Project Costing & Management Accountant

Cpl Group; Leinster; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cpl Group is seeking a Cost & Management Accountant to oversee costing, budgeting and profitability analysis across LV switchgear and data centre projects. You will own BOM costing, standard costs, overhead allocation and PPV, while partnering with project managers to drive financial insight and performance.

You will day-to-day analyse cost variances, supportMake-vs-Buy decisions, and maintain inventory valuation and COGS with SAP, ensuring IFRS 15 alignment for long-term contracts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or a related field.
• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified.
• 3-5 years of experience in cost or management accounting.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, overhead allocation and absorption costing.
• Experience of product or job costing methodologies.
• High proficiency in Excel and financial modelling.
• Experience with ERP systems, particularly SAP.
• Experience in manufacturing, engineering, construction, energy or data centre environments.
• Exposure to bill of materials (BOM) costing and WIP accounting.
• Power BI or equivalent BI / reporting tool experience.
• Familiarity with IFRS 15 revenue recognition for long-term contracts.
• Experience partnering with project or programme managers in a project-based business.
• Background in process improvement or ERP implementation.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain standard cost cards for all products and services, including LV switchgear, critical power systems and service offerings.
• Develop and update bill of materials (BOM) costing for manufactured and assembled power units as material inputs, labour rates or specifications change.
• Design, maintain and communicate overhead allocation and absorption costing rates across the business.
• Perform periodic cost reviews to ensure standard costs reflect current operational and market reality.
• Support make vs. buy and outsourcing decisions with structured financial analysis and clear recommendations.
• Produce monthly cost centre P&L reports and distribute to budget holders with clear, actionable commentary.
• Partner with departmental managers to help them understand, manage and challenge their cost base.
• Perform purchase price variance (PPV), material usage and labour efficiency analysis.
• Investigate cost and margin variances, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions to Operations and Commercial leadership.
• Identify and quantify cost reduction and efficiency opportunities across the company's manufacturing and project operations.
• Produce profitability analysis by product, service line, channel and region monthly.
• Prepare gross margin bridges explaining movements vs. prior period, budget and forecast.
• Collaborate on sales and margin analysis to support commercial pricing and contract decisions.
• Ensure alignment between cost reporting and revenue recognition policies, particularly for long-term data centre project contracts.
• Own inventory valuation in line with company accounting policy, covering raw materials, WIP, finished goods, spare parts and power equipment stock.
• Perform monthly COGS reconciliation, working with the Finance Ops Team and Financial Reporting Accountant on supporting data.
• Reconcile inventory and WIP balances between SAP and operational project trackers.
• Coordinate periodic stock counts and resolve reconciling differences in a timely manner.
• Support on operational cost line inputs for the annual budget and rolling forecast cycle.
• Model the cost impact of volume changes, new contracts, material price movements and operational decisions.
• Participate in project review meetings, providing financial insight and constructive challenges.
• Track and report cost KPIs including budget adherence, cost-to-complete accuracy and forecast variance.
• Develop standardised cost models, financial templates and reporting tools to improve speed and consistency of analysis.
• Enhance automation and digitisation of cost tracking across the project and product lifecycle.
• Improve data accuracy, SAP discipline and financial governance across manufacturing and project operations.
• Train operational and project teams in financial control processes, cost tools and best practice.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Excel

Financial modelling

Communication

Collaboration

Problem solving

Prioritisation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified

Tools

SAP

Power BI

MS Excel

Job description

Cpl Group is seeking a Cost & Management Accountant to oversee costing, budgeting and profitability analysis across LV switchgear and data centre projects. You will own BOM costing, standard costs, overhead allocation and PPV, while partnering with project managers to drive financial insight and performance.

You will day-to-day analyse cost variances, supportMake-vs-Buy decisions, and maintain inventory valuation and COGS with SAP, ensuring IFRS 15 alignment for long-term contracts.