Cost Accountant

Job Title: Cost Accountant

Location: Bridgewater, NJ (hybrid - work from home flexibility)

Job Description

This role offers an opportunity for a highly motivated, independent contributor to support the treasury and operations teams while a leading pharmaceutical company goes through a software implementation. You will serve as a key financial partner in a manufacturing environment, transforming large volumes of raw operational and financial data into clear, actionable reports and insights. The position focuses on manufacturing and inventory analysis, cost accounting, and financial reporting, with frequent interaction with leadership and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Analyze financial results, variances, trends, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide clear insights on business performance.

• Monitor manufacturing costs, labor efficiencies, overhead absorption, and inventory valuation to support operational and financial objectives.

• Partner with operations, supply chain, and cost accounting teams to improve inventory accuracy, cost controls, and daily cost tracking.

• Take large, complex raw data sets (including 30,000+ line items and SKUs), interpret the information, and convert it into structured financial and operational reports.

• Prepare detailed financial models and operational analyses to support strategic and tactical decision-making.

• Develop and present executive-level reports, dashboards, and recommendations to leadership in a clear and compelling manner.

• Review and support standard costing, bill of materials (BOM) analysis, and inventory reconciliation processes, including FLUX analysis and excess and obsolete (E&O) realization.

• Identify process improvement opportunities within accounting, reporting, and inventory processes and support the implementation of improvement initiatives.

• Collaborate with the treasury team and participate in discussions related to SAP configuration and master data issues, providing insights based on financial and operational requirements.

• Retrieve, analyze, and validate data from ERP and other systems using Microsoft Excel and related tools to ensure accuracy and completeness.

• Apply US GAAP accounting principles to manufacturing, inventory, and fixed asset accounting activities.

• Manipulate and analyze large data sets using Excel functions such as pivot tables and VLOOKUP, and leverage AI and reporting tools where applicable.

• Present financial data and analysis confidently to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders, translating complex information into actionable recommendations.

• Support month-end activities, reconciliations, and reporting related to inventory and fixed asset accounting as needed.

Essential Skills

• 5+ years of financial analysis or accounting experience, preferably in a manufacturing or pharma environment.

• Strong understanding of cost accounting, including standard costing and manufacturing variances.

• Strong understanding of inventory management and valuation, including inventory reconciliation and E&O analysis.

• Hands-on experience with manufacturing and inventory analysis.

• Proven ability to analyze and present financial figures clearly and confidently to leadership teams.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and complex data manipulation.

• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, JD Edwards (JDE), or similar platforms.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently as a proactive self-starter and manage multiple priorities.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with operations, supply chain, and cost accounting teams.

Interviews are happening this week! If interested, please send over your most recent resume to smauriello@ (View email address on click.appcast.io) astoncarter.com along with your availability for a 10-minute phone screen to go over the position in more detail.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Bridgewater, NJ.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $40.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 29, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io (%View email address on click.appcast.io) for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.