Cost Accountant

Sensaria; Morrisville, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 98,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

Sensaria in Morrisville, NC is seeking a Cost Accountant to strengthen our cost, inventory, and manufacturing financial analysis. This hybrid role at our Morrisville production facility requires strong data skills and a collaborative mindset to improve costing accuracy and reporting.

The ideal candidate has a bachelor’s in accounting or finance, 4+ years manufacturing experience, and deep knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, and variances. ERP expertise, preferably SAP B1, is highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 4+ years of accounting experience with experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of cost accounting concepts, including standard costing, inventory accounting, bills of material, and manufacturing variances.
• Experience working with ERP systems required; SAP B1 experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with manufacturing inventory transactions, product costing, or backflush environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Review, maintain, and analyze standard costs and related costing data.
• Support the creation, review, and maintenance of bills of material (BOMs) and product costing structures.
• Analyze purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, volume, mix, and other manufacturing variances.
• Investigate significant or unusual cost variances to identify root causes and communicate findings.
• Analyze product costs, inventory activity, and manufacturing data to identify trends, exceptions, and costing issues.
• Co operate with operations to investigate root causes and improve costing information.
• Support gross margin and product profitability analysis as needed.
• Support monthly inventory and cost accounting for close activities.
• Review inventory transactions, balances, and adjustments for accuracy and reasonableness.
• Prepare and record inventory and cost-related journal entries and adjustments within month-end close deadlines.
• Reconcile inventory and costing data across systems and supporting records.
• Explain variance and periodic costing analyses to identify discrepancies and explain significant findings.
• Reconcile inventory and costing data across systems, reports, and supporting records.
• Support monthly and year-end physical inventory counts, including investigation of significant count variances and external audit requests.
• Identify data, system, control, and process issues affecting inventory and cost accounting accuracy, and recommend practical improvements.
• Participate in cost accounting process improvement initiatives, including reporting, automation, ERP enhancements, and related testing and validation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement agreed-upon process improvements and resolve recurring issues.
• Develop and maintain clear documentation for cost accounting processes, controls, and analysis.

Skills

Analytical skills

Advanced Excel

Communication

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

4+ years manufacturing accounting experience

Tools

SAP B1

ERP systems

Job description

We are seeking aCost Accountant to join our team in Morrisville, NC and contribute to our ongoing success. This role is hybrid at our production facility in Morrisville.

Must reside and be authorized to work in the United States without Visa sponsorship.

Position Mission

As a member of the Cost Accounting team, the Cost Accountant will support the accuracy and integrity of product costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing financial analysis across the organization. This role will analyze standard costs, inventory activity, manufacturing variances, and operational data to identify trends, discrepancies, and opportunities for improvement.

The Cost Accountant will work collaboratively with the Operations Accounting Controller, Accounting team, and cross-functional partners to investigate issues, identify root causes, and support accurate financial reporting and effective business decisions. Success requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to work with complex datasets while understanding broader financial and operational impacts.

Who You’ll Work With

Accounting, Supply Chain, Engineering, Logistics, Production, Warehouse, Operations, Finance, and IT teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

COST ACCOUNTING

• Review, maintain, and analyze standard costs and related costing data.
• Support the creation, review, and maintenance of bills of material (BOMs) and product costing structures.
• Analyze purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, volume, mix, and other manufacturing variances.
• Investigate significant or unusual cost variances to identify root causes and communicate findings.
• Analyze product costs, inventory activity, and manufacturing data to identify trends, exceptions, and costing issues. Collaborate with operational teams to investigate root causes and improve the accuracy and reliability of costing information.
• Support gross margin and product profitability analysis as needed.

MONTH END CLOSE

• Support monthly inventory and cost accounting for close activities.
• Review inventory transactions, balances, and adjustments for accuracy and reasonableness.
• Prepare and record inventory and cost-related journal entries and adjustments within month-end close deadlines.
• Reconcile inventory and costing data across systems and supporting records. Explain variance and periodic costing analyses to identify discrepancies and explain significant findings.
• Reconcile inventory and costing data across systems, reports, and supporting records.
• Support monthly and year-end physical inventory counts, including investigation of significant count variances and external audit requests.

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

• Identify data, system, control, and process issues affecting inventory and cost accounting accuracy, and recommend practical improvements.
• Participate in cost accounting process improvement initiatives, including reporting, automation, ERP enhancements, and related testing and validation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement agreed-upon process improvements and resolve recurring issues.
• Develop and maintain clear documentation for cost accounting processes, controls, and analysis.

EDUCATION AND FORMAL TRAINING

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 4+ years of accounting experience with experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of cost accounting concepts, including standard costing, inventory accounting, bills of material, and manufacturing variances.
• Experience working with ERP systems required; SAP B1 experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with manufacturing inventory transactions, product costing, or backflush environments preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced Excel skills with demonstrated experience analyzing and reconciling large datasets.
• Strong understanding of accounting fundamentals and the relationship between inventory activity, product costs, manufacturing operations, and financial results.
• Strong attention to detail, professional curiosity, and sound judgment. Have the ability to question, understand and/or resolve unusual results and prioritize issues based on materiality and business impact.
• Ability to clearly communicate analytical findings and accounting issues to both financial and non-financial team members. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet established deadlines.
• Ability to produce timely, accurate, reliable, and relevant financial information.
• Proficiency across all Microsoft applications.

INTELLECTUAL DEMANDS

• Ability to apply sound judgment and critical thinking when dealing with complex or ambiguous situations.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work effectively in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Must be approachable, responsive, and able to work effectively with individuals across departments and organizational levels.

Base Salary $98,000,00 - $108,000.00 plus annual bonus eligibility.