Cost Accountant

Terry Parris Associates; Lower Dicker; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

TPA Recruit is supporting a specialist manufacturing business in the search for a Cost Accountant. The role sits close to manufacturing operations, focusing on product costing, inventory valuation, and margin analysis to support accurate reporting and better operational decisions.

The successful candidate will combine hands-on accounting with data analysis to improve cost visibility, reporting, and profitability, with manufacturing experience being particularly relevant.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years cost or management accounting experience, preferably in manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of costing methods, inventory, and variances.
• ERP experience (AX/Dynamics, SAP or Oracle) with advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Complete quarterly cost roll-ups and BOM reviews; analyse variances.
• Manage inventory valuation, reconciliations, and stocktakes; investigate discrepancies.
• Prepare margin analysis, cost of sales journals, and balance sheet reconciliations.

Skills

Cost accounting

Analytical thinking

Manufacturing experience

Education

CIMA/ACA or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft AX/Dynamics

SAP

Oracle

Excel (Advanced)

Job description

Job Title: Cost Accountant

Location: Lower Dicker, East Sussex

Working pattern: Full-time, permanent | 40 hours per week

TPA Recruit is supporting a specialist manufacturing business in the search for a Cost Accountant. This role sits close to manufacturing operations and is responsible for product costing, inventory valuation, margin analysis and cost control, using ERP data to support accurate reporting and better operational decision-making. The successful candidate will combine hands-on accounting with strong data analysis, helping improve cost visibility, process efficiency, reporting and profitability. Manufacturing experience or a strong understanding of a manufacturing environment will be particularly relevant.

Key Responsibilities

• Complete quarterly cost roll-ups and BOM reviews, maintain standard and absorption costing, and analyse material, labour and overhead variances.
• Manage inventory valuation and reconciliations, support cycle counts and stocktakes, and investigate inventory discrepancies.
• Prepare product and customer margin analysis, month-end inventory and cost-of-sales journals, labour efficiency reporting, balance sheet reconciliations and fixed asset depreciation.
• Maintain costing data within the ERP system, develop Excel and BI reporting, support systems improvement and automation, and maintain strong accounting controls and audit schedules.

Experience Required

• At least 1-2 years of cost accounting or management accounting experience, ideally within manufacturing or another operational environment.
• Strong knowledge of cost accounting methods, inventory, variance analysis and the financial drivers of manufacturing performance.
• ERP experience such as Microsoft AX/Dynamics, SAP or Oracle, together with advanced Excel skills including modelling, pivot tables and data analysis.
• Professional qualification or part-qualified status such as CIMA, ACA or equivalent, with strong planning, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Why Join This Business?

• Full-time, permanent position working 40 hours per week.
• Broad ownership across product costing, inventory, margins, reporting and operational finance.
• Direct exposure to manufacturing activity, with the opportunity to influence efficiency and profitability.
• Scope to improve ERP data, reporting tools, process automation and standardisation.