Senior Cost Accountant

Kinder's • Walnut Creek, CA

1d

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to support the accurate and timely costing of co-manufactured products. This role is responsible for executing standard cost updates, assisting in co-manufacturer cost audits, and contributing to financial reporting and cross-functional planning efforts.
While this position requires strong cost accounting skills, it also demands more than technical proficiency. The ideal candidate is someone who understands cost drivers, can identify material changes or trends, and thrives in environments where not all inputs are finalized. This role requires the ability to assess cost sensitivities, flag risks, and make recommendations that help inform financial and operational decisions — even in the face of ambiguity.
This is a high-visibility, high-impact role well suited for someone looking to deepen their cost accounting expertise - in a fast growing CPG company - and grow into broader ownership within a dynamic and rapidly scaling company.
This is also a highly impactful role for someone who wants to own meaningful financial processes and contribute to a fast-growing business. It is also a role that requires comfort with ambiguity and proactive problem-solving. You’ll thrive in this role if:
You enjoy solving problems in fast-moving, sometimes ambiguous environments
You’re comfortable working with incomplete information and can build credible estimates based on what’s known today while flagging what might change tomorrow
You bring strong technical fundamentals in cost accounting and have the mental agility to go beyond inputs and think in terms of cost drivers, sensitivities, and decision impact
You can collaborate cross-functionally with clarity, patience, and influence, whether it’s with finance, procurement, operations, or external partners
You’re energized by owning your work, building scalable processes, and improving things as you go
This is not the right role for someone who needs all inputs finalized before moving forward or who prefers highly structured environments with little ambiguity. Kinder’s moves fast. Some cost inputs won’t be perfect. But your ability to create clarity, offer insight, and take ownership is exactly what will make you successful - and satisfied - here.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field
• 3–5+ years of cost accounting experience, preferably in a CPG or food production environment
• Experience supporting cost analysis, standard costing, and co-manufacturer invoice reviews
• Familiarity with SAP or similar ERP systems (product costing, BOMs, inventory transactions)
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and solve problems in fast-paced environments

Responsibilities

• Standard Cost Execution & Ongoing Maintenance
• Execute standard cost updates for co-manufactured SKUs, ensuring calculations are accurate, timely, and well-documented
• Use BOMs and recipes to calculate cost per unit, incorporating raw materials, packaging, tolling and processing fees, and warehousing or logistics components
• Coordinate with Procurement, Operations, and internal and external Co-Manufacturing teams to collect inputs, validate changes, and prepare updates for manager review and approval
• Maintain organized costing support files and documentation to enable traceability and audit readiness
• Inventory Costing Support & Audit Preparation
• Support accurate inventory valuation at Kinder’s 3PL warehouses by preparing costing schedules, tie-outs, and supporting analyses
• Assist in internal and external inventory audits by compiling documentation, reconciling variances, and supporting audit requests
• Identify inventory costing issues and elevate exceptions and risks to the Cost Accounting Manager with clear supporting detail
• Cost Analysis, Variance Reporting & Driver Identification
• Perform product-level variance analysis and investigate key cost drivers, including material changes and co-manufacturing performance impacts
• Support pricing and promotional decisions by providing accurate cost data
• Assist with gross margin and product-level profitability reporting
• Summarize findings clearly, including drivers, trends, and recommended follow-ups for review with the Cost Accounting Manager and FP&A
• Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting Support
• Support COGS assumptions for annual budgets and rolling forecasts by compiling input changes and analyzing trend impacts
• Track key input costs (materials, packaging, tolling, freight) and surface meaningful changes that could impact margin performance
• Assist with cost sensitivity analysis and scenario support as requested to inform planning and decision-making
• Co-Manufacturer Cost Support & Invoice Reconciliation
• Support ongoing co-manufacturer cost monitoring by preparing invoice reviews, tie-outs, and reconciliation schedules
• Assist in identifying discrepancies, documenting exceptions, and tracking open items to resolution
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to ensure cost issues are communicated clearly and addressed efficiently
• Audit & Compliance Testing Support
• Perform compliance testing of co-manufacturer charges and ingredient pass-throughs, including reasonableness checks and contract-based validations
• Document results, exceptions, and follow-up requirements in a structured and audit-ready format
• Escalate anomalies and recurring issues to the Cost Accounting Manager with supporting evidence and recommendations
• Month-End Close Support Activities
• Prepare close support schedules, journal entry support, and reconciliations related to COGS and inventory costing under manager direction
• Assist with monthly variance explanations by preparing detail and analysis to support reporting narratives
• Ensure deliverables are complete, accurate, and delivered on schedule to support the broader close process
• SAP Costing Execution & Data Integrity Support
• Maintain costing accuracy in SAP through disciplined execution of updates, validation checks, and error resolution support
• Support product costing, BOM maintenance processes, and inventory transaction reviews to ensure costing outputs remain reliable
• Identify recurring data integrity issues and propose improvements to reduce manual rework and improve consistency
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement Support
• Work closely with Finance, Operations, Procurement, and external co-mans to ensure alignment on cost inputs and impacts
• Contribute to initiatives that improve cost visibility, reporting reliability, and execution efficiency
• Build credibility through responsive communication, high-quality analysis, and strong ownership of deliverables

Benefits

• We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave.
• Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

What This Job Offers

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