Cost Accounting Manager at Kinder's

Walnut Creek, California, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

06 May, 26

Salary

133000.0

Posted On

05 Feb, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Cost Accounting, Analytical Skills, Collaboration, Communication, Problem Solving, Financial Analysis, SAP Proficiency, Inventory Management, Variance Analysis, Budgeting, Forecasting, Cost Sensitivity Analysis, Stakeholder Alignment, Process Improvement, Decision Making, Agility

Industry

Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Description

BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE. What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it. With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable. As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives. We are seeking a Cost Accounting Manager to own the end-to-end costing process for co-manufactured products. This role is responsible for building and maintaining accurate standard costs, auditing co-manufacturer charges, and delivering insights that support financial accuracy and operational decision-making. While this position requires deep product costing expertise, it is far more than assembling bills of materials. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical instincts and the ability to understand cost drivers, model cost sensitivities, and offer sound recommendations when inputs are incomplete or evolving. In an environment where product specifications can shift rapidly, this individual must operate confidently in ambiguity, building cost estimates based on best-known assumptions, identifying key variables, and flagging the true impact of potential changes on financial decisions. Success in this role requires a blend of technical excellence in cost accounting, clear and proactive communication across departments and with co-manufacturing partners, collaboration and influence to align stakeholders, and most critically, mental agility - the ability to find clarity amid complexity and support Kinder’s decision-making even when the path forward isn’t fully defined. 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. Key Responsibilities Include: Standard Cost Development, Governance & Maintenance Own the end-to-end standard costing process for all co-manufactured SKUs, including methodology, assumptions, and update cadence Build, review, and approve standard costs using BOMs and recipes, incorporating raw and packaging inputs, co-manufacturer tolling and processing fees, inbound freight, warehousing, and logistics costs Establish and maintain costing governance, including documentation standards, change logs, and approval workflows Partner closely with Procurement, Operations, and internal and external Co-Man teams to align on cost inputs, validate assumptions, and ensure timely updates as specifications and inputs evolve Inventory Costing Coordination & Audit Support Own cost accuracy and valuation support for inventory held at Kinder’s 3PL warehouses, ensuring consistent costing treatment and strong financial controls Partner with inventory managers to validate costing-related inventory positions and ensure audit-ready support packages Lead cost-related support for internal and external inventory audits, including issue resolution and coordination of required documentation Cost Analysis, Variance Leadership & Margin Reporting Lead product-level variance analysis, including material usage variances, co-manufacturer performance variances, and key driver diagnostics Provide accurate and decision-ready product costing insights to support pricing, customer strategy, and promotional investment decisions Partner with FP&A to support gross margin analysis by customer and channel, including drivers, risks, and forward-looking cost implications Budgeting, Forecasting & Strategic Planning Support Own costing inputs into COGS budgeting and forecasting processes, ensuring assumptions are accurate, explainable, and aligned with operational realities Monitor cost trends across materials, co-manufacturing, and logistics, proactively identifying margin risks and recommending mitigation actions Support scenario modeling and cost sensitivity analysis to inform decision-making when inputs are incomplete or changing Co-Manufacturer Financial Partnership & Performance Management Serve as the finance business partner for co-manufacturing cost performance, providing visibility into cost drivers, trends, and operational impacts Collaborate with internal Co-Man teams to validate production cost assumptions, performance metrics, and continuous improvement opportunities Communicate cost changes clearly and proactively, ensuring stakeholders understand business impact and tradeoffs Co-Manufacturer Charge Audit, Compliance & Escalation Ownership Own the review and audit of co-manufacturer invoices for contractual compliance, accuracy, and pass-through cost reasonableness Lead investigations into discrepancies, drive root cause resolution, and escalate recurring issues through internal and external stakeholder channels Maintain a structured approach to tracking issues, recovering value where applicable, and reducing repeat exceptions Month-End Close Ownership & Financial Reporting Support Own month-end costing-related close deliverables, including journal entries, reconciliations, and variance explanations for COGS and inventory Review supporting schedules and workpapers to ensure completeness, accuracy, and audit readiness Provide cost and margin reporting to finance leadership, including clear narratives on drivers and changes SAP Costing Ownership & Process Improvement Own costing structures and master data integrity within SAP, including product costing setup and ongoing maintenance standards Identify and implement opportunities to improve SAP costing workflows, strengthen controls, and automate recurring reporting where feasible Partner cross-functionally to improve data accuracy upstream (inputs) and reliability downstream (reporting and decision support) Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment Act as a cross-functional leader to align Finance, Procurement, Operations, Sales Ops, and external co-mans on costing assumptions and outcomes Drive clarity, accountability, and decision support across stakeholders, particularly in fast-moving environments with evolving inputs Build scalable processes that improve cost visibility and support Kinder’s growth Skills & Experience: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or CMA preferred 5–8+ years of experience in cost accounting, ideally in a CPG or food production environment Experience working with co-manufacturers and auditing cost structures or contractual pass-throughs preferred. Proficiency in SAP (product costing, BOMs, inventory transactions) Proven ability to operate independently while building relationships across departments Demonstrated success in scaling or improving cost accounting practices in a growth company Pay Transparency: The expected starting salary range for this role is $120,000- $133,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs. SEASONED FOR SUCCESS: No two days here are the same. We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here. We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow. We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk. We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart. We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them. BENEFITS THAT BRING MORE TO THE TABLE: 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. OUR RECIPE FOR BALANCE: We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments. WHERE EVERY INGREDIENT MATTERS: Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at careers@kinders.com

Responsibilities

The Cost Accounting Manager will own the end-to-end costing process for co-manufactured products, ensuring accurate standard costs and auditing co-manufacturer charges. This role also involves providing insights for financial accuracy and operational decision-making.