Associate Manager, Operations Finance (1145334)

About the role

Our client, a top food manufacturer in the DC/VA area, is seeking an Associate Manager, Operations Finance. The position offers an excellent portfolio, team, career path, leadership, and culture, with a strong bonus and benefits on top of the base salary. The role is based onsite, and the client will pay for relocation. Candidates must be either Green Card or US Citizen, as international travel is required.

Responsibilities

• Support the Operations Finance Manager in designing standardized and improved plant accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, capital assets, raw materials, and finished goods accounting.
• Develop consistent and improved activity-based costing metrics and cost allocations for insightful plant performance analysis.
• Streamline plant financial accounting processes, reporting, and analysis.
• Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Procurement to analyze COGS drivers and identify impacts to profitability.
• Own monthly COGS and manufacturing variance analysis, explaining deviations vs AOP and forecast.
• Support cost optimization initiatives across internal manufacturing and co-packing operations.
• Lead the annual operating plan and forecasting for Operations, COGS, and related manufacturing cost drivers.
• Develop driver-based models linking volume, yield, COGS components, co-packing assumptions, and operational KPIs to financial outcomes.
• Participate in the month-end close to ensure accuracy of Operations and COGS results.
• Lead monthly COGS and plant performance reviews with stakeholders to ensure accountability and alignment on cost targets.
• Support financial evaluation of operational initiatives and manufacturing-related investments.
• Support capital planning and post-implementation reviews for manufacturing and operations initiatives.
• Partner with operations to evaluate capacity, automation, co-packing, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Conduct ad hoc analyses and projects to support Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and business management decisions.

Requirements

• 5-7+ years of experience in operations finance, cost accounting, plant finance, or a similar COGS-focused role.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of cost drivers (materials, labor, overhead, logistics, etc.).
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel required, with SAP HANA and Power BI a plus.
• Prior work experience in Manufacturing, Food Manufacturing, Consumer Packaged Goods, or co-packing environments is preferred.
• Analytical, ability to multi-task, attention to detail, and self-motivated.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally (15-20%) to support plant visits, operational reviews, and cross-functional collaboration.

Pay

The salary for this role is $115,000.00 USD annually - $125,000.00 USD annually.