Inventory Finance Accounting Manager

Celsius•Louisville, KY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As the Inventory Finance Accounting Manager, you’ll be responsible for the integrity of inventory valuation and inventory-related financial reporting across a distributed network of external warehouses, 3PLs, and/or co-manufacturing partners. This role owns the end-to-end inventory close process, oversees inventory-related journal entries and reconciliations, drives actionable variance analysis (including PPV), and leads cross-functional resolution of system and process failures impacting inventory and COGS. The Manager builds repeatable, well-controlled processes that reduce close surprises and improve cost accuracy.

Requirements

6+ years of progressive accounting experience, including meaningful inventory accounting exposure (CPG, manufacturing, distribution, or similar environments preferred).
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
Demonstrated ownership of month-end close deliverables, reconciliations, and journal entry review.
Strong understanding of inventory valuation, COGS drivers, and common transaction/process failure points.
ERP experience (inventory modules and subledger/GL integration); advanced Excel skills with large datasets.
Proven ability to drive cross-functional problem solving and process improvement to closure.
Prior people leadership or strong experience leading workstreams and mentoring others.

Nice To Haves

CPA and/or public accounting experience preferred.
Experience operating in a multi-site environment with external warehouses/3PLs and co-manufacturers, preferred.
Experience with inventory reserve methodologies and control frameworks (SOX) preferred.
Experience improving inventory processes (cycle count alignment, cutoff discipline, master data governance, automation) preferred.
Familiarity with tools such as Power Query/Power Pivot, SQL, or BI/reporting tools (nice to have).

Responsibilities

Own the monthly inventory close calendar, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies to ensure timely, accurate close completion.
Review and approve inventory-related journal entries, accruals, and reclassifications (e.g., receipts, PPV, reserves, freight/landed costs as applicable).
Ensure completeness and accuracy of inventory rollforwards by entity/site/location and tie-outs between subledger and GL.
Oversee inventory valuation processes and ensure inventory costing aligns with policy and operational realities (e.g., standard/actual costing, landed costs, variances).
Manage and review PPV and other cost/usage/manufacturing variances (as applicable), including root-cause analysis and clear explanations of period-over-period movements.
Partner with Procurement/Supply Chain to identify actionable drivers (vendor pricing, UOM/master data issues, timing/cutoff, receiving discipline, etc.).
Oversee preparation and review of inventory-related account reconciliations, ensuring timely clearing of reconciling items and disciplined aging management.
Maintain documentation and audit-ready support for key accounts, schedules, and estimates.
Own execution and governance of inventory reserves (e.g., obsolescence, slow-moving, damaged/expired goods, shrink), including methodology support, documentation, and approval packages.
Monitor inventory risk signals and collaborate with cross-functional partners on mitigation plans.
Lead identification, triage, and resolution of recurring system and process breakdowns impacting inventory transactions and cost.
Partner with IT and Operations to prioritize fixes, define requirements, test solutions, and ensure sustainable process design (not just period-end corrections).
Standardize close workpapers, templates, and controls to reduce manual effort and variability.
Design, maintain, and execute inventory accounting controls (SOX/internal controls as applicable).
Support internal and external audit requests, including walkthroughs, evidence packages, and remediation actions.
Ensure policies and procedures are current, documented, and followed consistently across the team.
Manage, coach, and develop direct reports; set clear expectations and review standards.
Drive accountability through structured work planning, close checklists, and continuous improvement habits.
Build a “no surprises” culture with strong documentation, proactive communication, and issue escalation