Management Accountant - Manufacturing

Align Talent Pty Ltd; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working (2 days from home)

Northern suburbs office

Permanent role

Job summary

Align Talent Pty Ltd is assisting a Melbourne-based manufacturing business to recruit an experienced Management Accountant. The role focuses on complex costing, standard costing, and detailed financial analysis across manufacturing operations.

You will partner with operations and finance, manage stock valuations, fixed assets, budgeting, and monthly management reporting, with a hybrid work arrangement and a northern-suburbs office.

Qualifications

• This role requires CA/CPA qualification with strong financial and management accounting foundations.
• You should have at least five years in a manufacturing environment and experience with costing, BOMs and variances.
• Experience with stock valuations, depreciation, capital expenditure and asset reconciliations is essential.
• Advanced Excel skills and ERP systems proficiency are required to analyse large datasets.
• Excellent communication and business partnering skills with the ability to influence non-finance stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Managing complex manufacturing and product costing processes including standard costing and variances.
• Analysing manufacturing costs across labour, materials, overheads and efficiencies.
• Maintaining costing methodologies, product structures and manufacturing processes.
• Managing stock valuations, inventory adjustments and slow-moving stock analysis.
• Maintaining the fixed asset register, depreciation and capital expenditure.
• Preparing monthly management reports, financial commentary and operational analysis.
• Conducting variance analysis and providing recommendations to management.
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities.
• Collaborating with manufacturing, operations and non-finance stakeholders with site visits as needed.
• Assisting year-end processes, reporting and compliance, and identifying improvements in reporting and controls.

Skills

Financial analysis

Costing analysis

Excel advanced

Stakeholder partnering

Data interpretation

Education

CA or CPA qualification

Tools

ERP systems

Fixed asset management

Inventory accounting

Job description

The Organisation

Our client is a highly successful, internationally recognised manufacturing business with a long-standing history of success and an outstanding reputation within its sector. Operating for several decades, the organisation has established itself as a market leader, combining a strong local manufacturing presence with an international footprint.

What really stands out about this business is its people, culture and leadership. There is a genuine sense of pride and passion throughout the organisation, supported by an experienced, highly engaged leadership team and a collaborative, family-oriented working environment.

Based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, this is a fantastic opportunity to join a financially stable, well-established business that offers both professional challenge and long-term career satisfaction.

The Position

We are seeking an experienced Management Accountant with a strong manufacturing background to join this established finance team on a permanent basis.

This is a technically challenging and commercially engaging position within a sophisticated manufacturing environment, involving complex product costing, extensive financial analysis and close collaboration with operational stakeholders.

With a substantial product range, intricate manufacturing processes and multiple layers of costing, the position offers a level of technical depth and variety that will appeal to someone who genuinely enjoys understanding how a manufacturing business operates.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing complex manufacturing and product costing processes, including standard costing, bills of materials and production variances.
• Analysing manufacturing costs, including labour, materials, overheads and production efficiencies.
• Maintaining and reviewing costing methodologies, product structures and manufacturing processes.
• Managing stock valuations, inventory adjustments, purchase price variances and slow-moving stock analysis.
• Maintaining the fixed asset register, including depreciation, capital expenditure and asset reconciliations.
• Preparing detailed financial analysis, including actual results against budgets and forecasts.
• Undertaking variance analysis, investigating performance drivers and providing recommendations to management.
• Supporting annual budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities.
• Preparing monthly management reports, financial commentary and operational performance analysis.
• Conducting cost-benefit analysis to support commercial and operational decision-making.
• Working closely with manufacturing, operations and other non-finance stakeholders, including regular site visits and performance discussions.
• Supporting year-end processes, capitalisation calculations, financial reporting and statutory compliance.
• Identifying opportunities to improve reporting, costing accuracy, financial controls and business performance.

Why Apply?

This is a particularly attractive opportunity for someone who enjoys working within a hands-on manufacturing environment and wants to see the tangible impact of their work.

• Join a highly successful and financially stable manufacturing business with an established international presence.
• Work alongside an experienced and passionate leadership team that genuinely enjoys what they do.
• Enjoy a supportive, collaborative and family-oriented workplace culture.
• Gain exposure to a fascinating and technically complex manufacturing operation with significant local production.
• Take ownership of meaningful, challenging costing and financial analysis responsibilities.
• Work closely with operational leaders and see firsthand how your financial insights influence business decisions.
• Enjoy genuine variety across management accounting, costing, fixed assets, inventory and commercial analysis.
• Benefit from hybrid working arrangements, with two days working from home each week.
• Convenient northern suburbs location, particularly attractive to candidates living in Melbourne's north.
• Secure a permanent position offering stability, autonomy and long-term professional satisfaction.

About You

We are particularly interested in hearing from established Management Accountants who have developed strong technical capabilities within complex manufacturing environments.

You will ideally demonstrate:

• CA or CPA qualification, supported by strong financial and management accounting foundations.
• At least five years of relevant experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience in a manufacturing business with annual revenues exceeding $20 million.
• Extensive hands-on experience in manufacturing costing, standard costing and product cost analysis.
• Strong understanding of bills of materials, production processes, inventory movements and manufacturing variances.
• A sound understanding of fixed assets, depreciation, capital expenditure and capitalisation principles.
• Experience with stock valuations, inventory accounting and related financial controls.
• Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to interrogate and analyse large, complex datasets.
• Strong ERP systems experience and the ability to extract, interpret and manipulate financial information.
• Excellent analytical capabilities, attention to detail and commercial problem-solving skills.
• A practical, inquisitive mindset and genuine interest in understanding manufacturing processes and how products are made.
• Strong communication and business partnering skills, with the confidence to engage stakeholders across finance, operations and manufacturing.
• The ability to translate complex financial information into meaningful insights for non-finance professionals.
• Ideally, exposure to multinational or multi-site operations and foreign currency transactions.

Most importantly, you will genuinely enjoy working in manufacturing. You will be someone who takes an interest in the products, the production processes and the people behind the numbers.

This is a permanent opportunity, with an anticipated commencement in December 2026 or January 2027. Candidates must be comfortable attending the northern suburbs office at least three days per week.