Cost Accountant

Clean Air Consultants is seeking a detail-oriented and analytical Cost Accountant to support financial reporting, inventory accounting, job costing, and profitability analysis across our manufacturing and service operations. This role will be responsible for maintaining accurate product and project costs, analyzing variances, supporting inventory controls, and providing actionable financial insights to improve margins and operational performance. The ideal candidate will combine strong accounting fundamentals with a practical understanding of manufacturing environments, inventory management, and operational processes. The ideal candidate is more than an accountant. They are business partners who can work closely with operations and leadership to understand how labor, materials, inventory, and production decisions impact profitability. They enjoy digging into data, identifying root causes of variances, and helping management make better decisions through financial insight. Key Responsibilities: Cost Accounting & Analysis Maintain and analyze standard costs for products and services. Prepare monthly cost accounting reports, including labor, material, overhead, and manufacturing variances. Analyze pricing, margins, and profitability by product line, customer, project, and location. Conduct post-project profitability analyses and lead debrief discussions with key stakeholders to identify performance drivers, lessons learned, and opportunities for margin improvement. Standardize and manage the BOM process to support an accurate and timely month-end close, coordinating with key stakeholders to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on subject matter experts. Support development of annual budgets and forecasts related to manufacturing and operational costs. Identify cost-reduction opportunities and provide recommendations to management. Inventory Accounting Maintain accurate inventory valuation and reconcile inventory subledgers to the general ledger. Monitor inventory transactions to ensure proper accounting treatment. Assist with physical inventory counts and cycle count programs. Investigate inventory discrepancies, prepare inventory adjustments and recommend corrective actions. Analyze inventory turnover, excess inventory, and obsolete stock reserves. Prepare monthly journal entries related to inventory, cost of goods sold, and manufacturing activities. Assist with month-end and year-end close processes. Support preparation of financial statements and management reports. Ensure compliance with GAAP and company accounting policies. Provide supporting schedules for audits, tax compliance, and lender reporting. Operational Support Partner with Operations, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Production teams to improve costing accuracy and reporting. Develop KPIs and dashboards related to production efficiency, inventory management, and profitability. Evaluate process improvements and automation opportunities within accounting and operations. Support ERP system enhancements and cost accounting best practices. Qualifications: Required Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance. Experience with QuickBooks Desktop manufacturing and wholesale. 3+ years of accounting experience with at least 2 years in cost accounting, manufacturing accounting, or inventory accounting. Strong understanding of: Standard costing, Inventory valuation Cost of Goods Sold and BOMs Advanced Microsoft Excel skills. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Preferred Manufacturing industry experience. Experience with ERP systems and inventory management software. Experience with profitability analysis and operational KPI reporting. Experience supporting audits and financial process improvement initiatives. Success Metrics The successful candidate will: Deliver accurate monthly inventory and cost accounting reporting. Improve visibility into product and project profitability. Reduce inventory discrepancies and costing errors. Support timely month-end close processes. Identify opportunities to improve gross margins and operational efficiency. Strengthening financial controls surrounding inventory and manufacturing operations. Competitive salary based on experience. Health, dental, and vision insurance. Paid time off and holidays. Professional development opportunities. #J-18808-Ljbffr Clean Air Consultants Filter-1