Operations Controller

Position Summary

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Huber Specialty Minerals (HSM), extracts and processes a diverse array of minerals from 11 production sites across the U.S. Over the last five years, the business has experienced rapid expansion through a strategic blend of organic growth and targeted acquisitions.

Today, HSM generates approximately $500M in revenue and is organized into 3 business segments (GCC, AMI, and Bicarb).
HSM seeks a Controller to oversee the GCC (calcium carbonate) and AMI (kaolin and attapulgite) segments, which include 9 U.S.-based production sites.
Reporting to the HSM CFO, the Operations Controller, GCC and AMI is a proactive financial leader and strategic business partner. Aligned with direct and functional leadership, this position supports HSM’s continuous improvement / manufacturing excellence strategy and provides finance support to plant leadership and the operations/engineering functions.

The position has managerial responsibility for 6 direct reports located across the United States.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Assume leadership role in promoting HEM’s vision, principles and desired culture within finance team through effective hiring, employee development and retention, providing opportunities for professional and personal growth.
• Support the HSM’s 5-year strategic planning process as it relates to capital planning as well as long-term continuous improvement initiatives.
• Responsible for site-level P&Ls, variance package, scorecards and consolidation to HSM-level.
• Implement meaningful operating cost analytics tools and provide leadership with clear, actionable insights to optimize operational business performance.
• Lead the preparation of annual budgets and monthly forecasts for production volume, standard cost, manufacturing variances, Freight expenses, Inventory, A/P and Capex by plant.
• Coordinate annual standard cost process and ensure BOM and routings are accurately established.
• Support the monthly S&OP process by ensuring cross-functional consensus about projected sales and production volume demand.
• Spearhead planning and monthly analysis of manufacturing conversion cost spending and partners with departmental managers in developing and adhering to annual cost center budget.
• Coordinate and oversee annual and quarterly physical inventory count of finished goods, raw material, spare parts inventory, etc. and ensure accurate valuation of inventory.
• Support Engineering teams and Business Managers in evaluating growth-, maintenance- or productivity projects that require capital investment by developing financial models and IRR/NPV calculation for capital appropriation requests.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Supply Chain teams to reliably track productivity and purchasing cost savings from continuous improvement initiatives across all plants.
• Ensure standard processes, operating procedures, and controls are in place and complied with across all plants.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies & Required Skills

Business acumen and financial aptitude:

• Applies broad business and functional knowledge and experience to help resolve tactical or strategic business challenges. Considers short- and long-term implications of business decisions.
• Uses financial indicators to measure and communicate business performance. Grasps the meaning and relationships among key financial indicators in order to identify weak spots in budget and profit plans while evaluating options and alternatives.

Makes quality decisions on complex problems:

• Analyzes and thinks through multi-layered business situations based on known data and facts. Ability and willingness to make decisions in the best interest of Huber by using analytical skills, experience and sound judgement. Avoids groupthink or analysis paralysis.
• Demonstrates effective problem-solving skills by asking in-depth questions, identifying root cause or issue, using logic and structured thinking to solve difficult problems with effective solutions.
• Addresses risks and contingencies as part of the enterprise risk management and planning process.

Focus on actions and results:

• Drives for results by setting challenging goals for self and direct reports and strives to constantly and consistently improve performance. Strong results and bottom-line orientation. Orchestrates and leads positive change of financial tools, processes and people.
• Conveys a strong sense of urgency and drives issues to closure, encouraging others to take ownership of issues at hand and drive for resolution.

• Master’s degree in accounting, Finance and/or Business Administration (MBA preferred)
• Minimum of 10+ years of related experience in finance leadership roles with increasing responsibilities in a matrix driven organization
• Prior experience in cost accounting, variance analysis, budgeting and financial reporting in a manufacturing organization required
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate and manage well at all levels of the organization and with personnel at remote locations essential
• Excellent analytical skills with an ability to effectively synthesize qualitative and quantitative information
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
• Extensive experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment