Cost Accountant

Southern States LLC; Hampton (GA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern States LLC in Hampton, Georgia is seeking a detail-oriented Cost Accountant to join our Finance team. This critical role involves maintaining accurate product costs and analyzing variances to drive profitability.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and over 5 years of relevant experience, with strong skills in standard costing and advanced Excel. The role offers opportunities for process improvement and collaboration with Operations and Supply Chain.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of cost accounting experience, preferably in manufacturing, distribution, or agribusiness.
• Strong understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and inventory accounting.
• High attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods.
• Perform monthly inventory valuation and reconciliation.
• Prepare monthly cost variance analysis: PPV, material usage, labor & overhead.
• Develop and maintain KPI dashboards for cost performance.

Skills

Standard costing

Variance analysis

Advanced Excel skills

Cost accounting

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a detail-orientedCost Accountantto join our Finance team. This role is critical to maintaining accurate product costs, analyzing variances, and partnering with Operations to drive profitability. You will own cost accounting processes end-to-end, from inventory valuation to margin analysis, and provide insights that directly impact business decisions.

Essential Responsibilities

• Costing & Inventory
  • Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods
  • Perform monthly inventory valuation, reconciliation, and physical inventory/cycle count analysis
  • Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies and cost variances
• Financial Analysis & Reporting
  • Prepare monthly cost variance analysis: PPV, material usage, labor & overhead
  • Analyze manufacturing costs and gross margins by product line, SKU, and location
  • Support month-end close: journal entries, accruals, and account reconciliations related to COGS and inventory
  • Develop and maintain KPI dashboards for cost performance
• Budgeting & Forecasting
  • Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to develop annual standard costs and budgets
  • Provide cost projections for new products, promotions, and capital projects
• Process Improvement & Controls
  • Ensure compliance with GAAP and internal controls related to inventory and costing
  • Identify and implement process improvements to streamline costing procedures and improve accuracy
  • Support annual audits and provide documentation for external auditors
• Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Work closely with Procurement, Manufacturing, and Sales to understand cost drivers and pricing strategies
  • Educate plant and operations teams on cost concepts and variance impacts

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 5+ years of cost accounting experience, preferably in manufacturing, distribution, or agribusiness
• Strong understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and inventory accounting
• Advanced Excel skills: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, SUMIFS
• Experience with ERP systems
• High attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification
• Experience with BOMs and routings
• Knowledge of job costing or process costing
• Power BI, Tableau, or other data visualization tools