Cost Analyst

Do you have a passion for finance and a knack for problem-solving? Are you interested in working in the exciting world of aerospace manufacturing?

Job Title: Cost Analyst

Department: Finance / Accounting

Location: EURO-COMPOSITES Corporation – Culpeper, VA

Employment Type: Full-Time, Salary Exempt

Salary Range: $60,000 – $75,000

We're looking for a highly motivated and results-driven Cost Analyst who's excited to build controlling structures, optimize manufacturing costs, and shape the site's long-term profitability. Reporting directly to the Cost Accounting Manager within the Finance team, you will support all plant controlling activities and provide data to drive operational decision-making within a precision-critical aerospace defense government contracting environment. If you enjoy solving complex financial and operational challenges and seeing your insights directly impact decision-making on the production floor, this role is for you!

In this role, you will play a vital role in our financial success by:

• Extract and analyze data from ERP and financial systems to perform inventory valuation, product costing, and price-cost analysis. Calculate production costs, labor costs, and overhead expenses across 5,000+ unique custom products with multi-layer Bill-of-Materials (BOMs) and routings to support these efforts.
• Conduct variance and margin analyses to identify and monitor root-cause issues, including but not limited to labor and overhead efficiency, scrap trends, yield estimates, purchase price differentials, machine rates, employee utilization, and resource usage.
• Utilize advanced Microsoft Excel tools, including extensive Power Query use, to perform the above responsibilities and build live reporting tools for use across departments.
• Support internal and external audits as required, such as year-end audits, customer-mandated price and cost analysis reports (PCARs), in-house physical inventory counts, daily cycle counts, etc.
• Establish and scale controlling structures to support accurate and effective internal controls across all financial processes, with particular emphasis on inventory.
• Support capital investment (CapEx) through financial analysis and business case development, to include return-on-investment (ROI)/payback period calculations.
• Assist in the development and continuous evaluation of annual account/departmental budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning.
• Prepare and analyze monthly financial reports, including commentary, to support financial closing activities.
• Establish, monitor, and report key performance indicators (KPIs) regarding operational and financial performance to management.
• Create and maintain operational dashboards and financial models to provide real-time insights into revenue and cost trends, supporting profitability.
• Locate opportunities for cost reduction and process improvement through pro-active collaboration with Plant Management, Operations, Sales, Procurement, and Corporate Finance teams.
• Integrate directly with daily floor operations, building cross-functional relationships to align operational activities with financial outcomes.
• Assist in cleaning datasets in preparation for group-wide ERP and Accounting software migrations.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, internal controls, and regulatory requirements such as FAR, DFARS, CAS, ITAR, EAR, CUI, and CMMC.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, or a related field. MBA or related advanced degree is a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in cost analysis, plant controlling, manufacturing finance, or industrial controlling.
• Strong knowledge of cost accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis within a complex custom manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency in ERP systems such as SAP S/4HANA, Sage, or equivalent.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (V/X-lookup, Index/X-Match, Ifs/And/Or/Switch, Text-Split, Filter, Unique/Sort, Sum-Product, X-IRR/X-NPV, and forecast functions; Inquire auditing; pivot tables and chart modeling; regressions; VBA macros; and Power Query) backed by hands-on experience with business intelligence and reporting tools.
• Proven expertise with Power Query is a must.
• Experience using SQL to extract and analyze raw data directly from relational databases is a plus.
• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, and CAS compliance standards and contract reporting requirements. Understanding of ITAR, EAR, CUI, and CMMC security and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and presentation capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively and manage multiple reporting requirements in a cross-functional and international environment.
• German language skills are considered an advantage.

We believe great people build great products. When you join our team, you can expect:

• Competitive compensation ($60,000 – $75,000 per year) and comprehensive benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA contributions, and Company-Paid Life Insurance.
• 401(k) with Company Match, generous PTO, and 10 Paid Holidays.
• Clear opportunities for professional growth and leadership development in a rapidly growing enterprise.
• A collaborative, respectful culture where your financial and operational insights directly drive outcomes.
• Exposure to exciting, high-impact custom manufacturing projects in aerospace and advanced materials.

Shape the Future of Composites!

If you’re ready to take your manufacturing finance skills to the next level and be a key strategic partner in a forward-thinking plant operations team, we’d love to hear from you!

This position is located at an ITAR-regulated facility. Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 CFR § 120.15 (U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident).