Cost Accountant

Overview

The Cost Accountant / Financial Analyst plays a key role in supporting financial accuracy, operational performance, and cost transparency across the organization. This role is responsible for standard costing, inventory accounting, variance analysis, and financial reporting, while also partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, and leadership teams to provide insights that drive better business decisions. The ideal candidate is analytical, detail oriented, and comfortable working in a fast paced, manufacturing or product focused environment.

• Maintain and update standard costs, including BOMs, routings, labor, overhead rates, and material cost structures.
• Support the annual cost roll, overhead rate updates, and cost model improvements.
• Analyze standard vs. actual cost variances and partner with Operations to identify root causes and corrective actions.
• Review and validate product costing for new items, engineering changes, and process updates.
• Monitor production costs, scrap, labor efficiency, and material usage to ensure accurate cost reporting.

• Partner with Operations and Inventory Control to ensure accuracy of all inventory movements, adjustments, and reporting.
• Review cycle count results, investigate variances, and ensure proper financial treatment of adjustments.
• Support physical inventory processes and ensure compliance with internal controls.
• Prepare reporting on aging inventory, excess/obsolete exposure, scrap trends, and inventory accuracy metrics.
• Assist in calculating and maintaining inventory reserves.

• Prepare monthly financial reports, dashboards, and variance analyses for leadership.
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes, including cost projections and margin analysis.
• Analyze financial performance trends and provide insights to improve profitability and operational efficiency.
• Assist with KPI development, cost to serve analysis, and operational performance metrics.
• Partner with cross functional teams to evaluate business cases, pricing impacts, and cost saving opportunities.

• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and FP&A to ensure accurate financial data and cost alignment.
• Provide financial support for continuous improvement initiatives, process changes, and system enhancements.
• Communicate financial insights clearly to both technical and non technical stakeholders.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3 5+ years of experience in cost accounting, financial analysis, or manufacturing accounting.
• Strong understanding of standard costing, inventory accounting, and variance analysis.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP, JD Edwards, Oracle, NetSuite, etc.).
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with BI tools preferred.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast paced environment.

• Experience in manufacturing, distribution, or product based industries.
• Knowledge of GAAP and internal control best practices.
• Experience with cost modeling, cost to serve analysis, or operational finance.
• CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification is a plus.