The Overview

This publicly traded, century-plus-old manufacturer builds complex electronic and structural systems for commercial aerospace, defense, and space customers. The Parsons, Kansas operation turns out precision aluminum, titanium, and composite structural parts for leading aircraft programs, supplying the industry's biggest airframe customers. Because it operates under SOX in a public-company setting, the finance group is expected to bring both strong technical discipline and genuine partnership with operations.

The Role

As the top finance leader on site, the Plant Controller sits on the facility's senior leadership team. The main areas of focus are:

Monthly close & financial reporting owning the close end to end, preparing GAAP financial statements, and running all reconciliations Revenue recognition fluency across ASC 605 and ASC 606 is a must, since aerospace programs frequently move between those standards inside a single reporting cycle Product costing tracking labor capture and utilization, watching overhead rates, and building cost estimates for bids and proposals Planning & forecasting running the Annual Operating Plan process, the monthly forecast, variance analysis, and capital spend oversight SOX & audit owning SOX 404 testing and partnering with both the external auditor and internal audit to keep controls documented, current, and compliant Team development leading a lean finance group (roughly 2–3 people: cost accountants and/or a senior accountant) and rebuilding its strength following a predecessor's exit

This position reports to the Performance Center Director, who is based about an hour away, with exposure all the way to the CFO.

In Our Words

The company doesn't sugarcoat what success demands here: with major airframe customers driving the work, plans can change with little notice. They want a controller who raises issues early, shifts nimbly between accounting treatments, and makes sure no miss ever lands as a shock. The systems picture is what it is — the plant runs on several legacy platforms today, with an ERP replacement planned down the road. In the meantime, Excel is a genuine working tool rather than a stopgap. If you need a pristine ERP setup to perform, this isn't the fit.

The Hiring Manager

The Performance Center Director will be this role's direct leader. He knows exactly what "great" means in this chair, having staffed comparable controller positions across other sites, and he applies a steady bar around public-company discipline, revenue recognition command, and hands-on operational involvement. He weighs the relevance of your experience more heavily than years served, and he's after someone who gets fired up by growth rather than simple upkeep.

Your Team

Roughly 2–3 direct reports, likely a mix of cost accountants and/or a senior accountant. It's a compact group, and the Controller is expected to coach and raise the level of everyone in the department.

The Culture

By all accounts the Parsons site is fairly steady at the staff level, with limited leadership turnover and an HR partner who has been with the company for the better part of a decade at this location. Expect a results-oriented, competitive, and accountable environment — the kind you'd anticipate at a publicly held company answering to institutional investors. Misses will happen; a miss that shows up as a surprise won't fly. They're looking for a controller who battles to hit the numbers, is upfront when something goes sideways, and shows up with a fix in hand.

Systems & ERP

Current: A primary legacy ERP alongside several ancillary systems; heavily Excel-driven Planned: A migration to a new ERP platform expected over the next year or two Tools: Advanced command of the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)

Travel & Remote

This is an on-site position. Travel is light — mostly the occasional company-wide operations gathering, such as an annual meeting at corporate. Regular day-to-day presence at the Parsons plant is the expectation.

The Benefits

Target base salary: $150,000–$165,000, Target annual bonus: 15% A full benefits package in line with a large, publicly traded manufacturer (specifics to be confirmed)

The Location

Parsons sits in the rural southeast corner of Kansas, about an hour from the nearest mid-size metro across the state line. The cost of living runs well under the national average. The employer expects relocation is probable and is ready to back someone who commits to putting down roots. If a slower pace, easy access to the outdoors, and a close-knit community appeal to you, Parsons can be a comfortable place to call home.