Plant Controller

About Kerry

Where will you work?

Our Harrisonburg, VA, location is part of our Taste division and creates a variety of stock broth, soups, and bases. We work in a fast paced and ever changing environment, where we work hard but also enjoy taking part in the community thanks to Kerry’s employee engagement program. If you’re looking to build a career in manufacturing with a team you can have some fun with, we might be the place for you!

What will you do?

Main Objective

As the Plant Controller, you will partner with plant management teams on all aspects of the financial operations including but not limited to controlling and reporting plant costs; understanding and explaining plant manufacturing performance; identification of cost savings and operational efficiency opportunities and generally supporting Plant and Corporate Management to make timely and informed decisions concerning financial performance of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with all members of the site leadership team to ensure ownership and accountability of financial performance, whilst identifying process improvement and cost reduction opportunities across all plant related cost categories (materials; labor; equipment; indirect purchases; and inventory).


• Present plant financial analysis and scorecard to plant and business unit management, with strong emphasis on Operational performance linked to SKU and Asset Productivity and Inventory/Waste Management.


• Preparation of all daily, weekly, period end operational performance reports with comments and recommendation for corrective action. This includes Plant P+L and Commercial Performance.


• Partner with the Plant Manager in the monthly presentation of operating results to business unit management, and future strategical decisions for the plant.


• Responsible for Month End period closing, and associated balance sheet management, accruals and purchase order reconciliation.


• Be hands on to ensure strong process adherence across the plant for all relevant metrics including, but not limited to Inventory Control and Risk Management, Cycle Counting Accuracy, Inventory Obsolescence, Vendor Payment Management and Customer Billing.


• Capital Projects Performance Reporting (linking in with Meat EUM Capital resource).


• Budgeting, Forecasting and Financial Planning.


• Project “Accelerate” Financial Management and Tracking (Kerry’s regional cost management and initiatives program).


• Participate in Gemba walks.


• All other duties as assigned.

What will you need to be successful?

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or similar.


• Minimum 3 years of experience in a Plant Controller role within a manufacturing setting.


• Food or pharmaceutical manufacturing experience highly preferred.


• Experience in strategic planning, investment analysis, capital management, budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, financial reporting, and managing fixed assets.


• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.


• Excellent communication, organization, prioritization, and time management skills.


• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Power BI highly desired.


• Proficiency in SAP or any similar ERP / accounting systems highly desired.

Compensation Data

The pay range for this position is $88,100 - $163,700 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on 03/15/2026.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.