Cost Accounting Manager

Life Fitness; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Health insurance

Paid holidays

Dental insurance

Job summary

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength in Rosemont, IL, seeks a Cost Accounting Manager to own product cost accuracy and inventory accounting across global manufacturing. You will lead standard costing, overhead rate management, month-end close, and analysis, partnering with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, IT, and Finance.

The role requires 7+ years in cost accounting in manufacturing, CPA/CMA preferred, and strong Oracle and Excel skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA or CMA preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive cost accounting experience, including ownership of standard costing processes in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data sets and provide valuable, relevant insight to the business.
• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency across Microsoft Office products.
• Experience with data warehouses; Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain, and update product costs in Oracle.
• Participate in the annual frozen cost update by reviewing current material costs and overhead rates.
• Manage the nightly Oracle cost update processes.
• Work with project managers to calculate new product costs in ad hoc worksheets and Oracle.
• Participate in global projects and initiatives as a finance representative; drive process changes.
• Assist in business reviews by preparing presentations for senior management.
• Prepare reports, trend analyses, and analytics, including inventory analysis and turns.
• Assist with timely closing of consolidation cycles and related reporting packages.
• Reconcile showroom inventory and address variances.
• Review inventory valuation, accuracy, and variances in perpetual records and GL.

Skills

Analytical thinker

Cross-functional

Advanced Excel

Oracle experience

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

CPA or CMA preferred

Tools

Oracle ERP

Oracle BI (OBI)

Job description

Join us as we empower the world to work out, creating healthier lives together. At Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, we’re not just building equipment—we’re shaping the future of fitness. As pioneers in fitness innovation, we design and manufacture the most durable, high-performance, and reliable fitness solutions in the world, empowering people and communities to live healthier lives. Our success is driven by a culture that puts customers first, embraces collaboration, and continuously raises the bar on performance, quality, and innovation.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and strategic Cost Accounting Manager to play a critical role in ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and visibility of product costing and inventory across our global manufacturing operations. This highly collaborative position partners closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, IT, Customer Support, and Finance, as well as external consultants and system consultants, to provide the insights, controls, and analysis that support informed business decisions and operational excellence.

As the owner of product cost accuracy and inventory accounting processes, you will lead key cost accounting activities including standard costing, inventory analysis, month‑end close support, account reconciliations, overhead rate management, and reporting. You will also drive continuous improvement initiatives, strengthen internal controls, support audits, and help optimize systems and processes across multiple manufacturing facilities.

This is an excellent opportunity for a finance and accounting professional who thrives on solving complex challenges, influencing cross‑functional teams, and delivering meaningful business impact within a global industry leader.

This is a hybrid position based out of our Global Support Center in Rosemont, IL. Monday and Friday are remote, with Tuesday through Thursday designated as in‑office collaboration days. #LI‑Hybrid

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain, and update product costs in Oracle.
• Participate in the annual frozen cost update by reviewing current material costs, applying the fixed and variable manufacturing overhead rates provided by the manufacturing controller, and reviewing pending cost adjustments as necessary.
• Manage the nightly Oracle cost update processes to ensure costs update as expected, suggesting and ultimately making changes to processes as required.
• Work with project managers to calculate new product costs in ad hoc worksheets and in Oracle as applicable.
• Participate in global projects and initiatives as a finance representative, driving change in current processes.
• Assist in business reviews by preparing presentations for senior management.
• Prepare reports, trend analyses, and analytics, including inventory analysis and the global inventory package / inventory turns.
• Assist with the timely and accurate closing of the monthly, quarterly, and annual consolidation cycle, including journal entries, account reconciliations, and related reporting packages.
• Reconcile showroom inventory and address any variances.
• Participate in domestic annual physical inventories and related book to physical reconciliation processes as required.
• Review, maintain, and monitor inventory valuation, accuracy, and variances using perpetual inventory records and the general ledger through daily, weekly, monthly, and annual processes, internal controls, and analyses.
• Ensure perpetual inventory transactions are calculated and recorded in the general ledger properly and on a timely basis.
• Perform detailed purchase price variance (PPV) analysis; reviewing large PPVs and working with commodity managers to validate invoice prices and inventory valuation.
• Age in transit inventory and follow up on aged in transit records with the appropriate warehouse personnel.
• Serve as a primary contact for Manufacturing, Supply Chain, CSS, Engineering, IT, and Finance across multiple manufacturing facilities, and interact with external auditors, systems consultants, and all levels of management to accomplish tasks and communicate results.
• Assist in creating, testing, and analyzing system integration processes related to inventory transactions and perpetual inventory records.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA or CMA preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive cost accounting experience, including demonstrated ownership of standard costing processes in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data sets and provide valuable, relevant insight to the business.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of automated systems and applications used in manufacturing and accounting (Oracle preferred).
• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency across Microsoft Office products.
• Experience with data warehouses; Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) preferred.

At Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, we think customer first, play as one team, and raise the bar on fitness innovation—in the gym and in every corner of our facilities. We persevere and get it done, with a clear purpose to inspire each other to live healthier lives.

We’ll work closely with you to support you throughout the hiring process. If your skills and experience align with the job description, we’ll hop on a call to discuss the position in more detail. If it’s not the right opportunity, we’ll let you know.

At Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, we believe in taking care of our team with a comprehensive total rewards package that includes competitive pay and a range of valuable benefits. The salary range for this position, intended for U.S. applicants, is $93,000 - $135,900 annually. This position is eligible to participate in Life Fitness / Hammer Strength’s annual Manager Incentive Plan to receive an annual discretionary bonus in addition to base salary. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full‑time team members, including, but not limited to:

• a 401(k) savings plan with 4% employer match
• medical, dental and vision insurance, parental, medical and military leaves of absence, paid time off, including 12 paid holidays throughout the calendar year, paid vacation days beginning at 13 days annually, paid sick leave as provided under state and local paid sick leave laws, company paid short‑term disability and optional long‑term disability
• health savings account, health care and dependent care reimbursement accounts, employee and dependent life insurance and supplemental life and AD&D insurance, hospital indemnity
• identity protection, legal services, adoption assistance, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, employee discounts, and an employee assistance program that includes free counseling sessions

Employees also have access to our state‑of‑the‑art on‑site fitness center featuring industry‑leading Life Fitness and Hammer Strength equipment, making it easy to support health and wellness before, during, or after the workday.

Eligibility for benefits is governed by the applicable plan documents and policies.

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding employment, recruitment and hiring. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Life Fitness/Hammer Strength has been inspiring the world to work out for more than 55 years. Every day, exercisers in more than 150countries log in 1+ million workouts on the company’s connected fitness equipment – proving daily that Life Fitness/Hammer Strength is the world’s workout partner of choice.

By seamlessly bringing innovative, high‑performance and reliable equipment, wherever and whenever they work out, Life Fitness/Hammer Strength aims to inspire healthier lives. Headquartered outside of Chicago, in Rosemont, Illinois, the company manufactures and sells strength and cardiovascular equipment through its iconic Life Fitness and Hammer Strength brands. The company’s cutting‑edge equipment is designed to inspire and motivate, helping exercisers achieve their fitness goals with ease and efficiency. Hammer Strength stands as a testament to raw power and durability. Renowned for its line of plate‑loaded equipment, we dominate the strength training category with machines that are built to withstand the most intense workouts, trusted by athletes and fitness enthusiasts worldwide. By integrating the best of both brands, the company provides comprehensive workout solutions for commercial and consumer customers.

For more information, visit www.lifefitness.com. Our values drive how we work, grow, and win—together: we think customer first: we’re proactive, adaptable, and always improving the customer experience. We play as one team: we care, collaborate, and pick each other up—we win and lose together. We raise the bar on fitness innovation: we lead, not follow—pushing fitness further every day. We persevere and get it done: we out‑work, out‑match, and never compromise on quality or performance. We inspire each other to live healthier lives: we support well‑being, inside and outside of work, to build a healthier world—together. Ready to make an impact? Joinus and help shape the future of fitness.