Cost Accountant - $12B Food Manufacturer - Naperville, IL

I'm partnered with a rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar food manufacturer near Naperville, IL. There are 20 manufacturing sites across NA and 15 innovation labs that are constantly developing new products within the food commodities space. This client's customer base is in well-known stores such as Costco, Walmart, Aldi, etc. and they partner with large CPG companies such as Pepsi, Mars, Kraft, etc.

They are looking for a strong Manufacturing Accountant to be trained on the Cost accounting needed for this facility. Reporting directly into the Finance Controller, you will be responsible for the costing duties for this site and support the plant floor on any ad hoc items needed to keep the plant running smoothly. As the company is massively growing right now, you will have opportunities to continue your career progression past this role.

Client Details

I'm partnered with a rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar food manufacturer near Naperville, IL. There are 20 manufacturing sites across NA and 15 innovation labs that are constantly developing new products within the food commodities space. This client's customer base is in well-known stores such as Costco, Walmart, Aldi, etc. and they partner with large CPG companies such as Pepsi, Mars, Kraft, etc.

They are looking for a strong Manufacturing Accountant to be trained on the Cost accounting needed for this facility. Reporting directly into the Finance Controller, you will be responsible for the costing duties for this site and support the plant floor on any ad hoc items needed to keep the plant running smoothly. As the company is massively growing right now, you will have opportunities to continue your career progression past this role.

Description

Cost Accountant Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage absorption-based production standards for the plant, including estimating standard costs, setting up products, determining activity rates, forming work cells, allocating overheads, and other related costing activities.
• Conduct monthly financial closings in SAP and collaborate with the team on manufacturing-related financial matters.
• Manage process order variance analysis (e.g., throughput, loss sources, downtime), ensure data accuracy, and oversee profitability analysis by customer and product, group P&L, spending trends, and KPI dashboards.
• Lead the annual evaluation of production standards in coordination with plant teams and executive leadership to drive cost control, optimization, and ensure full absorption of fixed and variable costs and healthy product/customer margins.
• Partner with executive leadership in developing forecasts and budgets.
• Facilitate internal financial reviews on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis with key stakeholders.
• Evaluate working capital by maintaining perpetual inventory, overseeing cycle/physical inventory counts, and communicating variances to senior management.
• Perform sales reconciliations, analyze margins, and assess customer order trends (pull rates).
• Forecast business cash flow needs and submit funding requirements to the central treasury team.
• Assist the Tax team by responding to queries and providing necessary financial data.
• Supervise the processes for capital expenditures, fixed assets, spare parts, inventory counts, and the approval flow for invoices, purchase orders, and payments.
• Contribute to the budgeting of the annual production plan, prepare flux reports, and update templates accordingly.
• Support the Finance Record-to-Report team and collaborate on IT projects aimed at improving SAP functionality.
• Generate various financial reports such as inventory status, yield performance, cost sheets, MATS, cost control measures, fair value assessments, and KPIs for management review.
• Handle queries from internal and external audits.
• Review ad hoc analyses and carry out additional responsibilities as assigned.

Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance, or related field
• 3+years of relevant accounting experience required
• Manufacturing or CPG industry experience required
• Proficient skills in Microsoft Office Suite, SAP, BI, Excel4Apps, and other integrated reporting solutions
• Excellent teamwork and relationship building
• Ability to work with a diverse team across various geographies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to handle multiple tasks accurately and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail, strong sense of urgency, and ownership

Job Offer

• Competitive compensation package
• 10% bonus potential
• Strong benefits
• Great company culture and positive work environment
• Ample room to progress your career
• Highly visible role, partnering with the VP and CFO
• Tons of mentorship and training from the team
• Awesome team culture

Apply now and your resume will be considered within 24 hours!

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