Senior Cost Accountant

CHM Industries; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

CHM Industries, Inc. seeks a Senior Cost Accountant to own manufacturing cost accounting, inventory reconciliations, and variance analysis.

The role partners with Operations, Purchasing, and Production to improve costing accuracy and support standard costing implementation. The ideal candidate has hands-on manufacturing costing experience, understands how operational transactions affect inventory and COGS, and can independently investigate discrepancies while supporting financial reporting and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Five+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least three years in manufacturing cost accounting.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP related to inventory valuation and manufacturing costs.
• Hands-on experience with cost rollups, standard costing, variance analysis, labor and overhead absorption, and capitalized manufacturing variances.
• Understanding of average costing and the operational transactions affecting inventory and cost of goods sold.
• Experience with inventory reconciliations, physical inventories, and month-end close.
• Working knowledge of SOX controls and audit documentation.
• Strong Excel and ERP skills, including analysis of large datasets.
• Ability to independently resolve discrepancies and communicate findings across departments.

Responsibilities

• Own manufacturing cost accounting and variance analysis.
• Manage inventory reconciliations and cost of goods sold calculations.
• Prepare journal entries and supporting schedules for inventory and COGS.
• Support month-end close and standard costing updates.
• Investigate significant variances and communicate corrective actions across departments.
• Review labor and overhead absorption and impact of volume on costs.
• Reconcile raw materials, WIP, and finished goods to the general ledger.
• Analyze product margins and changes in manufacturing costs.

Skills

Cost accounting

GAAP knowledge

Variance analysis

Excel

SOX controls

Cross-functional communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

CHM Industries is seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to own manufacturing cost accounting, inventory reconciliations, and variance analysis. Reporting to the Accounting Manager, this role will support accurate inventory valuation and financial reporting while providing insight into material, labor, and overhead costs.

The ideal candidate has hands‑on manufacturing experience, understands how operational transactions affect inventory and cost of goods sold, and can independently investigate discrepancies. This role will partner with Operations, Purchasing, and Production to improve costing accuracy, strengthen controls, and support the evaluation and implementation of standard costing.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and review cost rollups, validating material costs, bills of materials, routings, labor rates, and overhead assumptions.
• Maintain costing schedules and support standard cost updates, inventory revaluations, and the transition from average to standard costing.
• Analyze purchase price, material usage, labor rate and efficiency, and overhead spending and volume variances.
• Investigate significant variances, identify underlying causes, and communicate findings and corrective actions to Accounting and Operations.
• Review labor and overhead absorption, including the impact of production volume and capacity utilization.
• Calculate and document eligible manufacturing variances capitalized into inventory under U.S. GAAP and company policy; reconcile related balances and releases to cost of goods sold.
• Identify abnormal production costs requiring current‑period expense rather than inventory capitalization.
• Analyze product and job margins and explain changes in manufacturing costs.
• Own raw material, work in process, and finished goods reconciliations to the general ledger.
• Prepare journal entries and supporting schedules for inventory, cost of goods sold, absorption, reserves, and capitalized variances.
• Review production orders and investigate incomplete transactions, unusual balances, negative inventory, and incorrect unit costs.
• Support physical inventories and cycle counts, review adjustments, and resolve discrepancies.
• Evaluate excess, obsolete, and slow‑moving inventory and prepare reserve analyses.
• Review inventory at third parties, outsourced processing, goods in transit, and period‑end cutoff.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressive accounting experience, including at least three years in manufacturing cost accounting.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP related to inventory valuation and manufacturing costs.
• Hands‑on experience with cost rollups, standard costing, variance analysis, labor and overhead absorption, and capitalized manufacturing variances.
• Understanding of average costing and the operational transactions affecting inventory and cost of goods sold.
• Experience with inventory reconciliations, physical inventories, and month‑end close.
• Working knowledge of SOX controls and audit documentation.
• Strong Excel and ERP skills, including analysis of large datasets.
• Ability to independently resolve discrepancies and communicate findings across departments.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA designation or active pursuit of CPA licensure.
• Manufacturing, construction, or project‑based accounting experience.
• Public accounting or public company experience.
• Experience with intercompany accounting and process improvement.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid time off and company holidays.
• Career growth opportunities within a growing finance organization.