Cost Accountant

Insight Advisors Private Limited; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Advisors Private Limited is seeking an experienced Cost Accountant to support North America manufacturing operations, with emphasis on accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and monthly close processes.

The role requires 10+ years of cost accounting/manufacturing finance, hands-on experience in standard costing, PPV and variance analysis, and proficiency in SAP FICO. Collaboration with Operations, Supply Chain, and FP&A is essential for profitability improvements.

Qualifications

• Qualified CMA with at least 10+ years in cost accounting/manufacturing finance.
• Experience in standard costing, inventory accounting, and cost rollups.
• Proficiency in SAP FICO is mandatory.
• Strong cost and variance analysis including PPV.
• Advanced MS Excel skills required for financial modeling.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and ERP in manufacturing environment.
• Power BI / QlikView / Qlik Sense experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Perform product costing, standard costing, inventory accounting, and month-end close.
• Maintain and update standard costs for materials, labor, and overhead.
• Validate BOMs, routings, and cost structures; perform cost rollups.
• Monitor inventory transactions and reconcile with GL.
• Support cycle counts and inventory corrections.
• Analyze PPV, material usage, labor, overhead, efficiency, price and volume variances.
• Prepare monthly cost, margin, inventory and variance reports.
• Conduct root-cause analysis and suggest cost/margin improvements.
• Support profitability initiatives and provide insights to Operations and Finance.
• Assist budgeting and forecasting processes annually.
• Review cost movements and profitability in reports.
• Coordinate sales incentive calculations with HR/Finance.
• Assist FP&A and finance leadership on projects and training.
• Ensure policy compliance and internal controls.

Skills

Cost Accounting

Manufacturing Finance

Standard Costing

Variance Analysis

Budgeting & Forecasting

MS Excel

Manufacturing industry experience

Education

Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

Tools

SAP FICO

Power BI

QlikView

Job description

Insight Advisors Private Limited | Full time

Qualification:

Qualified CMA

Years of experience:

10+ Years of relevant experience in Cost Accounting and Manufacturing Finance

Employment type:

Full-Time | Work From Office

Overview / Job Purpose / About the Company:

A leading global specialty chemical company is looking for an experienced Cost Accountant to support its North America manufacturing operations. The role is responsible for accurate product costing, inventory valuation, manufacturing variance analysis, cost reporting, month-end close, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. The position will work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, FP&A, and Finance leadership to strengthen cost controls, improve profitability, and support informed business decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform product costing, standard costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing cost analysis, and month-end close activities.
  
• Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, labor, and overhead components.
  
• Validate BOMs, routings, and cost structures and perform cost rollups.
  
• Monitor inventory transactions, inventory valuation, and reconcile inventory accounts with the General Ledger.
  
• Support cycle counts and physical inventory programs and resolve inventory discrepancies.
  
• Analyse Purchase Price Variance (PPV), material usage, labour, overhead, efficiency, price, and volume variances.
  
• Prepare monthly cost, margin, inventory, and variance analysis reports for management.
  
• Conduct root-cause analysis and provide actionable recommendations for cost and margin improvement.
  
• Support profitability improvement initiatives and provide financial insights to Operations and Supply Chain teams.
  
• Support annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
  
• Review inventory and margin reports and analyse cost movements and profitability.
  
• Manage sales incentive calculations and accruals in coordination with HR and Finance.
  
• Support FP&A and Finance leadership on finance projects, reporting applications, implementation, and training initiatives.
  
• Ensure compliance with accounting policies, internal controls, audit requirements, and reporting standards.
  
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional and international teams.
  

Mandatory Skills:

• 10+ years of Cost Accounting / Manufacturing Finance experience
  
• Manufacturing industry experience
  
• Strong Standard Costing & Inventory Accounting experience
  
• SAP FICO – Mandatory
  
• Strong Cost & Variance Analysis / PPV experience
  
• Advanced MS Excel skills
  
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting
  
• ERP experience in a manufacturing environment
  
• Power BI / QlikView / Qlik Sense experience is an advantage