What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Cost Accountant position at Sunny Sky Products?
Sunny Sky Products is seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Senior Cost Accountant to join our Finance & Accounting team. This role owns the full financial reporting cycle for our two primary operating locations (Frostproof, FL and Chicago, IL), including Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss accountability, cost accounting, and inventory control. Additionally, this position carries corporate-level responsibility for fixed assets and lease accounting under ASC 842 across all 6 plant locations. The ideal candidate is based in Frostproof, FL (on-site); candidates based at our Chicago or Houston corporate offices will be considered and expected to travel frequently to Frostproof. The ideal candidate has strong SAP S/4HANA experience, thrives in a manufacturing/distribution environment, communicates effectively with operations. Detail oriented in a fast movement environment.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Reporting & P&L Ownership
Education
Key Responsibilities
Financial Reporting & P&L Ownership
- Own the full P&L and Balance Sheet for both the Frostproof, FL and Chicago, IL locations
- Lead and manage the full month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
- Prepare and review journal entries, accruals, prepaid amortization, and recurring entries
- Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve aged reconciling items
- Prepare financial statements and reports with variance analysis and explanatory commentary for management
- Analyze and report on budget-to-actual variances; provide actionable insights to leadership
- Support the preparation of annual budgets and periodic forecasts
- Coordinate with external auditors and support annual audit requirements
- Maintain and oversee the standard cost system; update and review standard costs periodically
- Analyze cost of goods sold (COGS), production costs, and manufacturing variances (labor, material, overhead)
- Perform margin analysis by product line, SKU, and customer to identify profitability drivers
- Partner with operations to understand cost drivers and identify cost-reduction opportunities
- Support pricing decisions by providing cost data and profitability modeling
- Review and improve cost allocation methodologies for overhead and shared services
- Responsible of inventory accounting.
- Reconcile inventory subledger to general ledger monthly; investigate and resolve discrepancies
- Coordinate and oversee physical inventory counts and cycle count programs at both locations
- Analyze inventory obsolescence, slow-moving items, and reserve adequacy
- Work closely with the operations and warehouse teams to ensure accurate inventory tracking and reporting
- Monitor inventory valuation methods (FIFO/weighted average) and ensure compliance with GAAP
- Serve as a trusted financial partner to the operations team, translating financial data into operational insights
- Collaborate with plant managers and operations leaders on cost performance, labor efficiency, and throughput reporting
- Communicate financial results clearly and effectively to both finance and non-finance stakeholders
- Support ERP/system improvements and process automation initiatives in SAP S/4HANA
- Identify internal control gaps and implement process improvements to strengthen the financial control environment
- Assist with ad-hoc financial analysis, special projects, and due diligence as needed
- Own the complete lease accounting process under ASC 842 at the corporate level, covering all 6 plant locations
- Maintain the right-of-use (ROU) asset and lease liability schedules for all operating and finance leases across all 6 plants
- Process new leases, modifications, remeasurements, and terminations in accordance with ASC 842
- Prepare required footnote disclosures and ensure completeness and accuracy of lease-related balances
- Liaise with legal, operations, and real estate teams to identify new or modified lease arrangements
- Manage the fixed asset sub-ledger at the corporate level across all 6 plant locations, including capitalization, depreciation, disposals, and transfers
- Ensure assets are properly classified and depreciated in accordance with company policy and GAAP
- Conduct periodic physical verification of assets across plant locations
- Coordinate with operations on capital expenditure tracking and project cost capitalization
- Prepare fixed asset roll forwards and related disclosures for financial reporting
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required
- CPA or CMA designation preferred
- Minimum 5–7 years of progressive accounting experience, with a strong emphasis on cost accounting in a manufacturing or distribution environment
- Food and Beverage Industry experience is a plus
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with full-cycle month-end close
- Prior experience managing multi-location or multi-entity accounting preferred
- Solid understanding of ASC 842 lease accounting and practical application experience
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, complex formulas, and data modeling
- Continuous Improvement mind set drive efficiency and accuracy
- Strong proficiency in SAP S/4HANA strongly preferred
- Power BI knowledge strongly preferred
- Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, including inventory valuation, fixed assets, and lease accounting
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to present financial data to non-finance audiences
- Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Collaborative mindset with a proven track record of building relationships with operations and cross-functional teams
- Willingness to travel between plant locations as needed; candidates based outside Frostproof should expect frequent travel to the Frostproof facility