Cost Accountant - Bilingual English/Mandarin

ABOUT US

We are partnering with a fast-growing food manufacturing company in Calgary that is currently in the setup phase of a new production facility.

The company is backed by an experienced leadership team with a strong track record in the industry, focusing on high-quality food production and scalable operations in the North American market.

As the business continues to expand, they are building out their core team and looking for detail-oriented professionals to support day-to-day operations.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Cost Accountant is responsible for establishing, implementing, and continuously improving the Company's costing framework to support accurate product costing, inventory valuation, profitability analysis, financial reporting, and informed business decision-making.

Working collaboratively across the organization, this role supports operational excellence by delivering accurate cost information, financial analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Cost Accounting

• Develop and maintain product standard costs, Bills of Materials (BOMs), routings, and costing data.
• Develop and maintain costing models to support accurate cost allocation, profitability analysis, and business decision-making.
• Establish and maintain costing standards and cost allocation methodologies across products, operations, and business functions.
• Drive continuous improvements in costing processes and cost control practices.

Inventory & Manufacturing Accounting

• Perform inventory reconciliations and investigate inventory discrepancies.
• Support month-end inventory valuation, manufacturing journal entries, and account reconciliations.
• Monitor inventory movements, production consumption, and production yields to ensure costing accuracy.
• Participate in physical inventory counts and cycle count programs and assist with variance investigations.

Cost Analysis & Reporting

• Monitor and analyze product costs, operating expenses, and cost variances. Investigate significant deviations, work collaboratively with department managers to identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions to support effective cost management.
• Develop profitability analysis by product, customer, sales channel, or other business dimensions as required.
• Prepare regular cost and profitability reports, highlighting key trends, risks, and opportunities, and follow up with business functions on cost improvement initiatives.
• Provide financial analysis and recommendations to support pricing, budgeting, forecasting, investment decisions, and operational improvements.

ERP Implementation & Process Improvement

• Support ERP implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
• Assist in developing costing structures, master data, business processes, and accounting processes to support ERP implementation.
• Participate in system testing, data validation, and user acceptance testing as required.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve costing, inventory, and financial processes during system implementation and ongoing operations.
• Assist with internal and external audit requests related to inventory and manufacturing costs.

Other

• Perform other accounting and finance duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Diploma or Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with product costing, inventory costing, and cost allocation in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing cost accounting, inventory valuation, standard costing, and cost allocation principles.
• Experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, or management reporting is preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills with the ability to analyze and interpret large data sets.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Bilingual in English and Mandarin

Nice to Have

• Experience participating in ERP implementation or system enhancements.
• Experience in the food manufacturing industry.
• Experience with Power BI or other business intelligence/reporting tools.
• Bilingual in English and Mandarin.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Primarily office-based with regular presence on the manufacturing floor to support costing, inventory, and operational activities.
• Occasional overtime may be required during month-end, year-end, audits, ERP implementation, or other business needs.

Location: on-site work at CrossIron Dr, Calgary. Public transit is limited in the area, and you may need your own vehicle for daily commuting.

Salary range

60K - 80K annual salary