Plant Accountant

POSITION OVERVIEW 

This position will cover the Hillcrest plant in Simpsonville, SC; Gillespie plant in Union, SC; and Gilliland plant in Laurens, SC and reports to the Advanced Finance Leader with a dotted line to the Plant Manager. The plant finance leader is responsible for managing activities to achieve low-cost operations. This is achieved by maintaining accurate standard costs and budgets while managing actual spend activities as well as ensuring an effective internal control environment. This position provides financial leadership to the plant management team to help solve business and manufacturing opportunities. Minimal travel is required for finance meetings at corporate headquarters located in Spartanburg, SC. 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Lead the period-end close process to ensure accurate data and timely, reliable financial reporting. 

• Apply and uphold consistent financial practices across plant operations, budget revisions, product costing, management reporting, and forecasting. 

• Champion a strong internal control environment by adhering to all governance, risk, and compliance requirements, including timely and accurate account reconciliations. 

• Drive initiatives that improve profitability, strengthen ROIC, streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance overall financial performance. 

• Maintain financial oversight of major capital and expense spending while supporting effective asset management. 

• Lead and certify all inventory and material cycle counts and related clearings. 

• Analyze spending and financial variances, translating findings into actionable insights for the Plant Manager and other manufacturing and business partners. 

• Provide leadership, guidance, and day-to-day direction to finance administrative positions. 

• SAFETY 

• • Adhere to all plant safety policies and compliance regulations. 

• • Actively support the plant’s safety culture by completing safety audits, participating in safety projects, identifying site hazards, contributing to safety improvements, and serving as an active member of a safety team. 

• • Complete all required annual safety training. 

• • Strengthen team safety performance by developing systems that identify and address safety opportunities. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• • Ensure team safety audits are completed and all resulting action items are addressed promptly. 

• • Ensure associates receive the training necessary to perform their jobs safely. 

• • Enforce safety rules and drive continuous improvement in housekeeping. 

• • Lead and document investigations of near misses and incidents occurring during the shift.

  • Ensure all findings and action items are entered appropriately in the database and completed in a timely manner. 

• • Model safety as a core behavior and lead by example. 

• • Encourage active team-member participation in safety processes. 

• QUALITY: 

• • Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to quality by understanding and complying with the Milliken Quality Policy, applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), relevant ISO 9000 standards, and all Company Policies related to this position. 

• RESPONSIBLE CARE: 

• • Understand the applicable requirements of the Responsible Care Management System (RC-14001) and follow plant procedures to maintain compliance. 

• • Understand the RC-14001 Significant Aspects of the role and help ensure appropriate controls are in place to reduce or eliminate negative impacts. 

• • Identify, communicate, and implement actions that minimize waste, prevent pollution, and conserve energy. 

• • Contribute to the continuous improvement of the plant’s environmental, health, safety, security, and Responsible Care performance and programs. 

QUALIFICATIONS - REQUIRED 

• Bachelor’s degree – Accounting, Finance, Industrial Engineering or related field 

• Microsoft Office expertise 

QUALIFICATIONS – PREFERRED 

• SAP experience 

• Manufacturing experience 

• 3+ years in entry level management accounting environment 

• Professional accounting certification (CMA and/or CPA) a plus 

The successful candidate will have strengths in the following: 

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written 

• Proactive and willing to take ownership and responsibility as a highly motivated self-starter 

• Leadership skills with the ability to influence others and promote change 

• Ability to work and gain results in a team environment 

• Desire to continuously look for improvement opportunities (efficiency, automation) 

• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills