Cost Accountant

Piedmont Metals of Burlington; Burlington (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Piedmont Metals of Burlington is seeking an experienced Cost Accountant to support the financial and operational performance of a growing manufacturing organization. This role focuses on product costing, inventory, variances, labor, materials, overhead, and production financial analysis.

You will work closely with the Controller and plant teams to ensure accurate costing, provide actionable insights, and help improve profitability and operational efficiency through detailed reporting and cost

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• 3-7+ years of accounting experience with significant manufacturing cost accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting principles.
• Experience with standard costing and variance analysis.
• Experience with inventory accounting and reconciliation.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to analyze large amounts of data.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work effectively with both accounting and production teams.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and analyze manufacturing cost information, including direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
• Calculate and maintain standard costs for manufactured products.
• Analyze actual costs compared to standard costs and investigate significant variances.
• Review labor, material, overhead, and production variances.
• Partner with production leadership to understand the operational drivers behind financial variances.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing costs and profitability.
• Monitor inventory valuation and ensure accurate accounting for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods.
• Assist with physical inventory counts and inventory reconciliation.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies and recommend corrective actions.
• Analyze inventory movements, adjustments, scrap, and obsolete inventory.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and work with Operations and Purchasing to resolve issues.
• Analyze production costs and operational performance.
• Review production labor, material usage, scrap, rework, and overhead.
• Develop reports to identify production inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities.
• Work with production teams to validate bills of materials, labor standards, and manufacturing processes.
• Support management in evaluating production efficiency and profitability.
• Prepare cost accounting reports and manufacturing financial analyses.
• Assist with monthly closing activities related to inventory and manufacturing costs.
• Prepare monthly cost and variance reports for management.
• Research and explain significant fluctuations in manufacturing costs.
• Assist with budgeting and forecasting for manufacturing operations.
• Provide financial analysis to support pricing, quoting, purchasing, and production decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost accounting processes, reporting, and controls.
• Assist with improving ERP/MRP costing data and system accuracy.
• Review bills of materials, routings, labor standards, and overhead allocations for accuracy.
• Help establish and maintain appropriate cost accounting procedures.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing manufacturing costs.
• Work closely with Operations, Production, Purchasing, Inventory, and Finance.
• Communicate financial and costing information clearly to non-financial managers.
• Provide management with actionable information regarding production costs and profitability.
• Support the Controller with financial analysis and special projects as needed.

Skills

manufacturing cost accounting

Excel

ERP/MRP systems

data analysis

costing principles

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Strumis or similar systems

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Cost Accountant to support the financial and operational performance of a growing manufacturing organization. This position will focus on product costing, inventory, manufacturing variances, labor, materials, overhead, and production financial analysis.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on manufacturing cost accounting experience and understand how production activities translate into financial results.

This position will work closely with the Controller, Operations, Production, Purchasing, and other departments to ensure accurate costing and provide actionable financial information to improve profitability and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Cost Accounting

• Maintain and analyze manufacturing cost information, including direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
• Calculate and maintain standard costs for manufactured products.
• Analyze actual costs compared to standard costs and investigate significant variances.
• Review labor, material, overhead, and production variances.
• Partner with production leadership to understand the operational drivers behind financial variances.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing costs and profitability.

Inventory Accounting

• Monitor inventory valuation and ensure accurate accounting for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods.
• Assist with physical inventory counts and inventory reconciliation.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies and recommend corrective actions.
• Analyze inventory movements, adjustments, scrap, and obsolete inventory.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and work with Operations and Purchasing to resolve issues.

Production & Operational Analysis

• Analyze production costs and operational performance.
• Review production labor, material usage, scrap, rework, and overhead.
• Develop reports to identify production inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities.
• Work with production teams to validate bills of materials, labor standards, and manufacturing processes.
• Support management in evaluating production efficiency and profitability.
• Prepare cost accounting reports and manufacturing financial analyses.
• Assist with monthly closing activities related to inventory and manufacturing costs.
• Prepare monthly cost and variance reports for management.
• Research and explain significant fluctuations in manufacturing costs.
• Assist with budgeting and forecasting for manufacturing operations.
• Provide financial analysis to support pricing, quoting, purchasing, and production decisions.

Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve cost accounting processes, reporting, and controls.
• Assist with improving ERP/MRP costing data and system accuracy.
• Review bills of materials, routings, labor standards, and overhead allocations for accuracy.
• Help establish and maintain appropriate cost accounting procedures.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing manufacturing costs.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work closely with Operations, Production, Purchasing, Inventory, and Finance.
• Communicate financial and costing information clearly to non-financial managers.
• Provide management with actionable information regarding production costs and profitability.
• Support the Controller with financial analysis and special projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• 3-7+ years of accounting experience with significant manufacturing cost accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting principles.
• Experience with standard costing and variance analysis.
• Experience with inventory accounting and reconciliation.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to analyze large amounts of data.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work effectively with both accounting and production teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a steel fabrication, metal fabrication, machining, or industrial manufacturing environment.
• Experience with job costing or project-based manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as Strumis or similar manufacturing systems.
• CMA, CPA, or other accounting certification is a plus.
• Experience developing manufacturing KPIs and cost reports.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Cost Accountant will provide accurate and timely visibility into the company's manufacturing costs and help management understand where money is being spent, why costs are changing, and where opportunities exist to improve profitability.

This position will serve as the financial bridge between the accounting and production teams, helping ensure that inventory, labor, materials, overhead, and production costs are accurately captured and understood.