Manufacturing Cost Accountant - Drive Profitability

Placr Recruitment; Wealden; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client in Lower Dicker, East Sussex is seeking a Cost Accountant to join the finance team. This hands-on role maintains product costs, inventory valuations and financial reporting, providing insight to support operational performance and profitability.

You will tackle quarterly cost roll-ups, analyse variances, manage journals, develop Excel models and BI dashboards, and work with ERP such as Dynamics AX/SAP/Oracle.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years' experience in cost accounting or management accounting.
• Experience within a manufacturing or operational environment.
• Strong understanding of standard and absorption costing.
• Experience using ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics AX, SAP or Oracle.
• Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, financial modelling and data analysis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Professional accounting qualification or part-qualified status (CIMA/ACA/ACCA or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Complete quarterly cost roll-ups and review bills of materials.
• Analyse manufacturing variances across materials, labour and overheads.
• Monitor inventory valuations and reconcile inventory accounts.
• Support cycle counts and stocktakes, investigate discrepancies.
• Produce margin analysis by product and customer.
• Prepare month-end journals relating to inventory and cost of sales.
• Produce labour-efficiency reports daily and weekly.
• Complete balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Maintain fixed-asset register and monthly depreciation journals.
• Produce board-level reporting on inventory ageing and stock categories.
• Maintain costing information within the ERP system.
• Develop Excel models, reports and BI dashboards.
• Support system upgrades, automation and continuous-improvement projects.
• Maintain effective financial controls across inventory and costing processes; preparing year-end schedules and responding to audit queries.

Skills

Cost accounting

Management accounting

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Analytical abilities

Organisational skills

Financial modelling

Education

Professional accounting qualification (CIMA/ACA/ACCA) or part-qualified

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics AX

SAP

Oracle

Sage Payroll/HR

Job description

Our client in Lower Dicker, East Sussex is seeking a Cost Accountant to join the finance team. This hands-on role maintains product costs, inventory valuations and financial reporting, providing insight to support operational performance and profitability.

You will tackle quarterly cost roll-ups, analyse variances, manage journals, develop Excel models and BI dashboards, and work with ERP such as Dynamics AX/SAP/Oracle.