Inventory Accounting and Control Manager

Northern Illinois Food Bank provides nutritious food to all those in need through our own efforts and those of our nearly 800 partner agencies in the following 13 counties:  Boone, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago.  The Food Bank acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes approximately three million pounds of donated, government, and purchased food each month through local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers, and other food assistance sites.

The Inventory Accounting and Control Manager position is a hands-on role.  This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned professional with a demonstrated background, to own, support and build this function to growth and scale. The ideal candidate is a critical thinker and problem solver with a good understanding of a food distribution business in a multi-channel environment (brick and mortar).
 

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for establishing and insuring adherence to procedures and controls that will enable the timely and accurate recording of all receipts, distributions, adjustments, returns, transfers, internal usage, and processing of inventory on a monthly and annual basis to meet US GAAP, External Financial Reporting, Grant, and Federal/State requirements related to our inventory quantities.

 

• Book/financial and operational inventory volumetric accounting, controls, analysis and reporting.

 

• Management of the inventory team, providing needed guidance and support as it relates to financial accounting and reporting of inventory.  Responsible for kitting accounting procedures, controls and reporting.

 

• Accountable for having process and procedures in place to reconcile financial and operational inventory at month end, and during the annual physical and roll forward.

 

• Monitoring Open orders at the end of each month to insure they are properly posted in the correct accounting period.  Data management of open orders to insure expired orders are removed from the system.

 

• Timely and accurate cycle counts for EFP inventory, with the timing of the counts aligned with our EFP compliance requirements.  EFP inventory reporting to the state, on a timely and accurate basis meeting all reporting and compliance requirements.

 

• Maintaining and/or creating training material on our inventory practices, controls and reporting.

 

Data Management:

• Accountable for maintaining accurate item cards in CERES that capture all data necessary for the proper and accurate accounting for inventory for financial reporting and warehouse operational needs.  This includes for operational and financial needs (GL codes, fees, costs, etc.)

 

• Data management of Item cards.  Timely and accurate creation and updates of item cards to enable proper reporting of inventory by inventory type (purchased, donated, efp, tanf, efsp), location,  quantity, pounds, cost and fees. Keeping our items cards up to date, and managing data for efficient tracking and reporting of inventory, including proper financial coding such as Gen Prod Posting Group, Inventory Posting Group, Costing Method, Unit Cost, VAP fees, Unit Fees, Cost adjustment type, etc.)

 

• Data management of inventory posting setup in CERES – insuring all location codes  and posting groups are set up with proper GL coding

 

 

Inventory Cycle Counts: 

• Implementing and then maintaining cycle counts, controls, procedures, root cause analysis and reporting for all Food Bank product inventory.  Implementing a plan so that cycle counts are routinely performed for all Food Bank product inventory throughout the year. Implementing a plan so that within the next 12 -18 months, we no longer need an annual physical and have robust and routine cycle counts throughout the year providing 100% coverage on our inventory.

 

• Working with Operations Team on the outcome and root cause of cycle counts, to make needed improvements to our inventory controls and management, to enable more effective picking, stock transfers, processing, internal usage, and distributions.

 

Annual Physical:

• Responsible for the execution of our annual physical inventory and insuring it is properly controlled and managed to meet the Food Bank’s Financial and External Audit requirements. The timing, approach, controls, analysis and reporting to be agreed with upon with the Food Bank’s Senior Financial Leader.

 

• Establishing the proper communications around our annual physical inventory, providing clarity on roles and responsibilities, and monitoring compliance with the annual physical plan and approach.

 

• Responsible for the timely reporting of the results of the annual physical to senior operational and financial management, with root cause analysis on key variances, and recommendations for ongoing process improvement related to inventory processing and controls.

• Accountable for a reconciliation of the book to the physical inventory balances as of the start and end of the annual physical, and a roll forward of all book activity by each inventory location from the time of the physical to month end close, and to year end. 

 

• Key point of contact for the external audit relationship as it relates to physical inventory counts and reconciliation to our financial books. 

 

Minimum Education/Certifications & Work Experience:

• BA/BS in Finance or accounting (preferred degrees)

• 5+ year’s experience in Supply Chain/Inventory Management
• 5+ year’s experience with Big 4 (1-2 years of industry experience preferred)
• U.S. revenue GAAP
• e-Commerce experience, preferred
• NetSuite, preferred

 

Physical Demands/Environmental Conditions: 

• Must be able to lift up to 75 lbs.
• Regularly required to stand, walk, use hands/fingers or feel and reach with hands and arms

 

Travel Requirement:

• 25% travel to outlying centers

 

How to Apply:

https://workforcenow.adp.com/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=6ac1a532-45ab-4da8-a5e0-43f6354b15ee&sid=aWxmb29kYmFuaw%3D%3D&