Sr. Cost Accountant

Sr. Cost Accountant

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

The Sr. Cost Accountant serves as a recognized technical expert in cost accounting, financial analysis, reporting, and business insights supporting manufacturing operations and business decisions. This role owns the most complex product costing, inventory control, and internal control challenges, and is a go-to resource across the function for resolving ambiguous or high-impact issues. Partners with Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality leadership to translate operational activities into financial impact, shape key metrics and analytics, and elevate processes, controls, and business transparency across the organization.

Essential Duties:

• Cost Accounting and Analysis: Serve as the escalation point and functional expert for the most complex production cost accounting and cost center expense analysis, partnering with FP&A and business leaders to assess financial health and identify opportunities
• Own the integrity of product costing methodology in SAP S4/Hana, establishing standards for master data governance and calculation methods; lead root cause analysis on the most complex costing issues
• Lead investigation of the most significant and complex production, operational, and purchasing variances (Inventory, Absorption, PPV, etc.), developing improvement recommendations for leadership
• Lead raw material standard vs. actual variance analysis and cost development reviews for high-complexity or high-risk items, including BOM/routing accuracy audits; refine variance root cause methodology and tracking
• Provide expert-level evaluation, recording, and analysis of complex or judgment-driven fixed asset acquisition, capitalization, and life cycle activities
• Financial Close & Reporting: Serve as the technical expert for monthly financial close, production-related settlements, cycle counts, and inventory audits, resolving the most complex issues
• Review and validate GL account reconciliations, ensuring accuracy of financial postings across the function
• Lead the preparation and analysis of manufacturing, quality, and supply chain reports, translating findings into actionable business insights
• Oversee resolution of complex or escalated vendor invoice discrepancies for raw material purchases
• Compliance & Internal Controls: Lead cost accounting efforts to maintain JSOX internal controls, identifying control gaps and recommending improvements
• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal and external audit inquiries and samples
• Lead the development and maintenance of accounting policies and procedures
• Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Lead multidisciplinary projects, driving solutions and process improvements across functional areas; lead Gemba walks to build cross-functional understanding and alignment of process area activities
• Apply expert-level understanding of supply chain workflows, manufacturing processes, and maintenance order activities as they relate to the general ledger, advising partners across teams
• Serve as a go-to technical resource, shaping best practices and standards for the cost accounting function
• Complete work efficiently and accurately, ensuring timeliness of deliverables
• Provide various administrative and practical support as needed
• Mentor and conduct hands-on training, providing process guidance and technical support to others at same or lower level within functional area

No authority to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, reward, or discipline other employees

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements: To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

Qualifications Requirements - Required and/or Preferred Education, Certifications, and Licenses:

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline; OR 4 years of relevant cost accounting, manufacturing accounting, or general accounting experience in lieu of a degree
• Preferred: CMA: Certified Management Accountant CPA: Certified Public Accountant MBA: Master of Business Administration

Essential Qualifications:

• 6+ years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment
• Advanced knowledge of accounting principles and procedures (GAAP, IFRS)
• Advanced proficiency in SAP cost accounting (SAP S4/Hana preferred)
• Advanced literacy of Excel, PowerPoint and PowerBI. Preferred experience with EPMs, think-cell, AI tools such as Claude, Palantir, and Finance centric AI Agents
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex, ambiguous financial data and drive resolution
• Strong communication, partnering and interpersonal skills -- able to influence, collaborate and build consensus across functions and levels
• Capable of multi-tasking and handling confidential information in a responsible manner
• Responds timely with accurate, reliable information to all levels of management
• Highly organized and able to follow a systematic method of performing complex, ambiguous tasks
• Ability to work effectively in both office and manufacturing environments
• Ability to operate independently with minimal to no supervision, and to guide the work of others
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English

Preferred Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience
• Resilient, positive, self-motivated and able to work well under pressure
• Background in multi-application IT environments, including electronic interfaces
• Experience with warehouse, stock management, and manufacturing operations
• Experience working with domestic and international teams
• Alignment to Panasonic's seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Physical Demands:

• Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:
• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 30%
• Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (<1%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)
• For this position, the required frequency is:
• Up to 10 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 20 lbs.: Not Required
• Up to 35 lbs.: Not Required
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Not Required

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

• Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:
• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date.
• Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on