Manager, Cost Accounting

Long Wall Company; Long Beach, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Heavily employer-subsidized medical, d

Long Wall paid life insurance and LTD

4% 401k match

Student loan repayment assistance

Paid parental leave

Family planning assistance program

Long Wall paid financial wellness

Paid time off and flexible vacation

Job summary

Long Wall Company in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Manager, Cost Accounting to own manufacturing cost and inventory accounting, support month-end close, budgeting, and provide insights to drive operational decisions.

The role partners with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering and FP&A to scale processes, improve controls, and ensure BOMs, routings and work orders reflect true product costs; aerospace/defense manufacturing experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field is required.
• 5+ years of progressive cost accounting, inventory accounting, or manufacturing accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP applicable to inventory and manufacturing cost accounting.
• Experience with ERP systems and analyzing detailed transactional and operational data.

Responsibilities

• Own all manufacturing cost accounting activities, including month-end close, inventory accounting, cost maintenance, labor and overhead absorption, and related reconciliations.
• Develop and maintain cost accounting processes, policies, controls, and documentation for accurate financial reporting.
• Perform and communicate cost and variance analyses (purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, work order, and cost revaluation).
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering to understand processes, inventory flows, and cost drivers.
• Evaluate labor and overhead rates, absorption, utilization, and other manufacturing cost drivers with Operations and Finance.
• Monitor cycle counts, physical inventories, and overall inventory accuracy with inventory and operations teams.
• Ensure accuracy of cost and inventory data within the ERP system through cross-team coordination.
• Lead improvements to cost accounting and ERP processes as manufacturing scales.
• Support accuracy of BOMs, routings, work orders, and inputs impacting product costs with Engineering and Operations.
• Provide cost data to FP&A for budgeting, forecasting, and business planning.

Skills

Cost accounting

GAAP knowledge

ERP systems

Data analysis

Communication

Education

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

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Long Wall Company was created in 2024 to accelerate missile defense technology for the U.S. and our allies. Building on the RS1 and GS0 launch systems, Long Wall develops containerized, mass-producible missile defense systems and offers rapid, low-cost flight testing. We believe that the future of global security and stability require defensive technology that is lower cost, higher performing, better tested, and more broadly distributed than is possible today. Join us.

What we look for

Mission-Driven Problem Solvers. The aerospace frontier demands ingenuity. We want Team members who approach challenges with curiosity, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and stay focused on delivering the best solution for the mission.

Total Ownership. We seek staff and engineers who take full responsibility for contributing to and delivering flight-ready work while recognizing that no one succeeds alone. The best engineers, corporate professionals, and technicians make their teammates better. Knowing that complementary skills create force multiplication and drive mission success.

Manager, Cost Accounting

DESCRIPTION

The Manager, Cost Accounting will own and lead the cost accounting and inventory accounting functions within the Accounting team. This role will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of manufacturing costs and inventory balances, supporting the month-end close and budgeting processes, and providing financial insights to support operational and business decision-making.

Reporting directly to the Controller, the Manager, Cost Accounting will work closely with the broader Finance and Accounting team and partner cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and other teams throughout the organization.

We are looking for someone with strong cost accounting and manufacturing experience who can both manage day-to-day accounting activities and help develop and scale our processes as the organization grows. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, comfortable working with detailed operational data, and able to translate complex cost information into meaningful financial insights. Experience within aerospace & defense, automotive, or another complex manufacturing environment is preferred.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own all manufacturing cost accounting activities, including month-end close, inventory accounting, cost maintenance, labor and overhead absorption, and related account reconciliations
• Develop and maintain effective cost accounting processes, policies, controls, and documentation to support accurate and timely financial reporting
• Perform and communicate manufacturing cost and variance analyses, including purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, work order, cost revaluation, and invoice-to-PO variances
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering to develop a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, inventory flows, cost drivers, and operational performance
• Partner with Operations and Finance to evaluate labor and overhead rates, absorption, utilization, and other manufacturing cost drivers
• Work closely with the inventory and operations teams to monitor and improve cycle count processes, physical inventory procedures, and overall inventory accuracy
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of cost and inventory information within the ERP system through detailed analysis and coordination with inventory, purchasing, receiving, production, and work order processes
• Identify and lead improvements to cost accounting and ERP processes as the Company’s manufacturing operations and reporting requirements continue to scale
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to support the accuracy of bills of material, routings, work orders, and other inputs impacting product costs
• Collaborate with FP&A to identify key cost drivers and provide cost accounting data and analysis to support budgeting, forecasting, and business planning
• Provide financial analysis and insights to support cost reduction initiatives, sourcing decisions, manufacturing efficiency, and other operational decision-making
• Support the design and execution of internal controls over inventory and cost accounting
• Support financial statement audits and other compliance activities related to inventory, manufacturing costs, and cost accounting
• Support and develop members of the Accounting team involved in cost and inventory accounting activities

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in cost accounting, inventory accounting, or manufacturing accounting

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP applicable to inventory and manufacturing cost accounting
• Experience working with ERP systems and analyzing detailed transactional and operational data
• Experience with physical inventories, cycle counts, inventory reserves, and inventory-related internal controls
• Experience developing and maintaining labor and manufacturing overhead rates, allocation methodologies, and cost pools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

• Experience within aerospace & defense, automotive, industrial manufacturing, or another complex manufacturing environment
• Experience establishing or improving cost accounting processes in a growing or evolving manufacturing organization
• Experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, and operational cost analysis
• Experience implementing, enhancing, or scaling ERP cost accounting and inventory functionality
• Experience managing or developing accounting team members
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• CPA, CMA, or other relevant professional certification is a plus

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time
• Ability to use a computer to complete assignments
• Ability to communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone, and via telepresence
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will typically work in an office environment
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time

$130,000 - $170,000 a year

The compensation range for this role is $130,000 - $170,000/yr

This is the lowest-to-highest compensation range we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

In addition to base pay and equity, we offer:

• Heavily employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Long Wall paid life insurance and LTD coverage
• 4% 401k match
• Student loan repayment assistance program
• Paid parental leave
• Family planning assistance program
• Long Wall paid financial wellness program
• Paid time off for non-exempt employees and flexible vacation policy for exempt employees

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens,U.S.permanent residents,individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status)is a required qualification for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.