Senior Cost Accountant

Lewis Bakeries • Murfreesboro, TN

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for product costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variance analysis for Lewis Bakeries’ Murfreesboro bakery manufacturing plants. Based at the Murfreesboro, Tennessee plant, the role turns plant activity into accurate, timely financial information supporting operating decisions, cost control, and improved plant performance. The position reports to the Director of Cost Accounting within Finance / Accounting and works 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 role has no direct reports, but provides guidance and support to bakery personnel responsible for work order reconciliation through a dotted-line relationship.

Responsibilities cover product costing and cost standards, month-end close and inventory support, manufacturing variance analysis and reporting, budgeting and decision support, and controls and systems. The role supports cost estimates for new products, physical and cycle counts, inventory reserves, plant budgets, margin analysis, audits, ERP and reporting improvements, and training plant staff.

The position is based at the Murfreesboro plant, with regular travel to a second supported location if applicable. Work takes place in office and production environments and requires compliance with food safety standards, plant procedures, and personal protective equipment requirements. Additional hours may be needed during month-end and year-end close, physical inventories, and audits. The role involves walking the production floor, climbing stairs, and standing for extended periods during inventory counts.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
• At least 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 and attention to detail, with the ability to meet deadlines across two locations.
• Ability to work independently with a remote reporting relationship, learn proactively, and seek guidance when needed.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–35%, including participation in physical inventory counts.
• Ability to comply with food safety standards, plant procedures, and personal protective equipment requirements.
• Ability to walk the production floor, climb stairs, and stand for extended periods during inventory counts.
• Additional hours may be required during month-end and year-end close, physical inventories, and audits.
• Candidates must successfully complete a background check, drug test, and reference check for further consideration.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain standard costs for finished goods and intermediates at assigned plants, including materials, packaging, labor, and overhead.
• Maintain bills of material, routings, work centers, and labor and overhead rates in the ERP to ensure costs roll up correctly.
• Lead the annual standard cost update and mid-year revaluations for significant ingredient, packaging, or wage changes.
• Prepare cost estimates for new products and assist with corporate cost analysis and reporting.
• Support daily work order reconciliation, investigate variances, identify root causes, and coordinate corrective actions with bakery leadership.
• Support Corporate Accounting with the post-ERP-implementation monthly close process.
• Oversee physical inventory and cycle counts and investigate and resolve count adjustments.
• Maintain inventory reserves for discontinued products.
• Analyze and explain usage and yield, labor efficiency, overhead absorption, and scrap and waste variances.
• Track bakery-specific KPIs, including waste, scale weights against targets, bakery stales, line downtime, and throughput per hour.
• Publish monthly plant P&L results versus standard with commentary for plant and corporate leadership.
• Support annual plant spending budgets and standard volume, labor, and overhead assumptions with plant leadership and Corporate Accounting.
• Provide cost updates for margin analysis by product, customer, and channel to support pricing and mix decisions.
• Model financial results of continuous improvement activities and track results against expectations.
• Maintain internal controls over inventory, costing, and production reporting.
• Support external audits and tax requests related to inventory and cost of sales.
• Improve cost data quality in ERP and reporting tools and lead costing components of system projects.
• Train plant staff on production reporting and inventory practices.

Benefits

• 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.
• 401(k) with company matching contributions.
• Company-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Paid vacation time and paid holidays.
• Relocation assistance for qualified candidates.
• Professional development opportunities and long-term career growth.
• Competitive salary.
• Collaborative culture that values employee engagement, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Opportunities for growth, development, and career advancement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior