At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, our American-made brands – Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s – have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy! 

A day in the life…

As the Plant Accountant, you will be the lead financial support role at our manufacturing facilities. In this role, you will be a key member of the Plant leadership team. You will function as a business partner with plant and financial management to effectively manage and control the local business. You will also lead the financial staff at the plant and are accountable for plant-level responsibilities including cost accounting, inventory controls, manufacturing systems administration, financial reporting, and ad hoc projects related to factory performance improvements. You will serve as the liaison with Corporate Finance and will directly report to the Manager of Operations Finance and works closely with the Plant Manager.

What you will be doing…

• Assess internal controls to ensure assets are adequately safeguarded and results are accurately reported.
• Attend daily plant production meetings to stay abreast of factory issues and to communicate opportunities for cost improvements.
• Perform monthly walkthroughs of the plant with the Plant Manager and Corporate Manufacturing Analyst to discuss production and costing issues. Review areas such as labor cost, material waste, inventory controls, and warehouse inventory levels.
• Periodic reports to promote manufacturing cost awareness. Publish factory performance measurement statistics in a timely manner as directed by the Plant Manager.
• Identify and assist with ad hoc projects related to factory cost savings opportunities.

Standard Cost System Administration

• Calculate and verify product costs within the ERP system
• Develop production rate and labor standards for all manufactured items
• Perform periodic audits of bills of material and labor routings to ensure product costs are accurate and correctly reflect production operations
• Work with counterparts at other locations to ensure consistency and adoption of best practices across the manufacturing group
• Observe factory operations on a daily basis and communicate frequently with factory supervision to stay current on manufacturing process changes
• Provide financial advisement pertaining to the cost impact of operational alternatives

Labor Analysis

• Coordinate Labor Efficiency Program by working with factory personnel to ensure accurate labor tracking and address labor variance issues
• Provide continuous effort in promoting labor improvement opportunities

Inventory Controls

• Ensure that physical inventory and cycle counting controls are maintained and performed according to group internal control procedures
• Investigate, communicate, and resolve book-to physical adjustments
• Analyze potential excess and obsolete inventory items monthly and report to Corporate Management.

Manufacturing Variance Analysis

• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of material, labor, and spending variances to explain them to local plant and corporate management and recommend corrective action

ERP System Administration

• Administer daily order processing and troubleshoot production and inventory system issues on a timely and accurate basis
• Ensure that all order processing steps are completed according to company-prescribed deadlines.

New Product Cost Estimates

• Interface with the corporate finance team to provide labor and production rate estimates for new products

Do you have what it takes? 
(Basic Qualifications)

• Minimum 3 to 5 years as a cost manager in a manufacturing environment with an emphasis on cost accounting, reporting, and variance analysis
• High level of proficiency with MS Office products and ERP/MRP systems (SAP experience a plus)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration
• Supervisory experience with a proven ability to manage and develop staff
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Exhibits clear and concise written and verbal communication
• Ability to work and communicate effectively at all organizational levels and across functional areas.
• Thorough attention to detail and accuracy
• Sound planning and organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple concurrent assignments.
• Maintains professionalism and reacts well under pressure
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.