Cost Accountant

Danone North America; California (MO); On-site; USD 67,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Danone North America is seeking a Cost Accountant – Manufacturing to join our City of Industry, CA team. This in-person, full-time role focuses on developing standard costs, analyzing variances, and guiding management with clear cost reports to support decision making.

Ideal candidates will have a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance, at least two years in cost accounting in a food/beverage setting, and strong skills in Excel, GAAP, and ERP systems (SAP/Oracle/JDE).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• Minimum 2 years in cost accounting, preferably in food/beverage manufacturing; ERP experience.
• Proficient in Excel and MS Office; GAAP knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain standard costs for materials, labor, and overhead.
• Analyze production costs, perform variance analyses, and report cost differences.
• Close monthly, prepare manufacturing variances, and present cost reports to management.
• Lead inventory cycle counts, reconcile discrepancies, and analyze variances.
• Collaborate with production and supply chain to optimize cost efficiency and new product cost analyses.

Skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Excel proficiency

Strong communication

Problem-solving

GAAP knowledge

Critical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field

Tools

SAP

Oracle

JDE

Job description

Cost Accountant – Manufacturing | Danone

The Tone:

This is a full-time Cost Accountant role at Danone, located in City of Industry, CA. Danone is a purpose-driven company and an industry leader in the food and beverage category, committed to bringing health through food to as many people as possible as one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world. In this role, you will be crucial for analyzing and managing costs within our food manufacturing processes, ensuring accurate financial reporting, and supporting key decision-making to drive our mission forward.

The TL;DR

• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person City of Industry, CA
• Pay: $67000–$96000 yearly
• Team: Reporting to the Plant Controller
• Mission: Owns the analysis and management of manufacturing costs to ensure financial accuracy and support strategic decisions.
• Tech Stack: SAP, Oracle, JDE, Excel, MS Office

What You’ll Actually Do

• Standardization: Develop and maintain standard costs for raw materials, labor, and overhead.
• Analysis: Analyze production costs, conduct variance analysis, and prepare regular reports comparing standard to actual costs.
• Reporting: Perform monthly closing activities, including preparation of manufacturing variances, and present cost reports to management.
• Inventory: Lead inventory cycle counts and audits, reconcile discrepancies, and analyze all inventory variances to identify root causes.
• Optimization: Collaborate with production and supply chain teams to optimize cost efficiency and provide cost analysis for new product development.

The Must-Haves

• Background: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field, with core domain knowledge in cost management for manufacturing.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience in cost accounting, preferably within a food or beverage manufacturing environment, and experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or JDE.
• Skills: Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, proficiency in Excel and MS Office products, excellent communication and problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and knowledge of GAAP.
• Bonus: Familiarity with principles and practices for operational excellence.