Cost Accounting Manager
Location: Water St. Facility, Summerside, PE
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Scope: Multi-site manufacturing operations across Prince Edward Island
Compensation: $85,000 – $95,000 per year, based on qualifications and experience
About ADL
Amalgamated Dairies Limited (ADL) is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative headquartered in Prince Edward Island. Established in 1953, ADL processes more than 120 million litres of milk annually across five manufacturing facilities and employs over 350 staff members. We produce a range of dairy products, including milk, cheese, cream, butter, and canned milk, for our own brands and partner labels.
As a farmer-owned cooperative, understanding our production costs and using resources efficiently is important to the long-term sustainability of our business and the value we provide to our members.
The Opportunity
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Cost Accounting Manager to lead product and plant costing across ADL's manufacturing operations.
A key priority is building a structured, reliable costing framework from our existing Excel-based and manual processes, giving Finance, Operations and leadership accurate and consistent cost information across our facilities.
This is a role for someone who enjoys working directly with manufacturing operations, understanding what drives production costs, and turning financial analysis into practical improvements. You will partner closely with Plant Management and lead a team of three responsible for inventory, milk reporting, and maintenance and capital accounting.
Key Responsibilities
Build the Costing Framework (First 12–18 months)
- Assess existing costing tools and data sources across ADL’s plants and develop an improvement roadmap, including preparing for a future ERP or costing-system implementation.
- Establish a documented standard costing methodology and costing models by plant, product and SKU (materials, packaging, labor, overhead, BOMs, yields and routings), replacing individual spreadsheets with controlled processes.
- Work with Operations to establish reliable data collection for production volumes, yields, downtime, labor hours and utilities.
- Develop and document overhead allocation methods for plant costs, including utilities, clean-in-place (CIP), maintenance, quality assurance, and cheese storage and aging.
Ongoing Costing, Inventory & Capital
- Lead month-end costing, including inventory valuation, cost of goods sold, journal entries and reconciliations; maintain standard costs in line with ADL policy and ASPE; and support year-end audits.
- Oversee inventory counts and reconcile raw materials, work-in-process, aging cheese, and finished goods to financial records.
- Analyze cost variances (price, usage, yield, labor, overhead and purchase price) and work with Plant Management and Purchasing on corrective actions.
- Measure and report production losses, waste, shrink and product write-offs, and support Operations in reducing avoidable costs.
- Manage costing and cost allocation for by-products, including whey and cream, and calculate and maintain transfer prices between divisions in line with approved methodology.
- Oversee maintenance cost tracking by plant, line and asset (aligned with eMaint work orders) and capital expenditure accounting, including capitalization, assets under construction and depreciation.
Milk Reporting & Compliance
- Oversee monthly milk utilization (MUV) reporting, reconciling milk receipts, components, classifications, production and inventory with product costing and inventory records.
- Lead preparation for Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) audits, responses and follow-up.
Business Partnering & Reporting
- Provide product and plant margin analysis, costing reports and performance indicators to Sales, Operations, executive management and the Board, including cost information for customer profitability analysis.
- Support pricing, quotations, new product development, make-versus-buy decisions and capital project evaluations through accurate costing, and track savings following implementation.
- Provide standard costs and production assumptions to FP&A for budgeting and forecasting.
Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop three direct reports, including setting priorities and reviewing work.
- Build effective working relationships with Plant Managers and Production Supervisors.
- Strengthen internal controls, documentation, and consistency in costing processes.
Qualifications & Experience
- Minimum 5 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years of hands-on manufacturing cost accounting experience.
- Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining standard costs, including BOMs, production routings, material and labor rates, and overhead allocation, as well as performing inventory valuation, variance analysis, month-end costing, and inventory reconciliations to the general ledger.
- Experience working directly with Plant Management to analyze manufacturing costs, identify cost drivers, and implement cost improvements.
- Advanced Excel skills; experience with ERP systems, Power Query or Power BI is an asset.
- Experience supervising or providing functional leadership to employees, including coaching, work coordination, and reviewing others' work.
- Continuous improvement mindset, with a track record of improving reporting processes and internal controls.
- Post-secondary education in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
Compensation & Benefits
- $85,000–$95,000 annually, with flexibility based on qualifications and relevant experience.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, plus Virtual Health access.
- Retirement savings plan with employer contributions and expert financial guidance.
- Personal Spending Account (PSA) to support health and well-being.
- Confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Learning and development opportunities, employee discounts and exclusive ADL perks.
- Relocation assistance (if applicable).
- Be part of a respected farmer-owned cooperative committed to supporting PEI's dairy industry.
Competition ends Thursday, December 3, 2026
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
ADL is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in its employment practices and to providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment for all employees.
