Costing Section Head

Costing Section Head for Manufacturing plant plays a critical leadership and operational role bridging finance, production, and supply chain. cold chain manufacturing is an FMCG/food processing sector characterized by high-volume production, cold-chain logistics, strict inventory shelf-life management, and complex recipes (dairy solids, sugars, stabilizers, flavorings, and specialized packaging like tubs, cones, and wrappers).

Key ResponsibilitiesStandard Costing & Product Lifecycle ManagementEstablish and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) and routing sheets for all ice cream SKUs (e.g., tubs, sticks, cones, family packs) in coordination with R&D and Production.Conduct regular cost roll-ups and updates for raw materials, ingredients, and packaging components.Variance Analysis (Standard vs.

Actual)Monitor daily/weekly/monthly production runs to track Material Usage Variances (wastage/spoilage of dairy or chocolate coatings), Labor Variances, and Manufacturing Overhead Variances.Investigate root causes for high scrap rates or unexpected batch losses (e.g., refrigeration/freezing downtime, power failures affecting cold storage).Inventory & Cold Storage Cost ControlAudit inventory transactions, goods receipts, and issues from warehouses to production lines.Monitor shelf-life, slow-moving, and Obsolete/Excess (OBEX) inventory—especially critical for perishable or short-expiry ingredients and finished goods requiring continuous cold storage.Oversee periodic physical inventory counts and cycle counts in both ambient and cold-store/freezer environments.Overhead & Utility AllocationAs Ice cream manufacturing is energy-intensive due to massive refrigeration, homogenization, and freezing requirements. A key duty is accurately allocating utility costs (electricity, water, liquid nitrogen/ammonia refrigeration costs) to manufacturing overheads.Profitability & Pricing SupportPrepare granular profitability reports by SKU, product category, or distribution channel to guide sales and marketing on pricing strategies and discounting limits.Participate actively in cost-reduction initiatives and value-engineering projects (e.g., alternative packaging sourcing or ingredient optimization).Budgeting, Forecasting, and Month-End ClosingLead the month-end closing process for cost accounts, accruals, and cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) reporting.Assist finance management in drafting annual operational budgets and periodic cost forecasts.Team LeadershipSupervise, mentor, and evaluate a team of cost accountants .

Job Requirements & QualificationsEducation: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

Professional certifications in costing ManagementExperience: 5 to 10+ years of progressive cost accounting experience, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or section head capacity, preferably within FMCG, dairy, or food & beverage manufacturing.Technical Skills:Deep understanding of Standard Costing and Process Costing methods.Advanced proficiency in MS Excel (pivot tables, data modeling, cost variance templates).Hands-on experience with SAP ERP systemsSoft Skills: Strong analytical mindset, cross-functional communication (coordinating smoothly with Procurement, Factory Managers, and Sales, and sharp attention to detail.