Senior Manager - Operations Finance & Cost Accounting

As a purpose-driven, certified B corporation, Clover is leading the way for conscious businesses by demonstrating care for all stakeholders and moving the world forward. We are committed to lowering our environmental impact and meeting our sustainability targets, by providing kids and adults with healthy, nutritious, and delicious products that are made with care for animals, people, and the planet.

About the Role

The Senior Manager, Operations Finance & Cost Accounting serves as the primary financial business partner to Clover Sonoma's Manufacturing, Distribution, Warehouse, and Supply Chain organizations. This position is responsible for leading all aspects of cost accounting, inventory accounting support, operational financial analysis, and manufacturing finance while driving operational efficiency and profitability improvement initiatives across the business.

Reporting directly to the VP of Finance, this role partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Accounting, and FP&A leadership to provide financial insight, support strategic decision-making, and ensure accurate product costing and inventory valuation within SAP.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical cost accounting expertise with operational finance leadership and a passion for continuous improvement in a manufacturing environment.

A Day in the Life

Cost Accounting & SAP Ownership

• Own and maintain product costing processes within SAP S/4HANA, including standard costs, cost rollups, and cost allocations.

• Lead monthly manufacturing cost accounting activities including variance analysis, production order settlements, inventory valuation reviews, and cost center allocations.

• Review and maintain bills of material, production routings, and costing assumptions.

• Ensure integrity of manufacturing, inventory, and operational transactions within SAP.

• Analyze and explain manufacturing, labor, material, overhead, yield, and freight variances.

• Partner with Accounting to support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities.

Operations Finance Leadership

• Serve as the primary finance business partner to Plant Operations, Distribution, Warehouse, and Fleet leadership teams.

• Participate in operational reviews and leadership meetings to provide financial guidance and decision support.

• Develop financial analyses supporting operational initiatives, productivity improvements, and capital investments.

• Provide financial oversight of manufacturing costs, warehouse operations, transportation expenses, and supply chain performance.

• Evaluate operational decisions and quantify financial impacts to support informed decision-making.

Inventory & Working Capital Management

• Lead inventory analysis, valuation support, reserve recommendations, and working capital initiatives.

• Monitor inventory turns, slow-moving inventory, shrinkage, and obsolescence trends.

• Support cycle count programs and physical inventory processes.

• Partner with Accounting and Operations to improve inventory accuracy and controls.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Develop and maintain operational scorecards and KPI reporting for plant, warehouse, and transportation functions.

• Analyze operational trends and identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency, and service levels.

• Provide monthly operational financial reviews to executive leadership.

• Monitor key performance indicators including labor efficiency, yield, waste, freight costs, inventory turns, and cost per unit metrics.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Planning

• Lead annual budgeting and monthly forecasting processes for manufacturing, warehouse, and logistics operations.

• Partner with FP&A to develop financial plans, cost assumptions, and operational forecasts.

• Support long-range planning initiatives and scenario analysis.

Continuous Improvement & Cost Savings

• Identify and drive initiatives to improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce waste, optimize inventory, and lower operating costs.

• Maintain a pipeline of cost savings opportunities and track realized benefits.

• Support lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational excellence initiatives.

Compliance & Regulatory Support

• Support internal and external audits related to inventory, manufacturing, and cost accounting processes.

• Ensure compliance with company policies and accounting standards.

• Prepare and submit Milk Market Administrator reports and other required operational reporting.

What You Bring To The Team

• Strong analytical skills with experience analyzing financial results.

• Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing accounting principles.

• Experience supporting month-end close processes in a manufacturing environment.

• Advanced-level MS Excel is a must.

• Proficiency in MS Word, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong attention to detail

• Experience working cross-functionally in a large organization

• Performance-driven with a desire to take on increasing levels of responsibility and work in a fast-paced environment

• Proven success at fostering teamwork and team development

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance

• 7 + years of experience in cost accounting in a manufacturing environment

• Experience with SAP S4/HANA preferred

• Experience in the Food and Beverage industry preferred

Based in Petaluma, California, in the heart of beautiful Sonoma County, Clover Sonoma offers high quality dairy sourced from its network of local family farms. A pioneer in sustainable dairy farming Clover has the largest organic acreage of regeneratively farmed land in the state and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by lowering on-farm methane emissions, regenerative farming practices focused on soil health and packaging innovation. The first dairy in the US to become American Humane certified across all of its farms, Clover has delivered on its promise of producing the highest-quality dairy products — including milk, cheese, butter, and more — for more than a century.

As a Certified B Corporation® Clover gives back 5% of net profits to help make nutritious food more accessible and uses its business as a power for good across its support for people, farms, animals, community and planet.

For more information, please visit www.cloversonoma.com and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.