Director Product Costing - Nutrition - Chicago, IL

Director Product Costing - Nutrition - Chicago, IL

Position Summary
The Director of Product Costing leads the global strategy, governance, and execution of product costing and inventory valuation processes across the Nutrition organization. This role is responsible for establishing global costing standards, policies, and operating models that support accurate financial reporting, operational excellence, and value creation. Partnering closely with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Plant Finance leadership, the Director drives process optimization, performance measurement, and continuous improvement across approximately 233 manufacturing sites worldwide.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Develop and execute the global vision, strategy, and roadmap for product costing / inventory valuation processes and capabilities.
• Establish and maintain global accounting standards, policies, and governance frameworks related to product costing.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert and trusted advisor on product costing strategy, controls, and best practices.
• Provide consultative leadership on long-range strategic initiatives, organizational priorities, and transformation efforts.

Product Costing, Inventory Valuation, & Operational Excellence

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of product costing and inventory valuation processes to enhance accuracy, consistency, and efficiency across the global organization.
• Monitor product costing performance through the development and oversight of key performance indicators and operational metrics.
• Drive value creation through cost analysis, policy adherence, and identification of opportunities to improve financial and operational performance.
• Evaluate industry trends and leading practices to identify and implement process improvements that support business objectives.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Transformation

• Partner with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Plant Finance leaders to align costing processes with goals for the Nutrition organization.
• Lead complex process optimization and transformation initiatives, leveraging collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders and domain experts.
• Influence business decisions by providing strategic insight into costing methodologies, financial impacts, and operational performance drivers.
• Support the evaluation and implementation of scalable solutions that improve global consistency and effectiveness.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop team members, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Build organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, and leadership coaching.
• Drive engagement and collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
• Minimum 15+ years of progressive experience in product costing, inventory valuation methodologies, manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or related finance disciplines.
• Significant experience leading large, global teams and enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Deep expertise in product costing methodologies, accounting standards, financial controls, and manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated success leading global process transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Preferred

• CPA, CMA, MBA, or equivalent advanced certification.
• Experience supporting multi-site or multinational manufacturing organizations.
• Experience leading large-scale finance transformation, shared services, or global business process initiatives.