Senior Cost Accountant

Senior Cost AccountantThe Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for providing accurate and timely cost accounting, inventory analysis, financial reporting, and operational support across Millwood's manufacturing operations. This position plays a key role in understanding manufacturing costs, identifying cost and margin trends, analyzing operational variances, and providing financial information that supports effective business decisions.The Senior Cost Accountant will partner closely with Accounting, Finance, Operations, Purchasing, and plant leadership to ensure the accuracy of product costs, inventory valuation, manufacturing expenses, and profitability reporting.This position requires a strong understanding of manufacturing accounting and the ability to translate financial and operational data into meaningful information for business leaders.Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned:Maintain and analyze standard costs for raw materials, labor, overhead, and manufactured products.Review and analyze manufacturing variances, including material price and usage, labor, overhead, scrap, and other production-related variances.Analyze actual manufacturing costs compared with standards, budgets, forecasts, and prior-period results.Identify cost trends, irregularities, and opportunities for improved financial and operational performance.Partner with Operations to understand the underlying causes of significant cost and production variances.Assist with establishing and reviewing labor and overhead rates and manufacturing cost assumptions.Support costing activities for new products, customers, manufacturing processes, and operational changes.Analyze product, customer, facility, or business-unit profitability as requested.Inventory AccountingMaintain accurate inventory valuation in accordance with company accounting policies and generally accepted accounting principles.Review raw material, work-in-process, and finished goods inventory activity.Analyze inventory adjustments, usage, scrap, obsolescence, and other inventory-related transactions.Participate in and support physical inventory counts and cycle-count processes.Research and resolve inventory discrepancies in partnership with Operations and plant personnel.Assist with inventory reserves and other inventory-related month-end and year-end accounting requirements.Month-End & Financial ReportingPerform assigned month-end and year-end closing activities.Prepare journal entries, account reconciliations, schedules, and supporting documentation.Review manufacturing-related general ledger accounts for accuracy and completeness.Prepare monthly cost and operational reporting for Finance and business leadership.Analyze financial results and explain significant variances from budget, forecast, standard cost, and prior periods.Ensure accounting transactions are recorded accurately, consistently, and within established closing timelines.Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial AnalysisAssist with the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes.Develop and maintain cost assumptions used in budgets and forecasts.Analyze manufacturing expenses, capital expenditures, labor costs, material costs, and other operating expenses.Provide financial analysis to support operational and strategic business decisions.Develop reports and financial models to evaluate cost-reduction opportunities, productivity improvements, capital investments, and other business initiatives.Support Finance leadership with ad hoc reporting and analysis.Operations PartnershipDevelop strong working relationships with Plant Managers, Operations leadership, Purchasing, Sales, and other functional teams.Provide plant and operational leaders with clear and actionable financial information.Assist leaders in understanding the financial impact of operational decisions.Participate in operational and financial reviews as needed.Identify opportunities to improve cost controls, reporting accuracy, processes, and financial visibility across manufacturing locations.Travel to manufacturing facilities as needed to better understand operations, inventory processes, and cost drivers.Internal Controls & Audit SupportMaintain appropriate documentation and internal controls related to cost accounting and inventory.Ensure compliance with established accounting policies, procedures, and approval requirements.Support internal and external audit requests related to inventory, manufacturing costs, and assigned financial accounts.Recommend improvements to accounting processes, controls, reporting, and system utilization.Assist with developing and maintaining cost accounting procedures and documentation.This role has no supervisory responsibilities.Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.Minimum of 3–5 years of progressive accounting experience, with demonstrated experience in cost accounting and/or manufacturing accounting.Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing variances, and general ledger accounting.Experience with month-end close, account reconciliations, and financial analysis.Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including experience working with large data sets and financial models.Experience working with ERP and accounting systems.Knowledge, Skills and AbilitiesStrong analytical and problem-solving skills.Advanced understanding of manufacturing cost accounting principles.Ability to identify trends and investigate financial or operational discrepancies.Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet established deadlines.Ability to work independently while effectively collaborating across departments.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Ability to communicate financial concepts to non-financial leaders.Strong organizational and documentation skills.Ability to maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive financial and business information.Continuous-improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities to improve processes and controls.Key Performance ExpectationsAccuracy and timeliness of month-end close responsibilities.Accuracy of standard costs and inventory valuation.Timely identification and analysis of significant manufacturing variances.Quality and usefulness of financial analysis provided to Operations and leadership.Accuracy and completeness of account reconciliations.Effective partnership with plant and operational leadership.Identification and implementation of cost-control and process-improvement opportunities.Compliance with established accounting policies and internal controls.To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Power Point, and Outlook) and have the ability to learn new software programs as required.Work EnvironmentThis position operates primarily in a professional office environment but may require periodic visits to Millwood manufacturing facilities. While visiting manufacturing operations, the Team Member may be exposed to noise, dust, moving equipment, lumber and wood products, and other conditions typical of an industrial manufacturing environment.The position may require periodic travel to Millwood facilities and flexibility during month-end, year-end, budgeting, physical inventory, and other critical accounting periods.Physical DemandsThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands, and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to see color.