Plant Finance & COGS Lead

Cesna Recruitment; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Cesna Recruitment seeks an experienced Operations Finance professional to support design and improvement of plant accounting processes, including general ledger, AP, AR, payroll, asset tracking, and cost allocations. The role focuses on driver-based COGS modeling and timely month-end close to drive profitability insights.

The candidate will partner with Operations, Manufacturing and Supply Chain to lead budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization initiatives, ensuring accuracy and actionable

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years in operations finance or cost accounting, plant finance or related COGS role.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Finance, or related field is required
• Strong understanding of cost drivers (materials, labor, overhead, logistics, etc.)
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel; SAP HANA and Power BI a plus
• Manufacturing/CPG or co-packing experience preferred
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and self-motivated
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (15–20%)

Responsibilities

• Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Procurement to analyze COGS drivers and profitability.
• Own monthly COGS and manufacturing variance analysis including volume, yield, usage, mix, rate and conversion cost variances.
• Support cost optimization initiatives across manufacturing and co-packing operations.
• Lead the annual operating plan and forecasting for Operations, COGS and cost drivers.
• Develop driver-based models linking volume, yield, COGS components to financial outcomes.
• Participate in the month-end close to ensure accuracy of Operations and COGS results.
• Lead monthly COGS and plant performance reviews with stakeholders.
• Support financial evaluation of operational initiatives and manufacturing-related investments.
• Support capital planning and post-implementation reviews for manufacturing initiatives.
• Partner with operations to evaluate capacity, automation, co-packing and make-versus-buy decisions.
• Conduct ad hoc analyses and projects to support Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement and business management decisions related to COGS, plant performance and co-packing economics.

Skills

Analytical

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Multi-tasking

Self-motivated

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Finance, or related field

Tools

SAP HANA

Power BI

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Cesna Recruitment seeks an experienced Operations Finance professional to support design and improvement of plant accounting processes, including general ledger, AP, AR, payroll, asset tracking, and cost allocations. The role focuses on driver-based COGS modeling and timely month-end close to drive profitability insights.

The candidate will partner with Operations, Manufacturing and Supply Chain to lead budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization initiatives, ensuring accuracy and actionable