Cost Accountant

industrialfabricators; Gastonia (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Matching

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Life Insurance

Job summary

IFAB Corp., a multi-plant metal fabrication leader in Gastonia, NC, seeks a hands-on Cost Accountant to bridge shop floor activity with financial strategy. You will own standard costs, BOM maintenance, and variance analysis while partnering with Operations, Engineering, and Quality to improve profitability.

You will perform inventory valuation, month-end closes, and cost-related journal entries, traveling between four facilities as needed and supporting audits and continuous improvement projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3–5 years of cost accounting in manufacturing.
• Knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, routings, and variance analysis.
• Experience with inventory valuation and physical/cycle counts.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot, lookups, large data sets).
• Experience with manufacturing ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Own product costing, inventory valuation, and variance analysis across four plants.
• Maintain BOMs and routings; liaise with Engineering; calculate burden rates.
• Lead annual standard cost rolls and do should-cost analysis for quotes.
• Prepare monthly PPV, usage, labor efficiency, and overhead variance analyses.
• Manage inventory reconciliation to GL; coordinate physical counts; support audits.
• Provide ROI analyses for capex and cost-saving initiatives; support budgeting.

Skills

Cost accounting

Manufacturing costing

BOMs & routings

ERP systems

Advanced Excel

Variance analysis

Lean/Six Sigma exposure

Data validation on floor

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

Tools

Sage 500

Power BI

General ERP modules

Job description

Location: Gastonia, NC (On-site across 4 local facilities)

Job Type: Full-time | Exempt

Shift: First Shift (Mon–Fri)

Benefits: 401(k) Matching, Health, Dental, Vision, Paid Time Off (PTO), Life Insurance

Why Join IFAB Corp.?

IFAB Corp. operates across four dynamic manufacturing facilities in Gastonia, North Carolina (Central, Main, Alpha, and Paint). Our capabilities span high‑complexity processes including stamping, forming, press brakes, laser cutting, welding, machining/CNC, tube bending and cutting, coating, and assembly. We are seeking a hands‑on Cost Accountant who enjoys stepping onto the shop floor to bridge production activity with financial strategy and true product profitability.

Position Summary

The Cost Accountant owns product costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variance analysis for our multi‑plant metal fabrication operations. Reporting directly to the Controller, this role partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production Control to establish accurate standard costs, explain manufacturing variances, and drive operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Costing & Standards: Develop, maintain, and audit standard costs across all manufactured parts; maintain bills of material (BOMs) and routings alongside Engineering; calculate burden rates by work center; lead annual standard cost rolls; perform should‑cost analysis and margin modeling for new business quotes.
• Variance Analysis & Reporting: Prepare monthly variance analysis (PPV, usage, labor efficiency, machine utilization, overhead absorption, scrap); analyze gross margins by plant, product line, customer, and part number; walk the floor with supervisors to investigate variance root causes; build cost dashboards for leadership.
• Inventory & Month‑End Close: Own inventory valuation (raw materials, WIP, finished goods); reconcile perpetual inventory to the general ledger; coordinate physical inventories and cycle counts across all 4 plants; prepare cost‑related journal entries and support external audits.
• Analysis & Continuous Improvement: Provide financial analysis for capital expenditures (payback, ROI); quantify savings from Lean and continuous improvement projects; partner with Supply Chain on freight and landed costs; support annual budgeting/forecasting.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 3 to 5 years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of standard costing, bills of material (BOMs), routings, work orders, and manufacturing variance analysis.
• Experience with inventory valuation and physical or cycle‑count inventory processes.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and large dataset analysis.
• Experience working in an ERP system with manufacturing and inventory modules.
• Ability to explain financial results clearly to non‑financial plant and operations personnel.
• Willingness to spend regular time on the production floor to validate data and understand processes.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and follow‑through to resolution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in metal fabrication, stamping, welding, machining, or coating operations.
• Experience with Sage 500 or a comparable mid‑market manufacturing ERP.
• Multi‑plant or multi‑facility costing experience.
• CMA, CPA, or active progress toward certification.
• Exposure to Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma, including cost validation of improvement projects.
• Experience supporting quoting, should‑cost analysis, or new program launches.
• Reporting and visualization experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar tools.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to move throughout manufacturing facilities regularly, including standing, walking, and climbing stairs.
• Ability to work in an industrial environment with exposure to noise, heat, machinery, forklifts, welding operations, and metal fabrication processes.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) while on the production floor.
• Ability to travel between IFAB's Gastonia-area facilities as needed.
• Availability to support extended hours during month‑end close and physical inventory periods.

Key Performance Measures

• Standard cost accuracy and completeness of the annual cost roll.
• Timeliness and accuracy of monthly variance reporting and margin analysis.
• Inventory record accuracy and reconciliation of perpetual inventory to the general ledger.
• On‑time completion of assigned month‑end close deliverables.
• Documented cost savings identified, validated, and realized.