Factory Controller

Foundational Industries · SF Bay Area · Full-Time

About Foundational

Foundational is building a network of AI-native, autonomous factories for modern contract manufacturing — reshoring critical supply chains so companies can produce high-quality products domestically, quickly, and at competitive cost. Recent breakthroughs in robotics and physical AI have shifted autonomous manufacturing from theoretical to deployable, and we're focused on operationalizing these capabilities at scale during a decisive decade for American industrial leadership.

WHO — Who Thrives Here

At Foundational, we're building with people who want to own something — to do work that matters, in an environment where what you ship is what counts.

The people who thrive here:

• Take ownership before they're asked. They see the gap and close it.

• Operate with a high degree of judgment. We move fast, and good judgment travels farther than a playbook.

• Communicate directly — concise, clear, and candid, especially when stakes are high.

• Hold a high bar for themselves first, then for everyone around them.

• Are genuinely energized by hard problems in physical, real-world environments. Energized — not just interested.

• Stay effective when things are ambiguous, changing, or under pressure. That's the job.

This is a place for people who want to build something that has never existed before and leave a clear mark on it.

MISSION

The Plant Controller is the senior financial leader at Foundational's manufacturing facility and a core member of the plant leadership team. You own the full financial picture — cost accounting, forecasting, compliance, and internal controls — and translate operational performance into decisions that move margins. The plant doesn't hit its numbers without you.

OUTCOMES — What Success Looks Like in 6–12 Months

• Own the standard cost system end-to-end — labor, material, overhead standards, PPV, variance analysis, and inventory valuation are accurate and trusted by the plant GM and ops leadership. [6 months]

• Deliver monthly financial close on time with clean variance analysis (price, volume, mix, labor, overhead) and margin visibility by product and customer. [6 months]

• Stand up a KPI dashboard that gives plant leadership real-time visibility into scrap, yield, labor efficiency, throughput, and overhead utilization. [6 months]

• Lead the annual operating plan and own the rolling forecast process — you are the financial quarterback for the plant, not a back-office function. [12 months]

• Identify and execute at least two material cost reduction or margin improvement initiatives in partnership with Operations. [12 months]

• Build and develop an accounting team that operates to high standards — clean audits, strong controls, no surprises. [12 months]

SKILLS

• You have owned a standard cost system in a manufacturing environment — built or rebuilt it, not just maintained it.

• You know labor, material, and overhead standards cold.

• You can model PPV, manufacturing variances, absorption analysis, and inventory reserves without a template.

• You have run a full plant-level financial close — P&L, working capital trends, GAAP compliant statements — and presented results to plant and company leadership.

• You have 8–10 years in accounting or finance with 3–5 years of direct plant-level responsibility in a manufacturing environment.

• You understand SOX compliance operationally — you have designed and tested controls, not just signed off on them.

• Excel is a native language.

• You build the model; you don't wait for IT.

• Preferred: CPA or MBA. ERP experience in a manufacturing environment (SAP, Oracle, JDE, or equivalent).

• Prior exposure to a public company reporting environment.

COMPETENCIES

These are the behavioral patterns that predict success here — in practice, under pressure.

• Accountability — You own outcomes. If something's off track, you say so and fix it.

• Bias for action — You ship. You iterate. You move toward the hard thing.

• Clarity of communication — Direct and concise, especially when it counts.

• Learning agility — You get up to speed fast in unfamiliar territory.

• Resilience — You stay sharp when things are hard, ambiguous, or moving fast.

• High standards — You raise the bar rather than match it — and hold yourself to it first.

• Builder mentality — You have operated as a function of one. You are energized by building systems from scratch, and comfortable being the person who figures it out before asking for help.

Why Foundational

This is a filter as much as it is an invitation.

We're turning reindustrialization from a talking point into an operating reality. The work is hard, the environment is demanding, and the stakes are real. We compensate with base, bonus, and equity to reflect impact, responsibility, and results, with meaningful upside for the people who help build and scale this company.

For those aligned with the mission and motivated by execution at scale, Foundational offers the opportunity to help define one of the most consequential industrial transformations of the next decade.

Foundational Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Foundational complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We evaluate every candidate on what they can do and who they are.