Cost Accountant

Prelude Growth; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

PTO and holidays

Job summary

Amylu Foods, headquartered in Chicago, seeks a Senior Cost Accountant to support all cost accounting activities and drive visibility into product profitability. The role partners with Operations to improve efficiency, validates standard costs, and ensures GAAP compliance in a fast-growing food manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate has hands-on cost accounting experience in food manufacturing, strong Excel and ERP skills, and the ability to translate data into actionable financial

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive cost accounting experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, complex formulas).
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred).
• Strong ability to analyze large, complex datasets and provide actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Refine the standard costing process including annual cost setting for plants, products, and overhead rates.
• Coordinate BOM accuracy and component records in NetSuite across entities.
• Update standards and perform NetSuite revaluations as needed for new products and variances.
• Partner with Operations to improve inventory accuracy and resolve root-cause issues.
• Analyze production yields and calculate impact on standard costs and profitability.
• Support month-end close, inventory valuation, and related journal entries.
• Prepare COGS reporting and item/plant profitability analyses.
• Develop KPIs such as variances to standard and labor efficiency.
• Train Operations, Procurement, and Finance teams on cost accounting processes.

Skills

Cost accounting

Excel

Data analysis

ERP systems

Manufacturing accounting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA or CMA designation

Tools

NetSuite

BI tools (Incorta/Hyperion)

Job description

Amylu Foods is hiring a Senior Cost Accountant to join team.

Working out of our Chicago headquarters, this role will be responsible for supporting all aspects of cost accounting.

This role is expected to be on-site four days per week.

Who are we?

Amylu Foods is a Female founded, high-growth, natural CPG company with over a century of tradition rooted in using fresh ingredients and hand-crafted recipes.

As the pioneers of chicken sausage, we blend innovation with experience, bringing bold, fresh flavors to the table.

From our Chicago roots, we've grown into a passionate, dedicated team of food enthusiasts, leading the category with our creative recipes, small-batch production, and constant flavor innovation.

Celebrating over 100 years of culinary craftsmanship, we're expanding our offerings and distribution nationwide, launching new and exciting products that continue to redefine the protein category.

Role Description

The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for supporting all aspects of cost accounting, including the accurate accumulation, analysis, and reporting of product and inventory costs.

This critical role provides financial insights to drive operational efficiency, ensures compliance with U.S. GAAP, and partners with supply chain and manufacturing teams to identify cost-saving opportunities.

As Amylu Foods continues to scale operations, this role is instrumental in driving visibility to product-level profitability and manufacturing plant efficiency.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on food manufacturing cost accounting experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to partner with leadership to translate operational data into actionable financial insights.

The position involves overseeing inventory valuation and enhancing ERP system integrity.

Key Responsibilities

• Refine the standard costing process including initial validation of 2026 standards and go-forward leadership of the annual standard cost setting process (including material, labor and overhead rates by plant, product class, and product)
• Coordinate cross-functionally to drive accuracy of Bill of Materials (BOMs) and component records in NetSuite across all entities
• Update standards and perform NetSuite revaluations as required throughout the year for new products, updates, cost variances etc.
• Partner with Operations and Warehouse teams to improve inventory accuracy through review of variances and identification and resolution of the root-cause issues driving inventory movements
• Analyze production yields by item and item class to identify operational inefficiencies and the impact to standard costs and product-profitability
• Work with Operations to understand variances to expectations and partner on prioritizing and measuring implemented improvements
• Support month-end accounting and close activities including inventory valuation, inventory reconciliations, variance account analysis, and required journal entries
• Prepare periodic COGS reporting and analysis including item and plant profitability analysis
• Develop and maintain KPIs including variances to standard, labor efficiency metrics, item and plant profitability etc.
• Support FP&A with reforecasting based on actual production performance, yield trends and cost changes
• Analyze product mix impacts on overall COGS and profitability; provide insights to guide pricing and promotional decisions
• Drive improvements in NetSuite to support standard costing and related reporting; support implementation for subsequent entities
• Train Operations, Procurement, and Finance team members on cost accounting processes, NetSuite functionality and related reporting
• Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP for inventory valuation, COGS and manufacturing accounting
• Support internal and external audits as required

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive cost accounting experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, complex formulas)
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred)
• Strong ability to analyze large, complex datasets and provide actionable recommendations

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation
• Experience with Business Intelligence tools (e.g., Incorta, Hyperion)
• Background in Lean manufacturing principles

Pay Range: $90,000 - $120,000

Other Compensation: This position is eligible for an annual performance bonus with a target of a % of base pay; actual target TBD

Benefits Summary

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a company match of up to 3.5%
• Paid Time Off (PTO) plus 40hrs paid sick leave plus 8 paid holidays.

Amylu Foods is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affi rative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran, or disability status.