Cost Accountant

Vacgen Ltd; Hailsham; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement

Life assurance

Modern facilities

Job summary

Vacgen Ltd is seeking a motivated Cost Accountant to join our Finance team in East Sussex. You will deliver accurate product costing, inventory valuation, margin analysis and financial reporting to support strategic decisions and operational performance.

You will work under the Financial Manager to drive cost control, improve costing systems and ensure IFRS/UK GAAP compliance within a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• 1-2 years' experience in Cost Accounting or Management Accounting.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing environments.
• Experience using ERP systems such as Dynamics AX, SAP, Oracle or similar.
• Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, modelling and data analysis.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing and absorption costing methodologies.
• Experience interpreting and presenting financial data for decision-making.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing or process improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Perform quarterly cost roll-ups and BOM reviews.
• Analyse manufacturing variances—material, labour and overhead costs.
• Monitor inventory valuation and reconcile accounts.
• Coordinate inventory counts, cycle counts and stocktakes.
• Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.
• Prepare product and customer profitability analysis.
• Complete month-end journals relating to inventory and cost of sales.
• Produce labour efficiency reports and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Maintain fixed asset register and monthly depreciation.
• Prepare monthly board reporting on inventory ageing and segmentation.
• Develop costing systems and ERP modules including Dynamics AX.
• Ensure accuracy of financial and cost data.
• Develop reporting tools using Excel/BI.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Cost accounting

Financial reporting

Data analysis

IFRS/UK GAAP knowledge

Education

CIMA/ACA/ACCA or equivalent

Tools

Dynamics AX

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Cost Accountant

Location: Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4EL
Salary: Competitive, DOE
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Benefits: Competitive salary, Private medical insurance, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, Salary sacrifice pension scheme, Life assurance, State-of-the-art working environment and the Opportunity to shape and influence business growth!

Join VACGEN and Help Drive Financial Excellence in a World-Leading Manufacturing Environment

VACGEN is a leading specialist in ultra-high vacuum technology, supplying innovative solutions to customers worldwide.

We are seeking a motivated and analytical Cost Accountant to join our Finance team in Lower Dicker, East Sussex.

Reporting directly to the Financial Manager, you will play a key role in delivering accurate product costing, inventory valuation, margin analysis, and financial reporting to support strategic business decisions and operational performance.

This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional with experience in manufacturing who is looking to further develop their career within a dynamic and growing organisation.

As our Cost Accountant you will:

• Perform quarterly cost roll-ups and Bill of Materials (BOM) reviews.
• Analyse manufacturing variances, including material, labour and overhead costs.
• Monitor inventory valuation and reconcile inventory accounts.
• Coordinate and support inventory counts, cycle counts and stocktakes.
• Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.
• Prepare product and customer profitability analysis.
• Complete month-end journals relating to inventory and cost of sales, including: Obsolescence accruals, Labour and overhead reallocations and Absorption adjustments
• Produce daily and weekly labour efficiency reports.
• Prepare balance sheet reconciliations.
• Maintain the fixed asset register and process monthly depreciation.
• Prepare monthly board reporting on inventory ageing and inventory segmentation.
• Maintain and improve costing systems and ERP modules, including Microsoft Dynamics AX.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial and cost data.
• Develop reporting tools using Excel and Business Intelligence platforms.
• Drive continuous improvement and standardisation across finance processes.
• Ensure compliance with relevant accounting standards including IFRS and UK GAAP.
• Maintain robust internal controls relating to inventory and costing.
• Support year-end audit requirements and costing-related enquiries.

In order to be successful in this role you must have:

• 1-2 years' experience in Cost Accounting or Management Accounting.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing or operational business environments.
• Experience using ERP systems such as Dynamics AX, SAP, Oracle or similar.
• Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, modelling and data analysis.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing and absorption costing methodologies.
• Experience interpreting and presenting financial data for decision-making.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing or process improvement methodologies.

It would be great if you had:

• Experience using Sage Payroll and Sage HR.
• Previous experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX.
• Professionally qualified or part-qualified (CIMA, ACA, ACCA or equivalent).

Why Join VACGEN

At VACGEN, you'll become part of a highly skilled team supporting advanced manufacturing and engineering solutions used around the world.

You'll have the opportunity to influence business performance, improve processes, and develop your career within a supportive and innovative environment.