Cost Accountant

Job Title

Cost Accountant

Company

RCL Foods

Location

Centurion

Job Type Classification

Permanent

Job Description

RCL FOODS is a deeply rooted South African food manufacturer that produces some of the country’s most-loved brands: Yum Yum peanut butter, Nola mayonnaise, Ouma rusks, and Sellati sugar, just to name a few. At the heart of our culture and strategy is our Purpose – WE GROW WHAT MATTERS – which encapsulates our belief in collectively doing that little more to create a positive impact that matters. RCL FOODS is seeking to appoint a dynamic and detail-oriented Cost Accountant for the Speciality Operating Unit, within the Baking Business Unit. The role is based in Centurion and reports directly to the Management Accountant. This position is ideally suited to an analytically strong individual with a solid foundation in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment. The successful incumbent will play a critical role in delivering accurate and timely product costing, supporting factory trials, and maintaining robust cost centre accounting practices for the site. In addition, the role will support Bill of Materials (BOM) initiatives, ensure the integrity and accuracy of costing data, while closely partnering with the New Product Development (NPD) team across the product lifecycle to deliver commercially sound outcomes. Through collaboration with operations, NPD, and commercial teams, the incumbent will provide actionable insights to support effective decision-making, cost control, and sustainable profitability improvement across the Speciality portfolio.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field (B.Com or equivalent)
• Progress towards, or completion of, a professional qualification (CIMA) advantageous
• 2–5 years’ experience in cost and management accounting within a manufacturing environment, including analysis and reporting (FMCG or food manufacturing experience highly advantageous)
• Advanced computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience working with ERP systems (SAP advantageous)

Duties & Responsibilities

Product Costing and Analysis

• Perform accurate and timely product costings to support both commercial and operational decision-making, ensuring alignment with business timelines and governance requirements
• Analyse and interpret key cost drivers, including raw materials, labour, overheads, and yields, providing actionable insights into product cost structures and profitability
• Partner with NPD, operations, and commercial teams to review costing assumptions, resolve queries, and provide guidance during product development and process changes
• Proactively identify cost optimisation opportunities and highlight risks or variances that may impact margins or financial performance
• Ensure all changes between costings are clearly documented, validated, and effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders to maintain transparency and alignment
• Maintain and continuously update the costing library, ensuring all costings, assumptions, and historical changes are accurately recorded and readily accessible to support consistency, governance, and audit requirements
• Ensure all costing outputs and reports are clear, accurate, and effectively communicated, enabling informed and timely decision-making
• Continuously validate and refine costing methodologies to improve accuracy, consistency, and alignment with actual manufacturing processes and outcomes

Ingredient and BOM Management

• Maintain and enhance the accuracy and integrity of ingredient costing models and BOM-related tracking tools
• Facilitate the distribution and ongoing maintenance of ingredient tools, ensuring alignment and usability across stakeholders
• Investigate and resolve queries related to ingredient costs, assumptions, and system discrepancies in a timely and structured manner
• Conduct regular variance analysis, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions to improve cost accuracy and control
• Support month-end processes through the accurate capture, validation, and analysis of stock take variances, ensuring appropriate reporting and resolution

Factory Trials and NPD Support

• Actively participate in factory trials to develop a thorough understanding of manufacturing processes for new and modified products
• Provide commercial insight into trial outcomes, including implications for cost structures, capacity utilisation, and capital investment requirements
• Ensure accurate and timely costing of all NPD initiatives and process changes
• Uphold the governance and integrity of the NPD approval process, ensuring all cost impacts are appropriately assessed, validated, approved and reported
• Evaluate and implement approved changes to product costings, clearly documenting and communicating the impact on cost base and profitability

BOM Audits and Cost Control

• Conduct routine BOM reviews and audits to ensure accuracy and alignment with manufacturing processes
• Perform factory floor audits and validations to confirm adherence to costing assumptions and standards
• Collaborate with Management Accountants and Factory Management to support cost control initiatives and drive sustainable profitability improvements
• Lead and support investigations into cost variances and operational inefficiencies, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions

Projects and Ad Hoc Analysis

• Conduct feasibility studies and ad hoc analyses focused on product, category, and customer profitability, providing clear insights to support decision-making
• Identify and drive continuous improvement opportunities within costing processes, systems, and reporting frameworks to enhance efficiency and accuracy
• Provide financial input into capital projects required for new product development, quotation analysis, and evaluation of cost and return assumptions
• Deliver accurate, timely, and insightful ad hoc reporting and analysis in response to business requirements
• Assist with post-implementation reviews, assessing actual performance against initial assumptions and identifying key learnings and improvement opportunities

Soft Skills

• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams
• Highly developed analytical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with a proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues
• Effective communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely
• Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment while maintaining focus and delivering quality outputs
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple deliverables simultaneously
• High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and quality in all deliverables
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, demonstrating accountability and a team-oriented mindset