Cost Accounting Manager

NorthPoint Search Group; Peachtree Corners (GA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

NorthPoint Search Group is partnering with a large North American manufacturer to hire a Cost Accounting Manager. This role leads a centralized cost accounting function across 13 locations, develops standard costs, and strengthens inventory valuation and financial reporting.

The ideal candidate brings 7+ years of manufacturing cost accounting, 5+ years in leadership, and strong SAP/Excel skills to drive continuous improvement and SOX-compliant controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience with significant manufacturing cost accounting responsibilities.
• At least 5 years of supervisory cost accounting experience.
• Experience developing and maintaining standard costing in manufacturing.
• Experience supporting audits and SOX compliance.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead a centralized Cost Accounting function across 13 locations.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes including inventory accounting and journal entries.
• Develop, implement, and maintain fully loaded standard costs for products.
• Own standard costing across material, labor, overhead, and freight.
• Drive cost analysis, variances, and inventory performance improvements.
• Coordinate physical inventories and cycle counts across facilities.
• Collaborate with FP&A, Operations, and Supply Chain to improve costing and BOM integrity.
• Maintain internal controls and SOX compliance; support audits.

Skills

Cost accounting

Supervisory experience

GAAP knowledge

Excel proficiency

ERP experience

Financial reporting

Audit support

Cross-functional partnering

Costing methodologies

Education

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

CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred

Tools

SAP ERP

Excel

Financial reporting tools

Job description

Cost Accounting Manager

Who: An experienced manufacturing cost accounting leader with 7+ years of progressive accounting experience and at least 5 years of supervisory cost accounting experience.

What: Establish and lead a centralized Cost Accounting function supporting 13 manufacturing locations while owning standard costing, inventory accounting, financial controls, and cost analysis.

When: This is a full-time leadership opportunity for an experienced cost accounting professional ready to build and lead a dedicated function within a multi-site manufacturing organization.

Where: This position supports 13 manufacturing locations across a large North American manufacturing operation.

Why: Join an established manufacturing organization where you can build a centralized cost accounting function, improve costing and inventory processes, and directly influence operational and financial performance.

Office Environment: This role operates in a collaborative manufacturing environment and partners extensively with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, plant leadership, and executive leadership.

Salary: Competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Cost Accounting Manager to establish and lead a dedicated Cost Accounting function supporting a large, multi-site manufacturing operation. This position will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining fully loaded standard costs across 13 manufacturing locations while ensuring accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and financial reporting.

The Cost Accounting Manager will work closely with Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and plant leadership to strengthen inventory management, cost analysis, internal controls, and financial close processes. This individual will also play a key role in external audits, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and lead a centralized Cost Accounting function supporting 13 manufacturing locations.

• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes, including inventory accounting, reserve analysis, journal entries, account reconciliations, and financial reporting.

• Develop, implement, and maintain fully loaded standard costs for manufactured products, including annual updates and interim revisions.

• Own standard costing methodology across material, labor, overhead, and freight allocations.

• Analyze manufacturing variances and provide actionable insights regarding material usage, labor efficiency, production overhead, and inventory performance.

• Coordinate and support annual physical inventory observations and cycle-count programs across 13 manufacturing facilities.

• Partner with FP&A, Operations, and Supply Chain to improve inventory accuracy, bill of material integrity, and product costing processes.

• Maintain and enhance internal controls over inventory and cost accounting processes in accordance with SOX requirements.

• Serve as the primary cost accounting liaison for internal and external auditors, including audit requests, documentation, testing, and remediation.

• Review and oversee BOM structures, routing data, and cost master records to ensure accurate product costing.

• Drive continuous improvement across costing methodologies, inventory controls, ERP utilization, and financial reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.

• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred.

• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience with significant manufacturing cost accounting responsibilities.

• At least 5 years of supervisory cost accounting experience required.

• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining standard costing systems in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience supporting annual physical inventories across multiple manufacturing facilities.

• SAP or similar manufacturing ERP experience.

• Strong understanding of GAAP, inventory accounting, cost accounting methodologies, and manufacturing operations.

• Experience supporting external audits, internal control frameworks, and SOX compliance.

• Experience supporting month-end and year-end financial close processes.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and business-partnering skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, plant management, and executive leadership.

• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency with financial reporting tools.

About the Opportunity

This opportunity is with an established North American manufacturer with a significant multi-site production footprint. The organization serves large-scale distribution and retail channels and offers the opportunity to build and influence a critical accounting function within a complex manufacturing environment.

The organization is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws.