Director of Accounting Operations

Location: Monterey County, CA (onsite, five days a week)

Compensation: $160,000 to $205,000 base, plus a 20% annual bonus target

Hoxton Circle is running a confidential search for a Director of Accounting Operations on behalf of an established, vertically integrated agricultural and fresh produce business in California. This role reports directly to the CFO and leads accounting, cost accounting, inventory accounting, and operational financial reporting across the company’s farming, harvesting, processing, and corporate operations.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who understands how the numbers connect to what happens in the field and on the production floor. You’ll own the close across multiple business units, run standard costing and BOM governance, and turn variance analysis into explanations that operations leaders can act on. You’ll also be a real partner to the CFO on budgeting, forecasting, and strategic decisions.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Leading the monthly, quarterly, and annual close across several business units, including review of reconciliations, journal entries, accruals, and allocations, and coordinating the year-end audit.
• Developing and maintaining standard costs, product costing, BOMs, item masters, yield assumptions, and cost allocation methodologies across farming, harvesting, cooling, processing, and manufacturing.
• Overseeing inventory accounting and controls across raw materials, packaging, WIP, finished goods, and agricultural inventories, including the accounting treatment for crops in ground and crop costs.
• Running monthly variance analysis (material usage, purchase price, labor efficiency, yield, overhead absorption, scrap and waste) and working with business unit leaders on root causes and cost improvement.
• Producing business unit reporting packages with clear commentary on performance against budget, forecast, and prior year, plus profitability analysis by commodity, product line, customer, and facility.
• Setting budget and forecast guidelines and supporting the CFO on financial modeling, ROI, lease-versus-buy, and automation investment analysis.
• Strengthening internal controls and data integrity in the ERP, and partnering with IT and operations on system enhancements and reporting automation.
• Leading and developing an accounting team.

What we’re looking for

• At least 5 years in accounting or finance, with meaningful experience in agricultural environments.
• Direct experience with standard costing, product costing, BOMs, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variance analysis, along with close, budgeting, forecasting, and audit support.
• A strong grasp of GAAP, internal controls, and cost and inventory accounting.
• The ability to explain financial results clearly to operators as well as finance people.
• Strong ERP and Excel skills. ERP implementation or reporting automation experience is a plus.
• A bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. A CPA, CMA, MBA, or Master’s in Accounting or Finance is preferred.
• Comfort with occasional overnight travel to company sites.