Junior Accountant

Junior Accountant

Position Summary

The Junior Accountant is an entry-level position designed for a recent college graduate looking to launch a career in accounting within a manufacturing environment. This role sits within the finance team of a global manufacturer with multiple US-based and foreign operations, providing hands-on training in both financial accounting and manufacturing cost accounting, with direct mentorship from the Controller. The Junior Accountant will work closely with and support Plant Managers and Operations Managers across all plants, learning to maintain cost accounting records, support the financial close process, and produce recurring operational reports, gaining broad exposure to plant operations, standard costing, labor and scrap analysis, and monthly financial reporting across a multi-site organization. No prior professional accounting experience is required — this role is built to develop foundational skills on the job.

Key Responsibilities

Cost Accounting

• Assist in maintaining standard costs for raw materials, labor, and overhead across production processes.
• Analyze production variances (material, labor, overhead) and help identify root causes in coordination with operations.
• Support monthly scrap and yield reporting, flagging departments or parts exceeding scrap rate thresholds.
• Assist with physical inventory counts and cycle counts; reconcile inventory variances between system and physical counts.
• Support annual standard cost updates/roll-ups.

Financial Accounting

• Assist with month-end and year-end close processes, including journal entries, accruals, and account reconciliations.
• Support preparation of monthly P&L review materials and departmental profitability summaries.
• Reconcile general ledger accounts related to inventory, cost of goods sold, and fixed assets.
• Assist with fixed asset tracking, including additions, disposals, and depreciation schedules.
• Support accounts payable/receivable functions as needed, including invoice coding and vendor reconciliations.

Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare recurring reports, including weekly labor ratio reports (actual vs. budget/goal by department) and monthly scrap analysis.
• Assist in preparing budget-to-actual variance reports for departmental and plant-level review.
• Support data pulls and formatting for management reporting packages using Excel (pivot tables, formulas, basic macros/scripting a plus).
• Help maintain and improve reporting templates and workflows for accuracy and efficiency.
• Assist with payroll GL transfer reconciliations and support HR/finance data integration (e.g., ADP exports).

General / Cross-Functional

• Work closely with and support Plant Managers and Operations Managers at all plants to gather data and understand cost drivers.
• Support internal and external audit requests with documentation and schedules.
• Identify opportunities to streamline manual reporting processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Controller or Finance team.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field, completed or in progress with expected graduation date (new 2026 graduates encouraged to apply).
• Coursework in financial accounting and cost/managerial accounting (internship, co-op, or part-time work experience is a plus but not required).
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (comfort with formulas, pivot tables; willingness to build advanced skills like VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP on the job).
• Solid grasp of fundamental accounting principles from coursework (debits/credits, accruals, reconciliations).
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn, ask questions, and take ownership of recurring deadlines (weekly and monthly reporting cycles).

Preferred (not required — will be developed on the job):

• Coursework or class projects involving cost accounting, standard costing, or manufacturing accounting concepts.
• Exposure to ERP systems (e.g., Epicor, SAP, Infor, JD Edwards, or similar) through internships or coursework.
• Basic familiarity with payroll concepts or GL structures.
• Basic knowledge of Python or SQL for data manipulation (a plus for future reporting automation, not expected on day one).
• Intent to pursue CMA or CPA certification.

Work Environment

• Primarily office-based within a manufacturing facility; may require occasional time on the production floor to gather data or observe processes (safety training/PPE provided).
• Standard business hours, with occasional flexibility needed around month-end close.

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• Weekly and monthly reports are delivered accurately and on time.
• Cost variances and scrap trends are identified and communicated proactively.
• Month-end close deadlines are consistently met with minimal errors.
• The individual develops a working understanding of plant-level cost drivers within the first 6–12 months and begins contributing ideas for process improvement.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required.