Senior Cost Accountant

CFS; Des Plaines (IL); Remote; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Job summary

CFS is seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to lead a manufacturing costing project, improve cost visibility, profitability analysis, and standard costing across locations. The role is hands-on, data-driven, and focused on practical cost-reduction solutions.

The position offers remote work and requires deep expertise in cost accounting, variance analysis, and reporting. You will develop cost rate models, analyze budget-to-actual results, and drive process improvements for better business decisions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing cost accounting experience.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, routings, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variances.
• Experience developing budget-based cost rates and analyzing budget-to-actual results.
• Advanced Excel skills including Pivot Tables, lookups, reconciliations, and large dataset analysis.
• Ability to work independently, investigate data issues, and communicate findings clearly.

Responsibilities

• Develop budget-based labor and overhead rates using production volumes, capacity, and allocation methodologies.
• Analyze actual manufacturing costs against budget and identify cost drivers.
• Review and evaluate standard cost components, including labor, materials, routings, and overhead.
• Analyze labor, purchase price, and overhead variances and provide recommendations.
• Assess freight-in and tariff allocations at the SKU and inventory level.
• Reconcile costing analyses to inventory records and the general ledger.
• Evaluate current costing practices and recommend process improvements.
• Create reusable reporting tools, schedules, and documentation for ongoing use.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Root cause analysis

Data investigation

Clear communication

Tools

Plex ERP

Power Query

Job description

About The Senior Cost Accountant Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Cost Accountant to lead a high-impact manufacturing costing project focused on improving cost visibility, profitability analysis, and standard costing practices across multiple locations. This Senior Cost Accountant role is ideal for a hands-on manufacturing accounting professional who enjoys digging into data, identifying root causes, and building practical solutions that drive better business decisions.

Key Responsibilities For The Senior Cost Accountant

• Develop budget-based labor and overhead rates using production volumes, capacity, and allocation methodologies
• Analyze actual manufacturing costs against budget and identify cost drivers
• Review and evaluate standard cost components, including labor, materials, routings, and overhead
• Analyze labor, purchase price, and overhead variances and provide recommendations
• Assess freight-in and tariff allocations at the SKU and inventory level
• Reconcile costing analyses to inventory records and the general ledger
• Evaluate current costing practices and recommend process improvements
• Create reusable reporting tools, schedules, and documentation for ongoing use

Required

Qualifications for the Senior Cost Accountant

• 5+ years of manufacturing cost accounting experience
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, routings, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variances
• Experience developing budget-based cost rates and analyzing budget-to-actual results
• Advanced Excel skills including Pivot Tables, lookups, reconciliations, and large dataset analysis
• Ability to work independently, investigate data issues, and communicate findings clearly

Preferred

• Plex ERP experience
• Multi-site manufacturing experience
• Freight and tariff allocation experience
• Power Query or advanced reporting tool experience

Why This Senior Cost Accountant Opportunity Stands Out

• Opportunity to drive meaningful improvements in manufacturing cost visibility
• High-impact project with direct influence on profitability analysis
• Exposure to complex cost accounting and operational finance initiatives
• Fully remote work environment
• Opportunity to leverage deep manufacturing accounting expertise

Position Details

• Title: Senior Cost Accountant
• Location: Remote
• Focus Areas: Standard Costing, Manufacturing Analysis, Inventory Valuation, Cost Improvement, and Profitability Analysis