Plant Controller - Legacy Turkey - Melrose, MN

The Plant Controller is responsible for leading all accounting, financial reporting, cost accounting, budgeting, and internal control functions for a high-volume turkey processing facility. This role serves as a key business partner to plant operations, providing financial insight and analysis that drives profitability, operational efficiency, yield optimization, and strategic decision-making.

The ideal candidate possesses a strong manufacturing accounting background with extensive experience in cost accounting, inventory management, production reporting, and financial analysis within a food processing, protein, agricultural, or manufacturing environment.

Located in Melrose, MN , Legacy Turkey employs many people in a variety of roles with varying levels of expertise. We hire individuals with a strong work ethic who align with our core values.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Financial Leadership & Reporting

• Direct all plant accounting activities, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management reports.
• Analyze financial performance, identify trends, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Lead month-end and year-end closing processes, including journal entries, reconciliations, and accruals.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, company policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Support external audits, internal audits, and corporate reporting requirements.

Cost Accounting & Inventory Management

• Maintain and oversee standard costing systems for live production, processing, packaging, and distribution activities.
• Analyze variances related to labor, overhead, yields, material usage, and production efficiency.
• Monitor turkey processing yields, by-product recovery, shrinkage, and waste to identify improvement opportunities.
• Manage inventory accounting, including raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, packaging materials, and supplies.
• Conduct and oversee physical inventory counts and cycle count programs.
• Ensure accurate valuation of inventories and cost allocations across products and departments.

Operational Finance Partnership

• Partner with plant management to evaluate operational performance and drive cost improvement initiatives.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production, labor efficiency, yields, throughput, and profitability.
• Provide financial analysis supporting capital expenditures, process improvements, and operational investments.
• Assist operations leadership in understanding financial impacts of production decisions and performance metrics.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins through cost control, efficiency gains, and yield optimization.

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes for the facility.
• Develop labor, overhead, production, and capital expenditure budgets.
• Monitor performance against budget and provide variance analysis with corrective action recommendations.
• Support long-range planning and profitability analysis.

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Establish and maintain strong internal controls over financial reporting, inventory, cash management, and purchasing.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and applicable financial regulations.
• Monitor and improve financial processes to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
• Evaluate risks and implement corrective measures where necessary.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop plant accounting staff.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational partnership.
• Collaborate effectively with corporate finance, operations, procurement, and supply chain teams.

Knowledge

• Proficiency in logistics and inventory management systems

Abilities & Skills

• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting requirements.
• Advanced cost accounting expertise, including standard costing, variance analysis, yield reporting, and inventory valuation.
• Experience with ERP systems and manufacturing reporting platforms.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Experience

• 5-7+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• 3+ years in a Controller, Assistant Controller, Cost Accounting Manager, or similar leadership role.
• Manufacturing, food processing, protein processing, poultry, turkey, meat processing, or agricultural industry experience strongly preferred.
• Extensive experience with cost accounting and inventory management in a production environment.

Education/Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field required.
• CPA, CMA preferred.

Benefits at Legacy Turkey: 
We are proud to offer a generous benefit package in addition to competitive compensation. Our benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance options, a Health Savings Account with company match, 401K plan with company match up to 4% of your compensation, PTO accrual, holiday pay, company paid short and long term disability, and company paid life insurance.

Salary Range: $107,087 - $134,309

Apply Online or to Further Inquire Contact:
Virgil Aguirre Jr. | Human Resources Manager
Show phone number

Legacy Turkey provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability.

• Applicants must not now, or at any time in the future, require employer sponsorship for a work visa.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer.
• Must be 18 years of age or older (all plant positions)