Senior Manager, Cost Accounting

SCN BestCo•Santa Cruz, CA

8d•$171,876 - $257,814•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Cost Accounting oversees a team responsible for providing financial and business partner support to Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality. This role manages financial systems, processes, and controls to ensure accurate and timely costing and inventory information for senior management and key stakeholders. The Senior Manager, Cost Accounting requires a strong understanding of manufacturing finance along with the ability to lead, influence decision-making, and support accountability for financial and operational performance. This position requires hands-on leadership, including active contribution to the work, building trust, developing team capability, and fostering a culture of ownership and accountability. The Senior Manager, Cost Accounting serves as a trusted business partner, translating financial insights into actionable recommendations that support improved results within a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field.
12 years’ professional experience in cost accounting, supply chain finance, or similar function.
6 years’ professional management and leadership experience.
Prior manufacturing industry experience.
Thorough understanding of all generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) cost accounting concepts (e.g., Period vs. inventoriable costs, E+O, LCM).
Strong leadership, analytical, attention to detail, organization, prioritization, verbal, and written communication skills.
Strong enterprise resource planning (ERP) system knowledge including understanding of the interdependency of various subledgers/modules (e.g., order entry, production planning, perpetual inventory, accounts payable/receivable, general ledger, fixed assets).
Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Must have the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with internal staff and management.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public.
Must be able to demonstrate practical problem solving and trouble shooting skills. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Nice To Haves

MBA or graduate degree in a related field.
Accounting certification (CPA, CMA, etc.).
ERP implementation experience.

Responsibilities

Oversee all cost accounting activities, including annual budgeting and standard cost development, month-end close, variance analysis, and forecasting; ensure strong financial controls and clear insights into key performance drivers.
Publish weekly performance dashboards that highlight key trends, risks, and recommended actions to support operational decision-making.
Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to maintain a robust cycle count program, reinforcing accountability for inventory accuracy and supporting audit requirements.
Lead inventory reserve reviews, clearly communicating drivers of changes and ensuring alignment with business conditions.
Partner with Operations to evaluate performance against the capital expenditure (CapEx) plan, support investment decisions, and reinforce accountability for results; ensure accurate fixed asset accounting in coordination with General Accounting.
Analyze labor, material, and overhead costs to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, and recommend actions to improve performance.
Partner cross-functionally to identify and implement efficiency and cost improvement initiatives.
Continuously improve costing methodologies, systems, and controls.
Maintain and enhance financial processes and procedures to support accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
Lead, coach, and develop the cost accounting team by setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of accountability and ownership.
Build trust and engagement within the team through consistent communication, feedback, and support.
Conduct performance reviews and proactively manage individual performance and development.
Organize training and development opportunities for direct reports.
Recommend personnel actions.
Communicate personnel actions following HR and department head approval.
Ensure safety and quality standards are upheld by the team.
Partner with Human Resources to recruit, interview, and onboard talent.