Cost Accountant II

About Ready Foods

Ready Foods is a Denver-based, family-owned company with over 50 years of excellence in food manufacturing. We are committed to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement. Our culture promotes inclusion, respect, and servant leadership, and we operate with lean manufacturing principles inspired by the Toyota Production System.

Position Summary

The Cost Accountant II plays a key role in supporting Ready Foods’ manufacturing and financial performance by providing accurate cost analysis, meaningful insights, and strong partnership with operations. This role is responsible for analyzing manufacturing costs, monitoring variances, supporting budgeting and forecasting, and ensuring inventory accuracy across our facilities.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on manufacturing accounting experience, strong analytical skills, and a continuous improvement mindset. This position works cross-functionally with Production, Operations, and Finance to support data-driven decision-making and operational excellence.  The Cost Accountant II will report to the CFO.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze manufacturing costs and prepare regular cost reports to support management decision-making.
• Review and analyze cost of goods sold (COGS), including variances to standard costs, pricing models, and forecast/budget.
• Partner closely with Production and Operations teams to understand cost drivers and identify opportunities for waste reduction and efficiency improvements.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve Plant Scorecards, KPI dashboards, yield reports, and sales analysis.
• Oversee inventory accuracy, including physical inventory counts and investigation and reconciliation of variances.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual cost forecasting and budgeting processes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards and internal controls.
• Assist with internal and external audits by preparing documentation and providing clear explanations of cost and inventory activity.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support broader financial, operational, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize Lean Accounting tools and practices to improve processes, reporting clarity, and decision support.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of cost accounting experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of cost accounting principles, budgeting, forecasting and U.S. GAAP.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and experience working with ERP systems.
• Strong analytical, communication, interpersonal, and technology skills.
• High attention to detail with a strong commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to work in a hands-on manufacturing environment and collaborate across functional teams.

Preferred:

• Experience in food manufacturing or a similar process-driven manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing and lean accounting principles.