Manufacturing Cost Accountant

Maestri D'Italia is seeking a hands-on Manufacturing Cost Accountant to support our production, warehouse, inventory, and pricing operations. This role is responsible for analyzing and understanding the true cost of manufacturing products from raw material receiving through production, packaging, warehousing, and final shipment. This is not a remote or purely desk-based accounting position. The successful candidate will regularly work alongside Operations, Production, Purchasing, and Warehouse teams to understand manufacturing processes, validate cost drivers, analyze yields, labor utilization, material usage, waste, and inventory movement. The ideal candidate has manufacturing cost accounting experience and enjoys being on the production floor, asking questions, gathering data, and identifying opportunities to improve profitability and operational efficiency. This role will also support pricing and profitability decisions by developing and maintaining detailed SKU cost cards that accurately reflect the current cost of each product, including raw materials, labor, packaging, overhead, freight, and other applicable cost components. Key Responsibilities Product Costing & Manufacturing Analysis Analyze product costs from raw material receipt through finished goods shipment. Maintain and update standard costs, Bills of Material (BOMs), labor standards, and overhead allocations. Calculate and analyze material, labor, packaging, freight, and overhead costs. Review and update costing for new and existing products. Develop and maintain detailed cost cards for all current and new SKUs. Calculate and update actual product costs by analyzing all cost components, including raw materials, labor, packaging, freight, and manufacturing overhead. Monitor and investigate manufacturing variances. Analyze production yields, labor efficiency, waste, scrap, and rework costs. Evaluate product profitability and margin performance. Support product pricing decisions through accurate cost and margin analysis. Provide recommendations based on cost trends, margin opportunities, and operational efficiencies. Inventory & Warehouse Cost Control Ensure accurate inventory valuation and inventory accounting. Reconcile inventory subledger to the general ledger. Participate in physical inventories and cycle counts. Investigate inventory discrepancies, shrinkage, and obsolete inventory. Partner with warehouse teams to improve inventory accuracy and controls. Analyze inventory movements and identify cost impacts. Financial Analysis & Reporting Prepare monthly cost reports, variance analysis, and profitability reporting. Analyze purchase price, labor, yield, and overhead variances. Support month-end close activities related to inventory and manufacturing costs. Prepare journal entries and account reconciliations. Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and annual standard cost updates. Provide profitability analysis by product, customer, and production line. Develop reporting that provides visibility into product costs, margins, and manufacturing performance. Operations Partnership Work directly with Production, Operations, Warehouse, Purchasing, and Sales teams to identify cost-saving opportunities and support profitability initiatives. Spend time on the production floor observing processes and validating cost assumptions. Assist with process improvement initiatives that improve efficiency and reduce costs. Support internal and external audits related to inventory and costing. Ensure compliance with company policies and internal controls. Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field. 3+ years of cost accounting experience within a manufacturing environment. Strong understanding of inventory accounting, product costing, and manufacturing operations. Experience developing product cost models, cost sheets, or SKU-level costing analysis. Experience partnering directly with production and operational teams. Advanced Microsoft Excel skills including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, formulas, and data analysis. Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Ability to communicate effectively with both financial and operational teams. Preferred Food manufacturing experience strongly preferred. Experience with ERP systems and inventory management software (Infinity experience is a plus). Experience with standard costing, variance analysis, inventory controls, and profitability analysis. Knowledge of Power BI or other reporting tools. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Inventory accuracy Costing accuracy Accuracy and timeliness of SKU cost card updates Timely month-end close completion Variance reporting accuracy Gross margin improvement Product margin visibility and reporting Reduction in inventory discrepancies and obsolete inventory Identification and implementation of cost-saving opportunities Fully on-site position based in Vineland, NJ. Regular presence on the manufacturing floor and in warehouse operations is required. Frequent interaction with Production, Warehouse, Purchasing, Quality, Sales, and Operations teams. Occasional travel between facilities may be required. Compensation Compensation: $80,000 - $90,000 annually, based on experience. This position requires hands-on involvement with manufacturing operations. Candidates should be comfortable spending time on the production floor, understanding how products are made, building and maintaining SKU cost cards, analyzing operational costs, supporting pricing decisions, and partnering with cross-functional teams to improve profitability and efficiency. #J-18808-Ljbffr