Manufacturing Controller - Operations Finance

About Danone

Danone is a worldwide food and beverage company with a purpose centered on helping people live healthier lives through food. Its portfolio spans essential dairy and plant-based products, waters, and specialized nutrition. The business combines commercial growth with social responsibility, continues to invest in innovation, and strengthens brands focused on health and nutrition.

With around 90,000 employees and products available in more than 120 markets, the company generates annual sales of over €27 billion.

About Danone India

In India, Danone operates as Nutricia International Pvt. Ltd. and focuses on nutrition products for pregnant women, infants, young children, and adults. The range includes products such as Aptamil, Dexolac, Nusobee, and Protinex. These products are manufactured locally and sold across the country. Danone India has more than 1,000 employees and annual turnover above €150 million. Its head office is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and its manufacturing facility is in Lalru, Punjab.

Role Overview

The Manufacturing Controller – Operations Finance is responsible for leading the planning cycle for manufacturing operations, covering the Lalru plant and four 3PM/co-packer partners across India, as well as fresh milk cost assumptions and productivity planning. The role monitors performance through key KPIs and acts as a finance business partner to manufacturing and operations leaders. It challenges how resources and costs are allocated, reviews internal and external manufacturing cost performance, manages monthly closing and budget/rolling forecast cycles, and benchmarks costs against other Danone factories, co-packers, and external competitors.

Key Responsibilities

• Track productivity initiatives and connect cost drivers to financial outcomes while driving benchmark-based discussions.
• Build strong business cases to improve the return on investment for CAPEX initiatives.
• Maintain accurate manufacturing standard costs for all SKUs and analyze SKU-wise actual costs, including the effect of cost drivers.
• Monitor industrial expenses, milk costs, productivity, and the major industrial cost drivers.
• Oversee 3PM/co-packer cost structures, productivity metrics, cost drivers, and sourcing costs for co-packer inputs.
• Co-lead productivity programs, portfolio reviews, and validation exercises.
• Support industrial and milk-cost performance reviews through detailed analysis, recommendations, and CAPEX ROI assessments.
• Review 3PM/co-packer procurement costs using cost-sheet analysis, cost benchmarking, and commercial-term recommendations.
• Facilitate internal and external discussions on manufacturing cost benchmarks.
• Set up and maintain group reporting for all in-scope items.
• Keep local business intelligence tools updated for all relevant tracked areas.
• Review and approve industrial contracts according to the approved policy framework.
• Ensure adherence to accounting standards, audit requirements, and internal control procedures.
• Support business process owners in maintaining proper control ownership and assist the internal control team during testing.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should have a CMA qualification with at least 15 years of experience, or a CA qualification with at least 10 years of experience. Relevant background in FMCG, food, or pharma manufacturing environments is required. Strong working knowledge of SAP is essential, and exposure to standard costing in SAP and Power BI will be an added advantage. The role also calls for strong results orientation, assertiveness, the ability to influence without formal authority, and solid stakeholder management skills.

Additional Information

This role is based in Punjab, India and is a full-time onsite position.

Company and careers references mentioned in the source have been intentionally omitted.