Financial Operations Manager (Plant Controller)

Financial Operations Manager (Plant Controller) - Food Manufacturing

PE-Backed Bakery Platform | Commercial Manufacturing Environment

A rapidly expanding private equity-backed baked goods manufacturer is seeking a commercially driven Senior Finance Manager - Manufacturing Operations to partner directly with plant leadership at one of its flagship production facilities.

This is a highly visible role sitting at the intersection of finance and operations, acting as a strategic business partner to manufacturing leadership in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. The successful candidate will play a key role in driving operational performance, supporting strategic decision-making, and improving plant profitability across a complex food manufacturing operation.

The business supplies premium baked goods to leading retail, club, convenience, and foodservice customers across North America and continues to invest heavily in operational capability, innovation, and expansion.

Pleae note, there are 2 location options for this role, onsite in Delta OR London/Toronto regions remotely with quarterly travel to the Delta site & leadership meetings.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner closely with plant leadership to support operational and financial performance initiatives
• Provide daily and weekly analysis of manufacturing results, labor efficiency, yield, waste, and cost performance
• Deliver actionable insights to improve profitability, productivity, and operational execution
• Support budgeting, forecasting, annual operating plans, and long-range financial planning activities
• Lead plant-level financial analysis including manufacturing variances, inventory, overhead absorption, labor utilization, and material cost trends
• Build financial models to support capital investments, process improvements, cost savings, and operational initiatives
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, Commercial, and Executive teams
• Support product costing and margin analysis for innovation and commercialization projects
• Prepare KPI reporting and present findings to senior leadership teams
• Evaluate internal controls, reporting processes, and financial procedures to drive continuous improvement
• Ensure accuracy and integrity across plant cost accounting activities and reporting cycles

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing finance, plant controlling, FP&A, or cost accounting
• Prior experience within food, bakery, consumer packaged goods, or industrial manufacturing environments preferred
• Cost accounting expertise is essential for this role.
• Strong understanding of standard costing, inventory controls, manufacturing variances, and operational finance
• Advanced Excel and financial systems capability with experience handling large data sets
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into operational insight
• Comfortable operating in a dynamic, PE-backed growth environment
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders
• Hands-on, collaborative approach with a focus on continuous improvement and problem solving