Cost Accountant

Position Purpose

Under limited supervision and acting on own initiative, the Cost Accountant, reporting to the Operations Finance Manager, specializes in accounting, planning, budgeting, and modeling activities for the manufacturing and costing of finished packaged goods and bulk wines.  This position requires competence and specialized knowledge of products costing an related data management techniques within an ERP system for various financial activities such as product costing, bills of material, labor/overhead costing and allocation modeling, inventory movement and monthly variance accounting/analysis.

Essential Duties

• Develops and improves financial accounting and product costing processes that support effective/efficient production operations
• Prepares structured cost analysis for all items produced ensuring such data is prepared in a consistent and dependable manner using centralized data and a documented methodology
• Routinely adds value by providing updated costing information as part of business decision support
• Responsible for policy development and documentation for financial tools and costing methods
• Completes monthly closing activities related to production, costing, and cost accounting as determined by Operations Finance Manager
• Monitors and reviews financial-related information generated through the supply chain and production process identifying manufacturing variances, scrap rates, inventory adjustments and write-offs, changes in production orders, changes in bill of materials, etc. and ensures each are accounted for correctly and highlighting significant events for management attention
• Develops financial cost models as appropriate and works with the Innovation Committee to support the evaluation of new products, extensions, and assessment of profitability
• Supports ongoing product costing requirements for case goods and bulk wine
• Develops and maintains accurate costed Case Goods product costs using item-pack information and wine costs
• Develops annual cost estimates and final costs for grapes, juice, and wine by vintage, region, and winery location
• Produces summary reports related to production spending, costing, and cost accounting
• Assists in preparation of recommendations for policy, procedure, control, or action
• Supports other “project” analysis on a “demand” basis, particularly the as-needed requirements for new product case cost case cost analysis.
• Conducts, as required, assigned financial studies and surveys to collect, summarize, and analyze financial actions 

*Additional duties may be assigned
 

Minimum Requirements

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in a business discipline, preferably accounting or finance.
• 2-5 years of cost and budget experience in manufacturing, preferably in a wine, food, or consumer products; including detailed standard product costing of items, and development/maintenance of standard costing models.  
• Extensive use of Excel spreadsheets data manipulation via report writing tools.  
• Requires ability to fully understand the costing and accounting concepts and at the same time, manipulate high volume of data relating to grape costs and labor/overhead modeling, preferably in an ERP environment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Use of integration ERP systems, such as SAP; use of report writing software.  
• Understanding of production operations concepts

Certificates and Licenses

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) preferred, but not required

Work Standards

• Acts in a manner reflective of the Company culture of High Moral Standards, Innovation and Continuous Evolution, Trust in Team, Continuous Improvement, and Sustainable Relationships
• Communicates, interacts, and works effectively with others; receptive to feedback and coaching; voices concerns in a constructive manner
• Demonstrates commitment to safety first; communicates safety concerns; promotes a safe work environment based on established safety standards and training
• Follows all Company policies and procedures
   

Additional Comments

Management retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.