Cost Accountant

Cost Accountant

The Cost Accountant plays a critical role in supporting manufacturing operations and executive decision-making through accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and financial analysis. Reporting to the Director of FP&A, this role is responsible for maintaining standard costs, performing cost roll activities, analyzing manufacturing variances, and ensuring the integrity of inventory and cost accounting systems.

This position serves as a key financial partner to manufacturing leadership, plant teams, engineering, sales, and marketing by providing actionable insights into product profitability, operating performance, and cost improvement opportunities. The role requires strong analytical capability, attention to detail, and the ability to translate complex cost data into meaningful business insights.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain and update standard costs, bills of materials (BOMs), and routing information to ensure accurate product costing.
• Lead and coordinate the annual cost roll process, including data validation and cross-functional alignment.
• Evaluate and correct standard product costs to reflect current material, labor, and overhead inputs.
• Analyze product and product line profitability, identifying margin drivers and improvement opportunities.
• Supervise and coordinate plant physical inventory counts to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Reconcile physical inventory results to the general ledger and investigate discrepancies.
• Ensure the integrity of perpetual inventory and cost accounting systems through strong internal controls.
• Analyze slow-moving and obsolete inventory and actively partner with plant teams to reduce exposure to excess and obsolete inventory.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost accounting processes, reporting accuracy, and data transparency.
• Prepare and post manual journal entries
• Assist with monthly forecasting, headcount analysis, and manufacturing-related accruals.
• Prepare monthly reconciliations for assigned balance sheet accounts.
• Develop, standardize, and communicate manufacturing and operations management reports across all plants.
• Partner with the Director of FP&A and cross-functional leaders to develop annual sales, cost, operating, and capital budgets.
• Provide meaningful ad hoc analysis to support business growth, pricing decisions, and profitability improvement initiatives.
• Support executive management with sales and margin analysis as requested.
• Prepare ad hoc financial reporting packages for the parent company, Sanwa Holdings Corporation.
• Utilize Oracle EBS Finance and BI reporting tools to extract, analyze, and validate financial data.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Skills/Experience Requirements

• Minimum of 2–5 years of experience in manufacturing finance or cost accounting, preferably in a plant or plant-support role.
• Solid foundation in general accounting principles.
• Experience with standard cost systems and cost accounting methodologies is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of shop floor control systems, perpetual inventory systems, and related financial controls is desirable.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills with the ability to interpret large data sets.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across departments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel required).
• Experience with Hyperion Essbase and enterprise ERP systems is desirable.

Education Requirements

• BS in Finance or Accounting