Plant Controller

Company: Container Technologies Industries, LLC (CTI)

Location: Helenwood, TN

Website: www.ctifab.com

About Container Technologies Industries, LLC: Container Technologies Industries, LLC (CTI) is a leading provider of innovative container solutions, specializing in fabrication and engineering services. With a commitment to quality and innovation, CTI serves a diverse range of industries, including logistics, manufacturing, and beyond.

The Plant Controller is a senior plant leadership role with responsibility for financial performance, human resources administration, procurement oversight, and inventory management in a private-equity-owned, government-contract-focused steel fabrication operation.

This role owns the plant P&L and serves as the financial and administrative backbone of the facility—ensuring margin discipline, cash flow optimization, workforce compliance, and material availability. The Plant Controller partners closely with plant management, operations, and executives to drive accountability, operational rigor, and scalable systems aligned with PE and government contracting requirements.

Core ResponsibilitiesFinancial Leadership & Reporting

• Own full plant P&L, including monthly close, variance analysis, and executive reporting.
• Deliver accurate, timely financials in accordance with GAAP and PE reporting cadence.
• Support weekly and monthly operating reviews with clear margin, cost, and cash insights.
• Lead annual budgeting and rolling forecasts aligned with value-creation objectives.

Cost Accounting & Margin Management

• Maintain and continuously improve standard costing, job costing, and overhead burden rates.
• Ensure accurate cost capture for labor, materials, overhead, scrap, and rework.
• Analyze fixed-price and government contract margins; identify and escalate risks early.
• Partner with operations to improve gross margin through labor efficiency, yield, and overhead absorption.

Government Contract Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable FAR/DFARS and government contract cost requirements.
• Support audits, incurred cost submissions, pricing support, and customer reviews.
• Maintain strong documentation for labor charging, job cost tracking, and indirect rates.
• Coordinate with external auditors, consultants, and contracting officers as required.

Procurement & Inventory Management (Oversight Responsibility)

• Provide financial oversight and control for procurement, purchasing, and supplier management.
• Partner with operations and purchasing to ensure material availability while controlling cost.
• Review and approve major purchase commitments and supplier agreements.
• Establish and monitor inventory policies for raw material, WIP, and finished goods.
• Oversee cycle counts and physical inventories; investigate and resolve variances.
• Drive improvements in inventory turns, WIP aging, and excess/obsolete material reduction.
• Ensure procurement and inventory practices support government contract traceability and audit readiness.

Human Resources Oversight

• Oversee plant-level HR administration, ensuring compliance with labor laws and company policies.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning in partnership with plant leadership.
• Ensure accurate payroll processing, labor allocation, and timekeeping compliance.
• Support performance management, disciplinary actions, and terminations with proper documentation.
• Partner with leadership on compensation planning, incentive programs, and workforce cost control.
• Maintain personnel records and support audits related to labor and compliance.

Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Drive operating cash flow improvements through cost control, billing accuracy, and inventory management.
• Support billing and milestone tracking on government and fixed-price contracts.
• Monitor and improve DSO in partnership with AR and program management.
• Ensure disciplined capital expenditure analysis and ROI tracking.

Controls, Risk & PE Readiness

• Establish and enforce strong internal controls suitable for PE oversight and lender scrutiny.
• Support audits, lender reporting, and diligence activities.
• Identify financial, operational, and compliance risks early and escalate appropriately.
• Standardize processes to support scalability and repeatability.

Leadership & Plant Partnership

• Act as a key member of the plant leadership team.
• Translate financial and operational data into actionable guidance for supervisors and managers.
• Raise financial literacy across operations, HR, and procurement teams.
• Maintain a visible presence on the shop floor.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Margin & Profitability

• Gross margin by job, program, and customer
• Bid vs. actual cost variance
• Reduction in scrap, rework, and labor inefficiency
• Accuracy of cost standards and burden rates

Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Operating cash flow
• Inventory turns and WIP aging
• Reduction in excess and obsolete inventory
• Billing accuracy and timeliness
• DSO improvement

Procurement & Inventory Discipline

• Material cost variance vs. standard
• Purchase price variance (PPV)
• Inventory accuracy (% cycle count variance)
• Supplier performance (on-time delivery, quality impacts)

HR & Workforce Control

• Labor cost vs. budget
• Overtime utilization
• Timekeeping accuracy and audit findings
• Headcount alignment to production demand

Financial Accuracy & Compliance

• On-time, accurate monthly close
• Forecast accuracy (revenue, margin, EBITDA)
• Audit findings and compliance issues (zero or declining)

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
• 7–10 years of experience in manufacturing finance; steel fabrication or heavy industry strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ownership of a plant P&L.
• Strong background in cost accounting, inventory control, and job costing.
• Experience in government-contracted environments.
• Advanced Excel skills and ERP proficiency.

Preferred

• CPA, CMA, or MBA.
• Experience in private-equity-backed companies.
• Familiarity with FAR/DFARS and labor charging compliance.
• Experience overseeing HR or procurement functions at the plant level.

Personal Attributes

• High accountability and ownership mindset
• Comfortable with PE-level scrutiny and pace
• Direct, data-driven communicator
• Strong backbone with collaborative approach
• Equally effective in the office and on the shop floor

Why This Role

• Broad operational influence across finance, people, and materials
• Direct impact on margins, cash flow, and enterprise value
• High visibility with executive leadership and ownership
• Opportunity to professionalize and scale plant operations

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person