Cost Accountant

Headstar; Pontefract; On-site; GBP 34,200 - 41,800; Full time

Job summary

A UK-based company in Pontefract is seeking a Cost Accountant to handle daily operational analysis, challenge performance with operations, and ensure accurate financial reporting. Candidates should have a Level 4 AAT or CIMA qualification and experience in cost or financial control, ideally in a manufacturing setting. The role offers an annual salary of up to £38k and emphasizes operational exposure rather than siloed finance work, making it ideal for early to mid-career professionals.

Qualifications

• Experience in cost, stock, or financial control is needed.
• Time spent in a manufacturing or operational environment is required.

Responsibilities

• Analyze operational variances across raw materials, labor, packaging, and overheads.
• Work with Operations to challenge performance and follow actions.
• Ensure systems, BOMs, and cost specs accurately reflect reality.
• Reconcile stock across multiple areas and release points.
• Support pricing and tenders with reliable data.
• Educate non-finance teams to improve reporting usefulness.

Skills

Strong Excel skills

Detail-driven mindset

Confidence to question numbers

Education

AAT Level 4 or CIMA Part Qualified

Job description

Cost Accountant

Headstar, Pontefract, England, United Kingdom

This Pontefract based business is looking for a Cost Accountant. It is a role for someone who wants to be close to the action, like daily numbers, real decisions, real consequences.

You'll be responsible for:

• Daily analysis of operational variances across raw materials, labour, packaging and overheads
• Understanding yield movements, the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable
• Working with Operations to challenge performance and follow actions through
• Ensuring systems, BOMs, cost specs and product set-ups reflect reality
• Reconciling stock across multiple areas and release points
• Supporting pricing, tenders and renewals with data that stands up to scrutiny
• Educating non-finance teams so reporting becomes useful, not just tolerated
• This is finance as a commercial discipline, not an admin function.

What do you need?

• AAT Level 4 or CIMA Part Qualified
• Experience in cost, stock or financial control
• Time spent in a manufacturing or operational environment
• Strong Excel skills and a detail-driven mindset
• Enough confidence to question numbers and the people behind them

More importantly, what's in it for you?

• An annual salary of up to £38k with the opportunity for study support
• High operational exposure, not siloed finance work
• Clear ownership, so you'll know what's yours
• A role where improving margin is part of the brief, not a buzzword
• A business that expects finance to add value, not just report it

For someone early to mid-career, this is the kind of role that builds judgement fast.

If you're looking for a finance role that’s closer to how the business actually runs, this is one worth a proper conversation.

Click "apply now" to find out more.

Seniority Level

Entry level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Accounting/Auditing

Industries

Accounting