Senior Cost Accounting Manager

The Senior Cost Accounting Manager at SCN Best Co is responsible for leading a high‑performing team that provides financial and business partner support to Operations, Supply Chain and Quality. The role focuses on ensuring accurate cost and inventory information, driving continuous improvement and supporting plant operations in Santa Cruz, CA and other company plants.

• Oversee all cost accounting activities, including developing annual budgets, standard product costs, and performing comprehensive and accurate month‑end close.
• Lead monthly review of actual performance versus budget, identify drivers for major variances and publish weekly flashes or dashboards to communicate operational and financial performance to management.
• Collaborate with Operations and Supply Chain to maintain a robust cycle count program, provide regular management updates and support periodic requests from outside auditors.
• Perform periodic inventory reserve reviews to ensure appropriate reserves are in place and management understands the underlying drivers behind changes to the reserve position.
• Partner with Operations to understand year‑to‑date performance versus the annual Cap Ex plan and provide support to justify new capital investment requests.
• Collaborate with the general accounting team to ensure fixed‑asset related accounting activities (CIP, placement into service, asset dispositions) are performed timely and accurately.
• Partner with finance management to provide standard margin and gross margin reporting with appropriate granularity (e.g., by product, by customer).
• Perform periodic analyses on labor, materials and overhead spending to help operations and finance understand key cost drivers and identify potential savings or risk areas.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams on projects to identify potential efficiency improvements.
• Develop and improve methods of calculating and controlling costs and update processes and procedures.

• Manage, coach, hire, train and develop the cost accounting team.
• Conduct performance reviews and manage individual performance.
• Oversee team and employee development and organize training opportunities for direct reports.
• Recommend personnel actions and communicate personnel actions following HR and department head approval.
• Ensure safety and quality standards are enforced and met.
• Partner with human resources to interview and screen potential new hires.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field.
• 12 years of professional experience in cost accounting, supply chain finance or similar function.
• 6 years of professional management and leadership experience.
• Prior manufacturing industry experience.

• Thorough understanding of GAAP cost accounting concepts (e.g., period vs. inventoriable costs, E+O, LCM).
• Strong leadership, analytical, attention to detail, organization, prioritization and communication skills.
• Strong ERP system knowledge and understanding of sub‑ledger interdependencies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability, statistics, geometry and trigonometry.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, 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.
• Practical problem‑solving and troubleshooting skills; ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.

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