Industrial Controller

At Bel, we are not just a company—we are a company on a Mission, built on 160 years of bold innovation, family values, and a commitment to social purpose. With beloved brands like Babybel®, GoGo squeeZ®, The Laughing Cow®, and Boursin®, our snacking solutions bring more than joy; they want to serve as a force for good. Our U.S. Mission? To help close the critical 80% nutrition gap by making it easier for Americans to eat more fruits, veggies, and dairy as part of their daily lives.

The company has headquarters in Chicago and New York City and operates 4 manufacturing plants in Little Chute, WI; Brookings, SD; Traverse City, MI; and Nampa, ID.  #IWorkForAllForGood

The Industrial Controller is responsible for all financial planning, analysis, and operational finance activities for the North American business unit, with primary focus on US manufacturing sites and oversight of total cost of goods sold for both domestically produced and imported products across the US and Canada. This role acts as a key business partner to site leadership, driving financial performance, strategic planning, rigorous analysis, compliance, and effective risk management in alignment with Group standards. 

Essential Duties & Functions: 

Financial Planning & Analysis 

• Lead and coordinate all financial planning processes (Strategic Plan, Operating Plan, Budget, Forecast) ensuring efficient, accurate, and timely completion for both sites. 

• Collaborate with operations and business leaders in target/objective setting and analyze cost structures and trends to inform planning and prioritization. 

• Ensure alignment and consolidation of site-level plans, budgets, forecasts, and communicate results and key insights to plant, divisional, and corporate stakeholders. 

• Oversee development, maintenance, and validation of site standard costs, ensuring transparent links between actuals and forecasts. 

 

Business Partnership 

• Serve as the primary financial advisor to Operations, providing clear analysis of COGS, variances, and operational costs. 

• Partner with plant and business management to interpret financial results, inform strategic decisions, and drive process improvement. 

• Facilitate communication and alignment around financial targets, plans, and results for all relevant stakeholders. 

 

Performance Analytics & Benchmarking 

• Oversee regular and ad hoc financial analysis, including benchmarking of factory performance against industry peers. 

• Develop actionable recommendations for efficiency improvements, cost control, and margin enhancement; follow through to execution and outcome measurement. 

• Ensure data integrity, methodological rigor, and high-quality reporting and presentation of findings for leadership review. 

 

Capital & Asset Optimization 

• Supervise working capital management, including inventory, receivables, and payables, with clear targets and action plans. 

• Lead financial evaluation and tracking of capital projects, ensuring compliance with Group investment processes, and post-completion ROI analysis. 

• Drive continuous improvement in asset utilization and cash flow. 

 

Financial Reporting & Controls 

• Ensure accuracy and reliability of all site-based industrial and management reporting—including regular financial statements, performance reviews, and variance analyses. 

• Supervise local implementation and adherence to Group accounting standards, internal controls, and ERP utilization (e.g., SAP S4 HANA). 

• Support annual external and internal audit activities, remediate findings, and champion compliance culture. 

 

Risk Management & Internal Controls 

• Proactively identify, ass