Cost Accountant
Full‑time | Permanent | Vermont
Join Hewitt Foods as a Cost Accountant and play a key role in driving profitability, operational efficiency, and informed business decision-making across our processing operations. Working closely with Finance, Manufacturing, and Operations teams, you will deliver accurate costing, financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and performance reporting that supports continuous improvement and sustainable business growth.
About the Role
The Cost Accountant is a key member of the Finance team, responsible for providing accurate cost information, financial analysis, forecasting, and performance reporting across multiple business functions. Partnering closely with operational leaders, production teams, and senior management, you will deliver insights that support profitability, process improvements, and strategic growth. This role combines traditional cost accounting responsibilities with broader commercial analysis, helping the business understand the drivers of financial performance across manufacturing, livestock, procurement, logistics, and processing operations. You will play an important role in inventory management, budgeting, capital investment analysis, and operational reporting while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and financial outcomes. Success in this role requires strong analytical capability, commercial acumen, and the ability to communicate complex financial information to a broad range of stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage inventory accounting, Bills of Material (BOM) integrity, standard costing methodologies, inventory audits, cycle counts, and reconciliation processes.
- Lead annual budgeting and forecasting activities, partnering with operations, production, supply chain, and finance teams to deliver accurate financial plans.
- Analyse profitability, operational performance, margins, cost drivers, and business trends across products, customers, plants, and business units.
- Monitor manufacturing, processing, labour, overhead, yield, procurement, and logistics costs while identifying opportunities for cost reduction and efficiency improvements.
- Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, including financial reporting, reconciliations, data integrity, systems administration, and process improvements.
- Prepare executive reporting, board-level analysis, investment appraisals, business cases, and strategic recommendations to support commercial and capital investment decisions.
About You
You are a commercially minded finance professional who thrives in a manufacturing or processing environment and enjoys partnering with operational teams to drive business performance. You combine strong analytical skills with a hands-on approach to problem solving and continuous improvement. Confident working with complex financial and operational data, you can translate insights into practical recommendations that support decision-making. You are proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable challenging assumptions to identify opportunities for cost savings, efficiency gains, and profitability improvements. Strong communication skills enable you to build effective relationships across all levels of the business. Above all, you are motivated by delivering meaningful financial outcomes and supporting long-term business growth.
You Will Bring
- Demonstrated experience in cost accounting, management accounting, financial analysis, or commercial finance within a manufacturing, food processing, agribusiness, or similar environment.
- Strong financial modelling, analytical, and problem-solving skills, including profitability analysis and business case development.
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, performance reporting, and cost improvement initiatives.
- Knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, Bills of Material (BOMs), cost allocation methodologies, and operational performance metrics.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills with experience using ERP systems and financial reporting tools; Power BI, Tableau, or SQL experience is advantageous.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to present financial insights to operational and executive teams.
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, Analytics, or a related field. CPA, CA, CMA, or progress towards professional certification is highly regarded.
Work Environment
This role operates within a manufacturing and processing environment and requires regular interaction with production, operations, livestock, procurement, supply chain, and executive leadership teams. The successful candidate will work closely with stakeholders across the business to understand operational performance drivers and provide financial insights that support decision-making. The role may involve periodic visits to processing plants and production facilities to support analysis, costing activities, inventory processes, and operational projects.
Why Join Hewitt?
- Values-Driven Organisation – Join a company with a 120-year family heritage, a clear purpose, and a long-term focus on sustainability, animal welfare, and quality.
- Competitive Remuneration Package – We recognise and reward your contributions with a fair and transparent pay structure.
- Opportunities to grow and develop– Learn on the job, gain new skills.
- Benefits: 401(k), Dental insurance, Health insurance, Life insurance, Vision insurance Paid time off
What's Next?
If you are a commercially minded finance professional looking to apply your cost accounting expertise in a dynamic manufacturing environment, we encourage you to apply. Submit your current resume together with any supporting documentation outlining your experience and suitability for the role.
Applications Close: 28 August 2026
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the United States and satisfy all employment eligibility requirements applicable to the position.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you located in or near Shelburne, VT?
- What is your current availability, and what notice period do you need to provide?
- What are your salary expectations?
- Have you worked in FMCG, retail, foodservice, or food manufacturing environments?
Ability to Relocate:
- Shelburne, VT 05482: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
