Cost Accountant

Cost Accountant

Are you a detail-oriented accounting professional with experience in perishable goods or food manufacturing? Our client, a growing and innovative manufacturing company in Madison, WI, is seeking a cost accountant to play a key role in driving operational efficiency, analyzing production costs, and supporting strategic business decisions. This highly visible position works closely with plant leadership, operations teams, and finance to identify cost-saving opportunities and improve profitability. If you thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and enjoy turning data into actionable insights, we'd love to hear from you. This is a full-time, on-site, direct hire position that offers a very competitive compensation and benefits package.

Cost Accountant Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and analyze standard costs for materials, labor, packaging, and manufacturing overhead
• Monitor production costs, investigate variances, and provide actionable recommendations to improve profitability
• Prepare monthly cost reports, margin analyses, and management reporting by product, customer, and production line
• Maintain accurate inventory valuation, reconcile inventory accounts, and investigate discrepancies
• Coordinate physical inventory counts and cycle counts while ensuring accurate tracking of raw materials, WIP, and finished goods
• Partner with plant leadership and operations teams to evaluate labor, material, overhead costs, and production efficiency
• Support new product costing, pricing decisions, and analysis of process, recipe, and packaging changes
• Prepare inventory and manufacturing-related journal entries and support month-end and year-end close activities
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, company accounting policies, and audit requirements
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, cost modeling, and variance analysis to support strategic planning

Requirements for Cost Accountant:

- Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field - 3-5 years of cost accounting experience within a food or perishable goods manufacturing environment - Strong understanding of standard costing, inventory accounting, and variance analysis - Experience working with ERP systems and inventory management software - Advanced Microsoft Excel skills - Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities - Excellent communication skills and attention to detail