Senior Cost Accountant

Spindrift; Newton (MA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Monthly cell phone allowance

Parental leave and paid time off

Professional development allowances

Job summary

Spindrift, a fast-moving consumer goods company in Newton, MA, seeks a Senior Cost Accountant to build and maintain cost accounting frameworks across manufacturing and supply chain. You will own standard costing for all SKUs, manage inventory accounting, and support month-end close with COGS schedules.

The role partners with Operations and Procurement on annual cost budgets, provides variance analysis, and drives continuous improvement in cost reporting tools and data integrity.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of accounting experience, with at least 2 years in cost accounting or manufacturing finance.
• Strong understanding of cost accounting principles, variances, and inventory valuation.
• Experience with month-end close and COGS schedules.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting is required.
• CPA or CMA is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain standard costing for all SKUs, including raw materials, packaging, co-manufacturing, and overhead.
• Manage inventory accounting, including counts and reconciliations between ERP and warehouse systems.
• Record and analyze COGS monthly; explain variances vs. standard and prior periods.
• Support cost-focused FP&A and annual cost budgets with detailed build-ups.
• Document cost accounting policies and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Financial modeling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting

CPA or CMA preferred

Tools

NetSuite

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

The Senior Cost Accountant is a key member of Spindrift’s finance team, responsible for building and maintaining the cost accounting framework that supports informed decision-making across the business. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented, analytically minded professional who thrives in a fast-moving CPG environment and is passionate about driving financial clarity across manufacturing, supply chain, and operations.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Controller, the Senior Cost Accountant’s primary responsibilities are:

Cost Accounting & Inventory Management

• Own and maintain standard costing for all SKUs, including raw materials, packaging, co-manufacturing, and overhead; update standards on a defined cycle and analyze variances.
• Manage inventory accounting, including periodic physical inventory counts, cycle counts, and reconciliations between the ERP and warehouse management systems.
• Record and analyze cost of goods sold (COGS) on a monthly basis; investigate and explain variances vs. standard and prior periods.
• Maintain accurate bill of materials (BOMs) and routing data in the ERP system in collaboration with Operations and Supply Chain.
• Support month-end close by preparing COGS schedules, inventory roll-forwards, and related journal entries.

Financial Planning & Analysis (Cost-Focused)

• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Procurement to develop annual cost budgets and quarterly forecasts.
• Provide variance analysis and actionable insights on manufacturing costs, freight, waste, and yields to support operational efficiency initiatives.
• Model cost impacts of new product launches, packaging changes, sourcing shifts, and contract manufacturing agreements.
• Support the annual operating plan (AOP) process by building detailed cost build-ups by product and channel.

Controls, Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure cost accounting activities comply with GAAP and internal control standards; support audit requests and external audit procedures related to inventory and COGS.
• Partner with the broader accounting team to ensure accurate financial reporting and consistent application of accounting policies.
• Identify and lead opportunities to improve cost accounting processes, reporting tools, and data integrity across systems.
• Document cost accounting policies and procedures to support scalability and cross-functional knowledge sharing.

• 3+ years of accounting experience, with at least 2 years in cost accounting or manufacturing finance; CPG, food & beverage, or consumer products experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of cost accounting principles, average costing, variance analysis, and inventory valuation (FIFO/weighted average).
• Experience managing month-end close processes and preparing COGS and inventory-related schedules.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, financial modeling); experience building reports from ERP data.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills; comfortable presenting financial data to non-finance stakeholders.
• CPA or CMA preferred but not required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting required.

Preferred Tools & Experience

• Experience with NetSuite or similar ERP/accounting systems (NetSuite strongly preferred).
• Familiarity with co-manufacturing or contract manufacturing environments.
• Prior exposure to trade promotion accounting or deduction management in a CPG environment is a plus.

Working Conditions

• Must be able to work from our Newton, MA office at least 4 days a week.

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $90,000 and is dependent upon the candidate’s experience prior to joining Spindrift. In addition, we offer the following compensation and benefits:

• Short-term incentive programs specific to level and department
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, with a current employer contribution rate of 80% towards monthly premiums, regardless of plan type selected
• Company-paid life insurance, and a 401k retirement savings plan with a company match
• Monthly cell phone allowance
• Annual allowances for personal use of Spindrift product, health and wellness, professional development, and social justice education
• A host of voluntary benefits including but not limited to additional life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability insurance
• In addition to any paid leave benefits required by regulation, the company provides paid parental leave, vacation, sick, personal, bereavement, community service, and holiday time