Manager, Cost Accounting - MFG experience required

**This role is located in our Production facility in Norwood, MA, and will follow our Hybrid Work Schedule**

This role requires experience in Cost Accounting from full production manufacturing companies.

💰 Pay Range: $125,000 – $145,000 annually (based on experience and qualifications)

OVERVIEW OF ROLE:

The Manager, Cost Accounting, will be a key member of the Operations Finance organization and serve as the primary leader for manufacturing accounting, inventory accounting, product costing, and operational cost analysis activities. This role is responsible for ensuring the integrity of manufacturing financial data, maintaining strong inventory controls, improving cost visibility, and providing actionable financial analysis that supports operational and business decision-making.

Working closely with manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, procurement, and finance leadership, the Manager, Cost Accounting will help strengthen manufacturing finance processes, develop scalable reporting and analytical capabilities, and drive greater transparency into product and operational costs. The ideal candidate is analytically strong, systems-oriented, operationally engaged, and comfortable balancing strong accounting fundamentals with cross-functional business partnership. This position reports directly to the Director of Operations Finance / Plant Controller.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead manufacturing accounting activities including inventory accounting, month-end close support, journal entries, account reconciliations, inventory valuation, and maintenance of strong financial controls over manufacturing transactions.
• Manage and maintain product costing structures, including bills of material (BOMs), routings, inventory valuation methodologies, and manufacturing cost data to ensure accurate financial reporting and operational visibility.
• Analyze and communicate key manufacturing cost drivers, including labor utilization, material consumption, scrap, yields, inventory adjustments, purchase price impacts, and production efficiencies, providing actionable insights to operations and finance leadership.
• Oversee cycle count programs, inventory control processes, and ERP transaction integrity to ensure accurate inventory records and financial results.
• Partner with manufacturing, engineering, procurement, supply chain, and operations leadership to improve cost visibility, inventory accuracy, operational performance, and financial decision-making.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance operational finance reporting, KPI dashboards, and manufacturing performance analytics that support business reviews, operational accountability, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead efforts to improve cost transparency across products, processes, and manufacturing operations through enhanced reporting, analytics, costing methodologies, and operational partnership.
• Partner with the Director of Operations Finance / Plant Controller to evaluate, develop, and implement enhanced costing methodologies, processes, and reporting capabilities, including the future development of standard costing practices where appropriate.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, inventory planning, product costing analysis, and capital investment evaluations related to manufacturing operations.
• Identify and drive opportunities to improve costing processes, inventory controls, reporting automation, data integrity, and overall manufacturing finance effectiveness.
• Support internal and external audit requirements while ensuring compliance with company policies, accounting standards, and inventory control procedures.
• Lead, mentor, and develop team members while fostering a culture of accountability, operational partnership, continuous improvement, and financial discipline.
• Other duties as assigned

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred.
• 5–8 years of progressive manufacturing finance and/or cost accounting experience within a full production manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting, inventory controls, product costing methodologies, inventory valuation, and financial reporting.
• Experience working within manufacturing ERP systems such as Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, or similar platforms.
• Advanced Excel skills required; Power BI, SQL, or other reporting and analytics tools preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with manufacturing and cross-functional leadership teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those required to perform this job's essential functions.

• Ability to sit and/or stand for prolonged periods while working at a desk and operating a computer.
• Must be able to wear required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety footwear, as required.
• Ability to regularly walk throughout office, warehouse, and manufacturing environments.
• May be exposed to varying temperatures, noise levels, food allergens, moving machinery, and other conditions commonly found in a food manufacturing environment.