Senior Plant Staff Accountant

About the role

Mizkan America is seeking a Senior Plant Staff Accountant to join our dynamic team in Owensboro, KY. Reporting to the Assistant Plant Controller, this role will provide hands-on plant accounting execution with a strong focus on transaction accuracy, internal controls, and manufacturing cost insight.

Responsibilities

• Execute plant period-end financial close responsibilities in accordance with GAAP and company policy, including preparing journal entries, account reconciliations, and resolving reconciling items with emphasis on manufacturing-related accounts (inventory and accruals).
• Prepare and validate routine period-end accruals and cutoff checks, including payroll/labor accruals, freight and utility accruals, and receiving/invoice cutoff; reconcile and clear accrual accounts as invoices and settlements post.
• Prepare month-end plant financial and operational reporting packages with clear variance narratives for Assistant Plant Controller review; incorporate feedback and submit decision-ready insights for Plant and Corporate Leadership.
• Serve as the day-to-day finance point-of-contact for plant departments (Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, HR, and IT) leveraging established communication channels, including (1) daily floor check-ins and ad hoc in-person discussions for transactional issues, (2) email and Teams messages for documentation and follow-up, and (3) D365 workflows/requests for approvals, master data, and transaction corrections.
• Process and reconcile routine plant accounting transactions in D365, including service and freight/utility accruals, AP invoice coding/receiving issue resolution, and timely clearing of GR/IR (or similar receiving/invoice matching) accounts.
• Review and validate daily/weekly manufacturing transactions (production reporting, material issues/consumption, backflushing, scrap reporting, and labor postings) for completeness and accuracy; investigate exceptions, quantify financial impact, coordinate corrections with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Engineering, and escalate systemic issues to the Assistant Plant Controller.
• Perform routine purchase price variance (PPV) and receiving price checks by comparing purchase orders, receipts, and invoices; coordinate corrections (price, quantity, unit of measure, vendor) with Purchasing/AP and escalate recurring issues to the Assistant Plant Controller.
• Process intercompany and inventory transfer transactions (shipments, receipts, and in-transit reconciliation), investigate and clear unmatched transactions impacting inventory valuation.
• Track capital project invoices and CIP activity by maintaining supporting logs, validating coding, reconciling balances, and preparing capitalization documentation (placed-in-service dates, asset descriptions, and approvals) in coordination with Engineering and the Assistant Plant Controller.
• Conduct routine (daily/weekly) variance and cost monitoring by reviewing key levers (yield, throughput, labor efficiency, overhead absorption, inventory, and freight), quantifying financial impacts, coordinating next steps with plant owners, and elevating risks/opportunities to the Assistant Plant Controller with recommended actions.
• Contribute to annual budgeting and periodic forecasts by maintaining templates/models, compiling plant assumptions (volume, staffing, downtime, scrap, utilities, maintenance spend), and reconciling updates to prior submissions.
• Contribute to mid-year and year-end standard cost rolls (materials, labor, overhead) by validating bills of material (BOMs), routings, work centers, and labor/overhead rates with plant partners to ensure standards reflect current operations.
• Maintain manufacturing cost elements/categories and related master data in D365 to enable accurate standard costing, cost rollups, and operational reporting.
• Prepare documentation and workpapers for internal and external audits (close documentation, inventory, fixed assets, and controls testing), participate in plant walkthroughs, and coordinate timely remediation of findings.
• Coordinate plant finance liaison process with Corporate Finance/Operations Controlling by collecting, validating, and submitting close/forecast/budget/metrics inputs. Proactively communicate questions and variances to the Corporate Senior Operations Controller and cascade guidance back to the Assistant Plant Controller and plant partners.
• Provide updates and escalations to the Senior Operations Controller (dotted line) via email/Teams and scheduled corporate check-ins as needed to enable accurate and timely close, forecast, budget, and metrics submissions.
• Respond promptly to requests from plant management, Corporate, auditors, and other business partners; document actions taken and track open items through completion.
• Drive continuous improvement in plant finance routines (reporting cadence, variance analysis, cycle count discipline, and ERP master data governance) by proposing and implementing process enhancements approved by the Assistant Plant Controller.
• Perform other duties assigned that support the overall success of the team, department, or organization.

Requirements

This role requires a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, with 3+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience, preferably in a manufacturing plant environment. Experience with D365 Finance & Operations (F&O) or similar manufacturing ERP is preferred. Advanced Excel skills, proficiency with Word and PowerPoint, and experience with Power BI are beneficial. Knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing variances (PPV, usage, labor/overhead absorption, yield/scrap, and inventory adjustments) is essential. Comfortable working in a plant environment and partnering cross-functionally is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience; manufacturing plant accounting experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with D365 Finance & Operations (F&O) or similar manufacturing ERP strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data validation).
• Proficiency with Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Power BI is a plus.
• Knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing variances (PPV, usage, labor/overhead absorption, yield/scrap, and inventory adjustments).
• Comfortable working in a plant environment and partnering cross-functionally; ability to communicate financial information clearly to both plant and corporate audiences.
• Working knowledge of inventory accounting and plant cost concepts.

Skills/Competencies

• Strong technical accounting and plant-accounting capabilities.
• Excellent organization, attention to detail, and documentation discipline.
• Ability to maintain master data and extract/validate transactional detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to work effectively with individuals and groups at all levels.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to partner cross-functionally in a manufacturing environment.
• High integrity, strong work ethic, and continuous-improvement mindset.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Willingness and flexibility to adapt to changing business needs and deadlines.
• Ability to exhibit a professional business-like appearance and demeanor.

Education/Experience/Qualifications/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience; manufacturing plant accounting experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with D365 Finance & Operations (F&O) or similar manufacturing ERP strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data validation).
• Proficiency with Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Power BI is a plus.
• Knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing variances (PPV, usage, labor/overhead absorption, yield/scrap, and inventory adjustments).
• Comfortable working in a plant environment and partnering cross-functionally; ability to communicate financial information clearly to both plant and corporate audiences.
• Working knowledge of inventory accounting and plant cost concepts.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $61,900 - $75,000 per year. This is an exempt position and is not eligible to receive overtime pay. This role is eligible for a Short-Term Incentive Bonus. A full range of medical, dental, vision, 401K plus up to four percent (4%) match, profit sharing, wellness program, paid parental leave, long-term-care insurance, critical accident insurance, short-term disability insurance, and life insurance is provided. Employee assistance programs (EAP) and tuition reimbursement are also available.

Work Schedule & Location

This position is onsite Monday through Friday in our Owensboro, KY plant. Regular, predictable, in-person attendance on the business days the Company requires in-person attendance at this facility. For non-required-in-person attendance days, employees are expected to be present and engaged during the designated work hours for this role.