Interim Controller - Manufacturing
Client: Confidential Private-Equity-Backed Manufacturer
Location: Brookston, Texas area - Onsite
Employment Type: Contract, approximately six months with potential extension
Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday, standard local business hours
Compensation: $90-$100 per hour W2, plus access to medical benefits, PTO, and 401(k)
Start Date: As soon as the selected candidate is available
Position Overview
Korn Ferry is partnering with a private-equity-backed manufacturing organization seeking an experienced Interim Controller to strengthen its controllership function and support continued operational improvement.
The company manufactures transportation-related products and operates through multiple entities in the United States and Mexico. Reporting to the CFO, the Interim Controller will serve as a hands-on finance leader responsible for improving accounting operations, accelerating the monthly close, strengthening financial controls, and providing leadership across the organization's accounting and costing functions.
This individual will operate as an extension of the CFO, assuming greater ownership of day-to-day accounting activities so the CFO can focus more fully on strategic and operational priorities. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable leading a team, collaborating with operational stakeholders, and working directly within detailed accounting processes.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a trusted extension of the CFO and assume leadership of day-to-day accounting operations.
- Lead and improve the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes.
- Help move the organization toward a consistent 10-15-day monthly close cycle.
- Oversee accounting activities across multiple U.S. and Mexico entities.
- Manage consolidation, intercompany accounting, eliminations, and multi-entity reporting.
- Address foreign-currency and cross-border accounting considerations.
- Strengthen inventory accounting, standard costing, cost-of-goods-sold reporting, and manufacturing-related financial processes.
- Evaluate existing accounting workflows and implement practical process improvements and operational efficiencies.
- Enhance the quality, timeliness, and consistency of financial reporting.
- Strengthen internal controls, account reconciliations, documentation, and financial governance.
- Provide leadership and guidance to U.S.- and Mexico-based controllership, accounting, and costing resources.
- Improve collaboration among finance, plant operations, supply chain, and executive leadership.
- Identify accounting risks, reporting gaps, and opportunities to improve the scalability of the finance organization.
- Support the CFO and ownership group with financial analysis, reporting, and other high-priority initiatives as needed.
Required Qualifications
- Extensive controllership and accounting leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience supporting multi-site or multi-entity manufacturing operations.
- Strong hands-on knowledge of inventory accounting, manufacturing cost accounting, standard costing, and related operational finance processes.
- Experience leading and improving monthly close processes.
- Demonstrated expertise in consolidations, intercompany accounting, and account reconciliations.
- Experience supporting organizations with operations in both the United States and Mexico or similarly complex cross-border environments.
- Working knowledge of foreign-currency transactions and multi-currency accounting.
- Ability to operate strategically while remaining directly involved in detailed accounting activities.
- Proven ability to lead existing accounting teams and improve the effectiveness of a developing finance organization.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with finance, operations, and executive leadership.
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working within a private-equity-backed or transformation-oriented organization.
- Prior interim, consulting, or finance transformation experience.
- Experience with the Epicor ERP platform.
- CPA or other relevant professional certification.
- Experience supporting manufacturing operations in both the United States and Mexico.
Work Environment
This is a hands-on, onsite leadership assignment supporting a complex manufacturing organization with four primary operating entities across the United States and Mexico. The position requires close collaboration with the CFO, accounting leadership, and plant operations; therefore, candidates must be able to work onsite in the Brookston, Texas area, approximately 60-90 minutes from downtown Dallas.
The initial contract is expected to last approximately six months, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
