Cost Accountant

Carter & White; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Carter & White is seeking a Cost Controller to oversee cost analysis and controls across retail, production, inventory, and regional operations in Dubai. You will ensure accurate product costing, monitor margins and variances, and provide actionable recommendations to boost profitability.

The role requires strong cost accounting knowledge, advanced Excel skills, and experience with ERP and inventory systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Cost Accounting, or a related field.
• CMA, ACCA, CIMA, or an equivalent qualification is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in cost control, inventory accounting, or product costing.
• Advanced Excel skills and practical experience with ERP and inventory management systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee product and production costing including garments, accessories and home collections.
• Monitor inventories across warehouses, stores, and production facilities and investigate discrepancies.
• Analyse gross margins by SKU, style, collection, category, store, market and sales channel.
• Review POs and supplier invoices for pricing accuracy and budget alignment; identify savings opportunities.
• Support budgeting and forecasts for production, purchasing, inventory and operating expenses; provide variance analysis.
• Maintain cost procedures, control policies, and support internal/external audits related to cost of sales and inventory.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Cost Accounting, or related field

CMA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent qualification

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience

Advanced Excel skills

Tools

ERP system

Inventory management systems

Job description

Job Title: Cost Controller

Company: Carter & White

Location: Dubai, UAE

Reporting to: Finance Manager

The Cost Controller will oversee cost analysis and controls across Carter & White’s retail, production, inventory, and regional operations. The role will ensure accurate product costing, monitor margins, identify cost variances, and provide practical recommendations to improve profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product and Production Costing

• Prepare and maintain cost sheets for garments, accessories, home collections, and other product categories.
• Calculate material, labour, packaging, production overhead, freight, customs, and other landed costs.
• Validate bills of materials and standard consumption rates with the production and merchandising teams.
• Compare standard costs against actual costs and investigate variances.
• Monitor material wastage, production losses, rework, and subcontracting charges.
• Ensure product costs are accurately recorded in the ERP system.

2. Inventory Control

• Reconcile inventory movements across warehouses, stores, production facilities, and external partners.
• Review stock adjustments, transfers, returns, damages, and write-offs.
• Coordinate physical stock counts and investigate discrepancies with the relevant teams.
• Monitor ageing, slow-moving, and obsolete inventory, recommending appropriate actions.
• Review raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods valuations with Finance.
• Verify the cost impact of inventory provisions and clearance activities.

3. Gross Margin and Sales Analysis

• Analyse gross margins by SKU, style, collection, category, store, market, and sales channel.
• Monitor the impact of discounts, promotions, returns, and markdowns on profitability.
• Identify products or locations performing below target margin and investigate the causes.
• Support pricing decisions with accurate cost and margin calculations.
• Assess collection performance against buying budgets, quantities, sell-through, and remaining inventory.

4. Purchasing and Operating Cost Control

• Review purchase orders and supplier invoices for pricing accuracy and alignment with approved budgets.
• Analyse supplier price changes and support Procurement in identifying savings opportunities.
• Monitor freight, logistics, packaging, warehousing, and other controllable operating costs.
• Review store and departmental expenses against budget and flag significant variances.
• Track savings initiatives and verify their financial impact.

5. Budgeting and Reporting

• Support annual budgets and forecasts for production, purchasing, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Prepare monthly cost-of-sales and margin reconciliations with Finance.
• Deliver clear variance reports explaining the reasons for changes and recommended corrective actions.
• Support store, collection, and product profitability analysis.
• Provide timely information for management reviews and buying decisions.

6. Internal Controls and Compliance

• Maintain documented costing procedures and consistent cost allocation methods.
• Monitor compliance with purchasing, inventory, and expense approval policies.
• Identify control weaknesses and follow up on corrective actions.
• Maintain supporting documentation and audit trails for cost calculations and adjustments.
• Support internal and external audits relating to inventory, production costs, and cost of sales.

Required Reports and Deliverables

FrequencyDeliverables

Weekly

Cost exceptions, stock discrepancies, wastage analysis, and progress on corrective actions

Monthly

Gross margin analysis, standard-versus-actual cost variances, inventory ageing, operating expense variances, and cost-saving results

Per collection/drop

Approved product cost sheets, landed cost review, and planned-versus-actual margin analysis

During budgeting

Cost assumptions, buying and production budget analysis, and profitability forecasts

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Cost Accounting, or a related field.
• CMA, ACCA, CIMA, or an equivalent qualification is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in cost control, inventory accounting, or product costing.
• Transfer Pricing
• Experience in fashion retail, apparel manufacturing, or a business combining retail and production is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, landed costs, inventory valuation, and gross margin analysis.
• Advanced Excel skills and practical experience with ERP and inventory management systems.
• Experience supporting multiple stores, entities, or markets is an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to investigate discrepancies and explain their commercial impact.
• Confidence in challenging inaccurate data or unsupported assumptions.
• Effective coordination with Finance, Production, Merchandising, Procurement, Logistics, and Retail Operations.
• Clear reporting, accountability, and consistent follow-through.