Financial Analyst II, Plant Operations, Cost Accounting

Financial Analyst II Plant Operations, Cost Accounting

The Financial Analyst II Plant Operations, Cost Accounting role is responsible for supporting cost accounting, operational financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, month-end close, inventory reporting, and plant performance management within a manufacturing environment. This role serves as a finance partner to Plant Operations, Warehouse, Materials Management, Procurement, and other cross-functional stakeholders. The position is expected to provide accurate, timely, and actionable financial analysis to support business decisions, improve cost visibility, strengthen internal controls, and drive continuous improvement across plant-related financial processes. The role requires strong analytical capability, SAP and Excel proficiency, attention to detail, ownership of recurring reporting deliverables, and the ability to translate operational activity into clear financial insight.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Plant Operations Financial Analysis & Cost Center Support: Support monthly variance analysis for Plant Operations cost centers, including actual vs. budget/forecast review, trend analysis, cost center performance monitoring, and communication of key risks and opportunities to Finance leadership and operational stakeholders. Partner with cost center owners to understand cost drivers, explain variances, and support corrective action planning. - 20%
• Inventory Reporting, Monitoring & Operational Cost Support: Support inventory-related analysis and reporting, including inventory monitoring, goods receipt activity, cycle count support, moving average cost monitoring, material management financial impacts, and operational issue escalation. Assist in identifying SAP/process issues that impact inventory accuracy, cost recognition, and financial reporting. - 15%
• Month-End Close & Management Reporting: Support month-end close activities and recurring financial reporting packages, including preparation of cost accounting reporting packs, accrual support, economic scorecard inputs, balance scorecard inputs, AFC reporting, cost of labor reporting, and analysis of cost accounting results. Ensure reports are accurate, complete, and submitted within close deadlines. - 15%
• Budgeting & Forecasting Support: Provide support for the annual budget and quarterly forecasting processes for Plant Operations and related cost centers. Assist with forecast preparation, cost center reviews, budget templates, YoY cost driver analysis, and functional alignment. Support the development of clear explanations for changes in cost, labor, inventory, and operational spend. - 15%
• SAP Cost Center / Hierarchy & Master Data Support: Support SAP cost center hierarchy updates, allocation model changes, Internal Order/WBS creation support, and purchase requisition verification/approval flow as needed. Help maintain the integrity of the SAP hierarchy structure and ensure cost objects are aligned to business requirements, reporting needs, and internal control expectations. - 10%
• Variance Analysis: Assist with overall analysis of COGS (Under/Over), manufacturing variances, inventory-related variances, and other variances for monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting. Provide supporting analysis to explain drivers of operational cost performance and financial statement impacts. - 10%
• Internal Controls, Audit Support & Compliance: Support internal and external audit requests by preparing audit documentation, reconciliations, and process support related to cost accounting, inventory, and overall plant operations. Maintain compliance with internal control requirements, company narratives, and applicable accounting policies. - 5%
• Process Improvement & Documentation: Generate and maintain process documentation for cost accounting and plant operations finance activities. Identify opportunities to improve reporting, streamline recurring processes, standardize templates, strengthen controls, and increase efficiency across Finance and Operations. - 5%
• Special Projects & Ad Hoc Analysis: Provide financial analysis and reporting support for special projects, operational initiatives, management requests, and cross-functional business performance improvement efforts. - 5%

Qualifications for Position:

A. Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance strongly preferred. Other Business-related field of study combined with a focus on data analytics will be considered.

B. Experience: 2 to 5 years of experience in Cost Accounting, Financial Analysis, FP&A, Operations Finance, or Public Accounting with a specific focus on manufacturing clients. Experience in a manufacturing, aerospace, defense, industrial, or other operational environment strongly preferred.

C. Competencies & Attributes: Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills required, with demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience working with large data sets. Advanced Excel capabilities should include pivot tables, lookup formulas, SUMIFS, structured tables, data validation, variance analysis, and ability to generate clear and concise reporting deliverables. Experience with SAP or another large ERP system is strongly preferred, including the ability to navigate financial and operational transactions, review cost center activity, and support month-end reporting. Experience with SAP BW, Analysis for Office (AFO), SAP queries, Power BI, Tableau or similar business intelligence and reporting tools is strongly preferred. Candidate must have a strong data analytics mindset, attention to detail, ability to self-review work, and the capability to translate financial and operational data into clear, actionable business insights. Strong communication skills, cross-functional collaboration, ownership of deliverables, and a continuous improvement mindset are required. Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disability