Senior Cost Analyst

ABOUT UDA:
United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) is a local, family-owned, dairy cooperative committed to serve the needs of our members, community, and customers by providing high quality milk and dairy products. As the only milk marketing co-op in the state, UDA oversees the production, processing, and marketing of Arizona's finest milk products from farm to Retail in 48 hours or less. From sweet cream and butter to non-fat dry milk, UDA provides milk products to manufactures and supermarket chains throughout the Grand Canyon State.

Our motto at UDA is “United in Excellence.” The dairy industry's success isn't built on one dairy or brand, its built on the community as a whole - this includes our amazing employees. When you join UDA, you're not just joining a business, you're joining a family. Since 1960 UDA has been headquartered, operated, and managed in Arizona. We strive to provide our employees with rewarding career opportunities aimed at long-term stability, growth, and advancement. We put our heart and soul into our products and value our team who show up, every day and do the work.

JOB TITLE:

Senior Cost Analyst (ability to elevate to Plant Finance/Costing Manager), reporting directly to Corporate Controller with dotted line responsibility to Sr Vice President of Operations.

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8-5; Onsite w/ flexibility to work from home occasionally (must be located within the local Phoenix metro area)

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

The primary duty of our Sr Cost Analyst is to gather financial and costing data regarding inventory purchases and production inclusive of raw material, fixed and variable labor costs, direct or indirect and analyze to uncover inefficiencies. They may estimate production costs and track the changes in regular costs due to new products or new processes. The Sr. Cost Analyst study and deconstruct manufacturing processes, identify where they are needed to audit production costs. We are looking for a Sr Cost Analyst to help us audit our expenses and find ways to make our operations more cost-efficient. In addition to cost of production the Sr Cost Analyst also manage supply work workflows for inventory tracking of volumes and valuations for all finished goods, raw material, and work-in-process (WIP) inventory.

UDA seeks a self-starter who will be the go-to person for all cost analysis through our muti-factory process setup. They will get to prepare reports to help management make better decisions. To do this job well, we’d like you to be well-versed in data and financial analysis and have strong attention to detail. Ultimately, your job will be an integral part of our efforts to ensure profitability and business success.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Primary Skills & Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of activity-based costing in a product manufacturing environment, consumer food product manufacturing is preferred, dairy milk production would be ideal
• Create and analyze plant spending and procurement budgets to control spending
• Determine standard costs and investigate variances with actual costs
• Analyze cost conversions from raw materials procurement to finish good product conversions
• Estimate product costs for existing and new products
• Monitoring costs after significant changes in products or processes
• Estimating costs and comparing budgets with actual expenses
• Collecting, data entry and analyzing financial data
• Help management make important decisions based on cost benefits analysis
• Data entry for inventory reconciliations and valuations
• Inventory workflow and movement for intercompany deployment, warehousing storage, and order fulfillment
• Prepare detailed reports, both periodically and ad-hoc
• Conduct audits on financial processes and transactions
• Monitor changes in processes or methods to calculate effects on overall costs
• Forecast and analyze costs of processes, labor, and inventory
• Suggest cost-reducing or profitable solutions
• Conduct market research to support future business planning
• Proven experience as a cost analyst, cost specialist in similar role

Secondary Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Experience in data, operational and financial analysis systems
• Knowledge of accounting processes,  various ERP software and analytics tools
• Strong analytical skills and business acumen
• Great attention to detail and communication aptitude

 Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in product manufacturing or supply chain cost analysis
• Proficient knowledge and skills in MS Office (Excel base reporting)
• Strong understanding of value chain costing for food manufacturing processes.
• Strong knowledge of business intelligence reporting, code writing or report building, preferably MS power BI

 Education/Certifications:

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, or similar field

Physical Requirements:

• Requires ability to sit at workstation and usage of computer software products for prolonged periods of time
• Requires ability to walk and stand and navigate manufacturing and warehouse floors
• Requires desire to work inside of the factory operations  

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Identify deficiencies in Food Safety and/or Quality and are responsible for taking corrective action and reporting the issue to their direct supervisor.
• Regularly inspect production lines to identify and resolve any quality issues.
• Keep accurate and legible records.
• Adhere to all UDA quality policies and procedures, reporting any nonconformity
• Adhere to all UDA safety policies and procedures, reporting any nonconformity
• Adhere to all UDA GMP policies and procedures, reporting any nonconformity
• Other duties as assigned

BENEFITS:

• Medical, Dental & Vision plans
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health & Wellness Programs
• Paid Time Off
• Education Assistance
• On-site Fitness Center
• On-Site Health Clinic

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list; employees may be subject to additional, or altered, tasks and the scope of the role may change as necessitated by business demands. UDA will not consider any application submissions from unauthorized third-parties, consulting, or external staffing firms and will not be held subject, or liable, to any terms, fees, or penalties associated with a submission.

UDA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.