Senior Cost Accountant

Senior Cost Accountant - Murfreesboro, TN

Full-Time Exempt On-Site

The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for product costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variance analysis for the Murfreesboro bakery manufacturing plants. Based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee , this role translates plant activity into accurate, timely financial information that supports operating decisions, cost control, and improved plant performance.

Reporting to the Director of Cost Accounting within Finance / Accounting, the Senior Cost Accountant partners closely with plant leadership and Corporate Accounting to maintain reliable cost data and strengthen work order reconciliation, inventory counting, finished goods reporting, and production metrics. The position has no direct reports but provides guidance and support to bakery personnel responsible for work order reconciliation through a dotted-line relationship.

About Lewis Bakeries

Lewis Bakeries is a family-owned and operated company founded by three brothers in 1925 in Anna, Illinois. Lewis primarily bakes loaf bread, buns, and rolls under trusted brands including Bunny Bread, Lewis Bake Shop, Healthy Life, and other regional favorites.

Today, Lewis Bakeries operates facilities in LaPorte, Fort Wayne, Vincennes, and Evansville, Indiana, as well as Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Our heritage has been built on quality, reliability, and a commitment to our customers since 1925. Every day, the Lewis family and our dedicated associates rise to the challenge of baking the very best bakery products while maintaining a forward-thinking passion for growth and innovation.

What Makes Us Great

At Lewis Bakeries, we believe in rewarding our employees with a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that supports their health, financial well-being, and professional growth.

Exceptional Total Rewards Package

In addition to a competitive salary, employees enjoy a benefits package that provides significant financial value, including:

• Medical coverage with weekly premiums as low as $10 and a low-deductible plan design
• Comprehensive dental coverage, including orthodontic benefits for dependent children
• Company-funded pension plan and a 401(k) with company matching contributions
• Company-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Paid vacation time and paid holidays
• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates
• Professional development opportunities and long-term career growth

Additional reasons employees choose Lewis Bakeries:

• Family-owned company with over 100 years of baking excellence
• Stable and growing organization with a long history of success
• Collaborative culture that values employee engagement, safety, and continuous improvement
• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact as a key member of the bakery leadership team
• Opportunities for growth, development, and career advancement

Key Responsibilities

Product Costing and Standards

• Build and maintain standard costs for all finished goods and intermediates (doughs, mixes, sponges) at assigned plant(s): materials, packaging, labor and overhead.
• Own bills of material, routings, work centers and labor/overhead rates in the ERP, so that costs roll up correctly.
• Lead the annual standard cost update and any mid-year revaluations for major ingredient, packaging or wage changes.
• Prepare cost estimates for new products and assist with corporate cost analysis / reporting
• Support the daily work order reconciliation process and investigate variances for root cause analysis and corrective actions with appropriate bakery leadership

Month-End Close and Inventory

• Support Corporate Accounting with the post ERP implementation monthly close process
• Oversee physical inventory counts and cycle counts, and investigate and resolve count adjustments.
• Maintain inventory reserves for product discontinuation

Variance Analysis and Reporting

• Analyze and explain usage/yield, labor efficiency, overhead absorption and scrap/waste variances by product
• Track bakery-specific key performance indicators: waste, scale weights against target weights, bakery stales, line downtime, and throughput per hour.
• Publish monthly plant P&L results versus standard with clear commentary for plant and corporate leadership.

Budgeting and Decision Support

• Support the annual plant spending budgets and standard volume, labor and overhead assumptions with plant leadership and corporate accounting.
• Provide cost updates to support margin analysis by product, customer and channel to support pricing and mix decisions.
• Model financial results of continuous improvement activities and track results to expectation

Controls and Systems

• Maintain internal controls over inventory, costing and production reporting.
• Support external audits and tax requests on inventory and cost of sales.
• Improve cost data quality in the ERP and reporting tools, and lead costing parts of system projects.
• Train plant staff on production reporting and inventory practices.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance.
• Minimum of three years of manufacturing accounting or finance experience.
• Experience with ERP costing and inventory modules.
• Advanced Excel skills, including lookups and pivot tables.
• Ability to explain cost results clearly to non-finance plant staff.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines across two locations.
• Ability to work independently with a remote reporting relationship, learn proactively, and seek guidance when needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or CMA certification.
• Experience in food, bakery, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing.
• Experience supporting multiple manufacturing locations.
• Familiarity with Power BI or similar reporting tools.
• ERP implementation experience.
• Experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Experience leading process improvements and standardizing practices across plants.

Work Environment & Travel

• Based at the Murfreesboro, Tennessee plant, with regular travel to a second supported location, if applicable. Travel is expected to be approximately 25-35%, including participation in physical inventory counts.
• Work is performed in both office and production environments, requiring compliance with food safety standards, plant procedures, and personal protective equipment requirements.
• Additional hours may be required during month-end and year-end close, physical inventories, and audits.
• Responsibilities include walking the production floor, climbing stairs, and standing for extended periods during inventory counts.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lewis Bakeries is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or status as a qualified individual with a disability or Vietnam era or other protected veteran status.

All candidates must successfully complete a background check, drug test and reference check for further consideration.


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