Plant Controller - Value Added Operations

About us Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a subsidiary of DUDA, has been delivering fresh, quality produce since 1926.

As a full-service grower, packer, shipper, and marketer, we offer year-round fruits and vegetables under the trusted Dandy® brand.  With operations across Florida, California, Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia, we support local family farms and ensure nationwide supply.

Nearly one-third of all celery consumed in the U.S. comes from our growers.

We’re more than farmers—we’re growing a healthier future for families everywhere.

Job Title :

• Plant Controller – Value-Added Operations Location :   Oxnard, California (primary); oversight of Florida and Georgia Operations Reports to : DFFF Controller Position Summary The Plant Controller – Value-Added Operations is a key financial leader responsible for managing the financial performance of Duda’s value-added celery processing facility in Oxnard, CA and smaller fresh-cut / value-added facilities in Florida and Georgia. This position ensures accurate financial reporting, provides operational insight, and partners with plant leadership to drive efficiency and profitability.
• The role also plays a lead role in preparing capital expenditure requests and supporting long-term automation and infrastructure planning.
• Key Responsibilities Lead the monthly close process for Oxnard, CA, and fresh-cut / value-added facilities in Florida and Georgia, ensuring accuracy and completeness of financial results.
• Develop and maintain standard cost systems; monitor cost variances and KPI, provide actionable insight to operations leaders.
• Analyze plant-level performance and identify cost improvement and margin enhancement opportunities.
• Serve as a financial business partner to Operations and Engineering, supporting daily decision-making and strategic initiatives.
• Prepare capital expenditure requests (CERs) and support business case development for major investments, including automation and equipment upgrades.
• Ensure compliance with corporate accounting policies, internal controls, and audit requirements.
• Oversee inventory valuation, physical counts, and reconciliations across multiple locations.
• Manage fixed asset accounting in accordance with company policy.
• Drive budgeting and forecasting for VA operations, including volume, labor, overhead, and other cost.
• Supervise and mentor plant-based accounting staff; coordinate with the corporate finance team.
• Support financial modeling for new customer or product opportunities in value-added.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve financial systems and reporting tools.
• To ensure that all financial transactions are recorded accurately before month-end / year-end close and prepare monthly financial and analysis reports.
• Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or MBA preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive cost accounting or plant controller experience, preferably in food, agriculture, or consumer packaged goods.
• Deep understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and operational finance.
• Proven ability to develop and present capital requests and financial justifications.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) or other modern ERP systems.
• Advanced Excel proficiency and familiarity with Power BI or other analytics tools a plus.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence across levels.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) strongly preferred.
• Travel Requirement Periodic travel to Florida and Georgia value-added processing locations is required.

Compensation The base salary we reasonably expect to pay for this role is :