Cost Accounting Manager - Sleepy Eye, MN

Job Description

Job Description

Christensen Farms is one of the largest, family-owned pork producers in the United States, marketing approximately 3 million hogs per year. Headquartered in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, our 50 year old company operates throughout the Midwest with facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and South Dakota. Christensen Farms owns three feed mills, manages 140,000 sows on 44 farms, and oversees more than 350 nurseries and grow-finish sites. Our organization employs nearly 1,000 people and maintains 1,500 contract partnerships. We are an industry leader with a proven commitment to ethical practices, food safety, and nutrition. Join our team!

Position Overview:

The Cost Accounting Manager is responsible for managing Christensen Farms' product costing processes and systems that support inventory valuation, cost of goods sold (COGS), and profitability reporting. This role supports the implementation and ongoing management of Oracle Fusion's system costing capabilities, ensuring accurate and timely cost tracking across a large multi-site production network.

This position maintains key costing system components including cost standards, resources, and cost elements while monitoring cost variances and providing recommendations to improve cost accuracy and operational decision-making. The role partners closely with Accounting, FP&A, and operational leaders to provide financial insight, reporting, and analysis that supports business performance and strategic planning.

What You Will Do:

• Manage the Oracle Fusion costing system to support product costing, inventory valuation, and profitability reporting.
• Calculate and monitor Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) by tracking production costs associated with inventory and production groups.
• Maintain and update costing standards, cost elements, and system components to ensure accurate cost data across a multi-site production environment.
• Monitor work orders and ensure proper close-out to maintain accurate cost tracking and reporting.
• Analyze production costs including labor, materials, and overhead while performing variance analysis between actual and standard costs.
• Partner with Accounting, FP&A, and operational leaders to provide cost analysis, financial insights, and recommendations for cost improvements.

What You Offer Us:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance required.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressive experience within accounting or finance functions.
• Experience with cost accounting, inventory accounting, or product costing processes.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyze cost variances and financial data.
• Experience supporting financial close processes, including journal entries and account reconciliations.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and communicate financial insights across multiple levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Experience working with ERP systems; experience with Oracle Fusion preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CPA certification preferred.
• Experience within agriculture, manufacturing, or production environments.
• Experience supporting tax or audit processes or working with external auditors.
• Experience supporting system implementations, costing systems, or financial controls.

What We Offer You:

• Opportunity to play a key role in implementing and supporting a new Oracle Fusion costing system that drives financial visibility across our operations.
• The ability to work cross-functionally with accounting, finance, and operations teams to influence business decisions.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, a flexible spending account (FSA), life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, a 401(k) plan, paid holidays, paid time off bank, an employee assistance program (EAP), and more.
• Be an active part of an organization that gives back to the community in many ways – including feed programs that support local farms, food shelf programs, food support for veterans, agriculture education and promotion, FFA/4H support, charitable contributions, etc.
• A company that has a passionate purpose for food safety, animal welfare, and for living its core values every day – respect, integrity, excellence, adaptability, and innovation.
• A culture that fosters employee growth, hybrid work options, promotion from within, and a highly team-oriented workplace environment.
• The targeted base pay range for this role is $95,000 to $110,000 with this range reflecting differences in candidate knowledge, skills, and experience.

Reports To:

Corporate Controller & Treasurer

Christensen Farms promotes a culture of inclusion and strives to attract a diverse set of candidates for each of our open positions. We are an equal employment opportunity employer and proud to offer employment and growth opportunities to all candidates without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.