Operations Controller

About the role

Applied Materials is hiring an Operations Controller in Singapore to act as the end-to-end finance owner for the manufacturing and supply chain operations of one of its business units, whose operations are mainly based in Taiwan. The role owns the full operations P&L, from period results, variances and inventory through burden, manufacturing cost of sales (MCOS) and gross margin, and advises the business unit's operations and supply chain leadership. It sits within a large, established WWO Finance team in Singapore, partnering daily with leaders in Taiwan, much of it in Mandarin.

Key responsibilities

• Own period results and manufacturing health, including productivity, cycle time and cost per tool, and lead analysis of demand planning, capacity, plan of record and make vs. buy.
• Drive direct labor modeling, indirect headcount, spend management, over/under absorption and module reporting, time studies and GMLT metrics.
• Own operational variances (vendor premiums, DMR, rework, supplier liabilities, floorstock) and manage standard overhead and over/under absorption.
• Own inventory health and reserves, lead the standard cost roll and inventory entitlement, and partner with supply chain to reduce inventory exposure and improve working capital.
• Own the effective burden rate and drive MCOS savings, including PPV, vendor business reviews and configuration costs.
• Own the business unit's gross margin, including the S1 view, gross-to-net bridge, CPT, revenue and MCOS, and deliver margin bridges for monthly, quarterly and annual planning.
• Act as the primary finance partner to operations and supply chain leaders, lead AOP, forecasting and capex/ROI reviews, coordinate partner finance teams, maintain SOX controls and support audits.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or a related field.
• 5-12+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, cost or plant finance.
• Fluency in written and spoken Mandarin and English, able to present to and challenge senior leaders in both.
• Willingness to travel regularly to Taiwan; relocation not eligible.
• Preferred: semiconductor or high-tech capital equipment manufacturing experience, cross-site experience (Taiwan and Singapore), and a track record of influencing operations and supply chain leaders.

Required skills

• Standard costing, variance analysis, inventory accounting and reserves, absorption and gross margin drivers.
• Finance and business acumen, influence and executive presence, ownership, analytical rigor and cross-cultural collaboration.