Assistant Manager Plant Controlling & Budgeting

About the role

The Assistant Manager – Plant Controlling & Budgeting drives financial planning, budgeting, cost control and performance monitoring across manufacturing operations. The role partners with Production, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory and Engineering teams to manage budgets, optimise operational costs, monitor financial performance and support decisions through timely analysis and reporting.

Key responsibilities

• Lead annual budgeting, periodic forecasts and rolling outlooks for Production, Technical Operations and assigned support functions.
• Monitor departmental budgets and control operating expenses such as manpower, utilities, maintenance, engineering, repairs, spare parts, consumables and manufacturing overheads.
• Perform budget-versus-actual and forecast-versus-actual analyses, investigate variances and coordinate corrective actions.
• Track material procurement, purchase prices and raw and packaging material costs against approved budgets.
• Monitor inventory-related expenditure (warehousing, freight, transportation) and review inventory levels, aging, slow-moving and obsolete stock, including financial impact, provisions and write-offs.
• Review budget utilisation for QC, QA, Validation and Regulatory functions, and monitor Plant & Machinery CAPEX budgets and project commitments.
• Evaluate the financial impact of production plans, capacity utilisation, maintenance and operational expenditure.
• Develop cost centre review reports, budget trackers, variance analysis reports and cost-saving initiative trackers, and provide financial insights and recommendations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to strengthen financial controls, budget discipline and resource planning.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional qualification such as ACCA, CA, CMA or CIMA (preferred).
• 3-6 years of relevant experience in Plant Controlling, Budgeting, Cost Accounting, FP&A or Manufacturing Finance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and business partnering skills.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and presentation abilities.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, cost management and financial reporting.
• Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP preferred) and advanced Microsoft Excel.