Cost Accountant

Judge Direct Placement is seeking a Cost Accountant & Pricing Manager in Chicago, IL area! They will be responsible for leading financial analysis, standard product costing, pricing models, and product-line profitability strategies. The manager identifies margin‑improvement opportunities, evaluates pricing strategies, tracks manufacturing variances, and delivers SKU and customer‑level profitability analysis to maximize overall business margins. Responsibilities Manage product bills of materials (BOMs) and maintain accurate standard costs for raw materials, packaging, and labor within NetSuite and Nulogy Analyze daily and monthly manufacturing variances across assigned locations, including direct and indirect labor, materials, yields, scrap, and line productivity Partner with plant leadership to identify root causes of production and yield variances using Nulogy’s real‑time manufacturing data Review and optimize product formulations, BOMs, and routing processes to improve accuracy and operational efficiency Evaluate indirect manufacturing costs and capacity utilization to support cost allocation and operational decision‑making Develop and maintain data‑driven pricing models for customers and products, including new product launches and custom co‑packing opportunities Assess the financial impact of raw material and commodity price fluctuations on product pricing, including purchase price variance (PPV) adjustments Support customer RFPs and contract negotiations by delivering financial models and margin analysis to leadership Review customer and vendor agreements to ensure alignment between contractual terms, pricing models, and invoicing practices Lead SKU‑and customer‑level profitability analysis to identify margin improvement opportunities and underperforming products Deliver detailed reporting on gross margin and variable contribution margins across the business Develop and maintain KPI‑driven reporting that connects customer and product performance to budget and pricing assumptions Identify and investigate margin variances, collaborating with sales, operations, and supply chain teams to drive corrective actions Support annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes across multiple manufacturing locations Serve as the finance lead for integration and data alignment between NetSuite (financials) and Nulogy (manufacturing execution) Oversee routine inventory reconciliations across systems to ensure accuracy and minimize discrepancies across sites Audit production data and usage logs to verify accurate consumption of materials, packaging, and labor processes Requirement s:Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related fiel d.Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) preferr ed5–7 years of progressive experience in cost accounting, pricing, or commercial financial analysi s.At least 1–2 years of experience in a supervisory, team‑lead, or project-management capacit #J-18808-Ljbffr Judge Direct Placement