Senior Accountant (Cost Analyst)

Wow Bao is hiring a Senior Accountant (Cost Analyst) for our new food manufacturing plant in Forest City, North Carolina! In this newly created position, the Senior Accountant – Cost Accounting & Manufacturing is responsible for supervising the day‑to‑day accounting operations for Wow Bao’s food manufacturing plant in Forest City, North Carolina. We’re seeking an enthusiastic and detail‑oriented accounting professional to oversee cost accounting functions, the plant general ledger, cost control activities, financial reporting, and internal controls.

This role provides reliable financial information to corporate finance and plant leadership, supporting sound decision‑making and operational performance. The position is on-site five days a week in Forest City, North Carolina.

ABOUT WOW BAO

At Wow Bao, we believe that life is too short for uninspired food.  We’re here to transform the Asian Street Food experience from every day and expected to extraordinary and inventive. 

Wow Bao is the fastest growing Frozen Asian Snack brand in the United States!  Through strategic relationships with retail partners Wow Bao is now available in over 16,000 grocery stores nationwide!

Wow Bao has a proud history of delivering restaurant-quality food, beginning in 2003 with the opening of our first location. Since then, we’ve grown into an omni-channel brand, serving guests through our retail business, food service, Chicago restaurants, airports, virtual kitchens, and universities. Today, we’re excited to take the next step in our journey with the launch of our corporate-owned food manufacturing plant—positioning Wow Bao for continued growth across all verticals.

Wow Bao is the only brand to be recognized three times by Fast Casual magazine as a Top 100 Movers & Shaker. Ranked no. 1 in 2019 and 2022 and no. 4 in 2023, we are the only brand to have taken home the honor more than once. 

WE FOSTER A CULTURE OF CARING

At Wow Bao, every team member leads from a place of care. Whether it’s our guests or employees, we put people first.  We strive to inspire, motivate, and appreciate one another every day.  We live by the golden rule and treat everyone with kindness, empathy, respect, and a healthy dose of humor.  We take our work, not ourselves, seriously.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

GENERAL ACCOUNTING

• Support all plant-level accounting operations, including general ledger, journal entries, accruals, allocations and reconciliations.
• Support the reporting of KPIs (e.g., PPV, scrap, yield, absorption) and which will be presented to plant leadership.
• Support monthly close, and cost accruals; ensure compliance with GAAP and internal controls.
• Supervise plant-level accounts payable and period-end AP completeness.
• Ensure proper expense classification.
• Maintain strong accounting controls and documentation to support audits and internal reviews.
• Ensure compliance with company accounting policies, and regulatory standards.
• Track actual results versus budget and provide variance explanations to leadership.

COST ACCOUNTING

• Develop and maintain standard costs; support annual/quarterly standard updates.
• Review cost variances related to products, materials, labor and manufacturing overhead; investigate and document root causes.
• Book cost of goods sold for each period based on quantities sold out of the facility.
• Maintain BOMs/routings cost accuracy in ERP, coordinate with operations on changes.
• Ensure proper accounting treatment of work-in-process, finished goods, and cost of goods sold.

INVENTORY ACCOUNTING

• Ensure accurate inventory valuation and reconciliation to the general ledger.
• Oversee cycle counts and physical inventories; investigate and resolve variances.
• Monitor inventory reserves, obsolescence, and excess inventory adjustments.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in plant leadership meetings and operational reviews.
• Other duties will be assigned as needed.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Full-time, on-site 5 days a week in the food manufacturing plant.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; CMA/CPA preferred.
• Minimum of 2 to 5 years in progressive accounting experience, manufacturing/cost accounting.
• Knowledge of cost accountings, inventory accounting, and GAAP.
• Knowledge of accounting software such as Quick Books is a plus.
• Excellent organizational and attention to detail.
• Advance Excel skills and financial analysis skills.
• Excellent reading, writing, and oral proficiency of the English language.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet strict deadlines and effectively prioritize multiple tasks.
• A proactive mindset with a knack for problem-solving and team collaboration.
• Some duties may require attention outside of normal business hours.
• Maintain complete knowledge of and comply with all policies, procedures and standards as outlined in the Employee Handbook and Handbook Supplements. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and work on a computer.
• Must be able to navigate the office and production floor with personal protective equipment (PPE) as required by company and food safety standards.

• Health Insurance (medical, dental, vision)

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Voluntary life insurance

• Voluntary disability insurance

• Vacation
• Employee Discount Programs with Perkspot and Working Advantage

• We foster a culture of CARE