the company. Safeguards the organization's assets through the use of proper internal controls and provides the leadership group with necessary cost and financial information as required or requested including the improvement of existing controls and reporting metrics as well as the development of new. Assures adherence to accounting policies, procedures, and deadlines as established by the company and provides supervision and training to the plant accounting department.

Job Responsibilities:

• Partner with the FP&A team and plant operations to determine the annual budget request and provide feedback and continuous support throughout the year regarding budget to actual expense variances.
• Partner with the corporate cost accounting team and plant operations to update production performance standards annually and on an as-needed basis surrounding new products and equipment or process changes.
• Administer the data processing of plant operations through validation of internal process controls and review of data collection points assuring the accuracy of financial and performance reporting.
• Daily reconciliation of production performance including material and direct labor usage.
• Complete weekly accounting close surrounding production variances and ending inventory. Provide reporting and explanation where performance did not meet expectations for leadership to manage those exceptions.
• Complete monthly accounting close surrounding all variances and expenses for the period. Provide reporting and analysis of overhead expense to support general ledger accuracy and provide explanations regarding trends or outliers.
• Act as a liaison between corporate/centralized accounting functions and all plant operations.
• Manage equipment record accuracy including location, status, and utilization with the support of the corporate fixed asset team. Review effectiveness and financial impact through repair and maintenance spend. Consult with maintenance and engineering teams to identify and communicate impairment.
• Serve as a committee member for plant projects and capital expenditure requests where plans are regularly reviewed and prioritized regarding the importance and impact to the business unit and company.
• Engaged participation through management meetings with plant operations and other support departments to ensure adequate communication and understanding of current events.
• Collaborate with other plant controllers to share experiences, offer support, problem-solve, and implement best practices to improve the overall success of the accounting and finance department.
• Provide leadership and support to the plant accounting team encouraging development and growth within the department and organization. Communicate successes and opportunities through direct feedback and document for adherence to the performance management process.
• Review the results of periodic physical inventory counts, analyze adjustments and audit all areas throughout the year to propose improvements to the process including inventory handling or transactions and frequency of cycle counts for areas with increased risk.
• Comply with all existing company policies, audit controls and processes while suggesting updates as improvements are identified.
• Analyze inventory usage, operational variance and cycle count results to limit the frequency of adjustments and swings regarding ending inventory and production performance.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance is preferred.
• A leader with at least 5 years of experience in accounting or in the food manufacturing industry.
• A high level of computer skills as this position requires working with ERP systems, especially regarding spreadsheet manipulation of data and analysis.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills. That includes email, chats, phone, and in person.
• This position could also be expanded to support and train other departments regarding processes and systems used.
• Travel: 1 to 5 domestic trips per year. This could include to external training, internal training, cross training, and corporate visits.

West Liberty Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

To be considered an applicant for this position, you must apply online on our career site at https://careers.wlfoods.com/.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)