Job Title: Manager, Cost Accounting
Reporting to: Financial Controller
Location: Durham, North Carolina (remote will be considered)
About Pairwise:
Pairwise is a mission-driven, food+tech company dedicated to building a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables. Pairwise was founded in 2017 by scientists at Harvard University, MIT, and Broad Institute who are eminent in the field of gene editing, as well as biotechnology industry pioneers. Our team is tuned in to consumer food trends, and we believe that consumers deserve more variety and innovation in their fresh food choices. We are primed to deliver that innovation through the best gene-editing platform in food and agriculture. Pairwise has an exclusive research collaboration with Bayer to develop products in corn, soybean, wheat, canola and cotton. In addition, Pairwise is developing new types of leafy greens, berries and stone fruit, with the first product expected in 2023. Pairwise is based in the start-up friendly Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina.
About This Role:
Pairwise is seeking a Cost Accounting Manager to be responsible for overseeing our accounting for inventory in all stages of the supply chain and ensuring appropriate recognition of COGS. This position will have an important role developing accounting policies, implementing best practices and shaping workflows in NetSuite as the business ramps up. Following new product launches, the Cost Accounting Manager will have day-to-day oversight of all transactions impacting inventory and COGS measurement. This is an exciting opportunity for the right professional to join a start-up and help to build and shape the Pairwise cost accounting function.
Essential Functions:
• Ensure optimal architecture for inventory tracking in the NetSuite advanced inventory management module and take full ownership of the same in advance of commercial operations launch, including:
o Collaborate across necessary functions and subject matter experts internally and externally to ensure the necessary flow and capture of information to NetSuite.
o Develop and maintain standards for BOMs, where necessary.
o Proactively identify best practices, automation and standardization wherever possible to enable successful scaling of the business; propose necessary changes to business and system workflows.
o Create and update standard operating procedures.
o Work with IT to enable necessary connections to partner and/or customer systems. o Lend expertise to the development of an overhead rate so inventory and COGS are properly burdened with all costs to bring the product to ended use and sale to the customer; ensure correct scope of costs used in the overhead category.
• Following the launch of commercial operations, oversee day-to-day inventory management, tracking physical movements of seed and all related components, while ensuring accuracy in the ledger for eventual COGS recognition, including:
o Ensure timely and accurate accounting at month-end for COGS aligned with revenue recognition; participate in financial reviews.
o Ensures COGS is correctly assigned to Pairwise products for customer profitability reporting.
o Prepare periodic inventory balance sheet account reconciliations and identified adjusting entries for discrepancies.
o Manage inventory items in NetSuite as well as periodic adjustments of overhead application rates.
o Work directly with outsourced grower partners and internal parties with oversight to these relationships to ensure correct transacting for frequent seed shipments; manage seed shipment accounting COGS and related deferrals.
• Develop an appropriate inventory reserve policy and manage the periodic accounting for the same to ensure inventory is conservatively stated.
• Proactively identify cost accounting trends; seek opportunities to reduce costs and/or improve supply chain efficiency.
• Manage physical inventory counts as needed.
• Provide support to interim and annual external audits.
• Provide input and assistance to cash flow and P&L forecasting/budgeting processes.
• Ability to lead by influence and work autonomously in an ambiguous environment to solve complex business problems.
Required Education and Experience:
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or Supply Chain.
• 10 years of Cost Accounting Experience, including participation in new product launches.
• Previous experience defining processes and procedures to capture new commercial flows.
• Strong working knowledge of inventory valuation concepts as well as US GAAP.
• NetSuite experience is strongly desired.
• Experience working in AgriTech and/or Agriculture a big plus.
• Broad working knowledge across business functions as well as a skilled collaborator and communicator.
• Willingness to roll up their sleeves and build something from the ground up.
• Experience working with complex supply chain preferred.
• People Leadership experience preferred.
Offerings:
• Comprehensive Benefits Plan, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA, 401k, Life Insurance, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability, and more!
• Flexible PTO (use what you need, when you need it), in addition to company holidays.
• Casual work environment.
• Mission-driven organization focused on creating healthier fruits and veggies.
• A cutting-edge, driven community looking to lead the industry in innovation and nutrition.
EEO Statement:
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Pairwise we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.