Sr Cost Accountant

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Cost Accountant serves as a key financial and operational partner to plant leadership and executive stakeholders, providing strategic insights and actionable feedback regarding facility performance, cost optimization, and profitability. This role is responsible for overseeing variance analysis (standard yields, labor, packaging, and total facility spend), designing robust reporting frameworks, and driving continuous improvement initiatives across daily, weekly, and monthly cycles.

As a primary champion of cost visibility and accountability, the Senior Cost Accountant leads cross-functional alignment, mentors operational teams on cost drivers, and directly influences plant efficiency and financial results.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Other duties may be assigned.

Strategic Analysis & Operational Leadership

• Operational Variance Ownership: Oversee and enhance daily, weekly, and monthly operational variance reporting (Material, Labor, Packaging, and Yields) to ensure high accuracy, timeliness, and actionable insights.
• KPI Architecture & Insight: Develop, track, and refine key operational and financial KPIs, identifying trends, risks, and cost-saving opportunities across supply chain and plant operations.
• Cross-Functional Facilitation: Lead weekly operational variance reviews with executive and plant leadership; translate complex financial data into clear operational narratives and corrective action plans.
• Process Improvement & Controls: Design, implement, and audit internal process controls to minimize waste, optimize material usage, and control labor/packaging spend.
• Supply Chain Collaboration: Provide advanced data modeling and business analytics to support major operational, manufacturing, and supply chain continuous improvement projects.
• Budget Management & Forecasting: Lead the development, monitoring, and management of operational and maintenance functional budgets in close partnership with plant heads and FP&A.

Systems, Data Integrity & Mentorship

• ERP System Oversight: Manage and optimize the ERP-based cost accounting system; maintain and audit Bill of Materials (BOMs), routing structures, and standard cost rollups for multi-facility operations.
• Strategic Backup & Multi-Facility Coverage: Maintain a deep operational understanding of all facility cost structures, serving as a senior subject matter expert and backup across multiple regional sites.
• Team Guidance: Provide technical guidance, training, and support to junior accounting personnel, production clerks, and facility operational leads.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required. CPA or CMA certification preferred.
• Experience: 5–7+ years of progressive cost accounting or plant finance experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment.
• Leadership & Influence: Proven track record of cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management, with the ability to influence and align decisions across multiple organizational levels (from plant floor to executive leadership).
• Technical Expertise: Advanced expertise in standard costing principles, variance analysis, forecasting, inventory accounting, and retail supply chain management.
• Problem Solving: Strong strategic agility with proven ability to navigate high-ambiguity environments, prioritize competing initiatives, and consistently meet critical operational deadlines.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Proficient in English (written and verbal) with strong business acumen and executive presentation skills.
• Proficiency in Spanish is a strong plus.

COMPUTER & TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Advanced Analytics: Exceptional quantitative analysis and financial modeling capabilities. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access).
• ERP Systems: Extensive experience managing and optimizing enterprise ERP cost accounting modules (Microsoft Business Central or Dynamics highly preferred).
• Systems Implementation: Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP implementations, system upgrades, cost module configurations, and data migration projects.