Cost Accountant

Our client is a publicly traded, global manufacturing organization headquartered in the Milwaukee area. With a longstanding reputation for innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth, the company serves customers across diverse industrial markets while maintaining a collaborative and employee-focused culture.

The experience expected from applicants, as well as additional skills and qualifications needed for this job are listed below.

Position Overview

The Cost Accountant will play a critical role in supporting inventory valuation, standard costing, manufacturing analysis, and financial reporting activities. This individual will partner closely with operations, production, supply chain, and finance leadership to ensure accurate product costing, inventory management, and financial performance analysis.

This is an excellent opportunity for an accounting professional looking to leverage both accounting and operational expertise within a publicly held manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and analyze standard costs, including labor, material, and overhead rates.
• Perform monthly inventory accounting, reconciliations, and inventory reserve analyses.
• Analyze manufacturing variances, including material usage, labor efficiency, and overhead absorption.
• Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities through journal entries, accruals, and account reconciliations.
• Partner with plant operations and supply chain teams to improve cost visibility and operational performance.
• Assist with annual standard cost updates and bill of material reviews.
• Participate in physical inventory counts and cycle count programs.
• Prepare reports and analyses related to inventory turnover, scrap, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency metrics.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning initiatives.
• Assist with SOX compliance, internal controls, and external audit requests.
• Evaluate and improve costing methodologies, reporting processes, and financial controls.
• Provide ad hoc financial and operational analyses to management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3+ years of accounting or cost accounting experience.
• Manufacturing industry experience required.
• Public accounting experience preferred.
• CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification is a plus.
• Strong understanding of cost accounting principles, inventory accounting, and financial reporting.
• Experience working with ERP systems and advanced Excel capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to interact effectively with both finance and operations teams.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working within a publicly traded company environment.
• Exposure to SOX controls and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of standard costing and variance analysis.
• Experience supporting manufacturing facilities with inventory and cost management initiatives.
• Familiarity with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or JD Edwards.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary ($85,000 - $105,000 DOE)
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development support
• Career advancement opportunities within a growing public company

Equal Opportunity Employer

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of the organization. xhyhwjd Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.