Senior Cost Accountant

Morgan Advanced Materials; Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County); On-site; USD 64,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Advanced Materials in Wilkes-Barre, PA, is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Accountant to lead standard costing across our manufacturing operations and support a Dynamics 365 ERP implementation. The role focuses on developing costing structures, improving inventory valuation and providing actionable financial insights to operations and engineering.

You will work with shop floor teams, review BOMs and routings, conduct time studies, analyze variances and help drive continuous

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
• Hands-on experience developing and implementing standard costing systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of standard costs for materials, labor and overhead across manufacturing operations.
• Support the Microsoft D365 ERP implementation, establishing accurate costing structures and inventory valuation processes.
• Review bills of materials (BOMs), production routings, labor requirements and overhead allocations with Operations and Engineering.
• Conduct production time studies to establish realistic labor standards and manufacturing rates.
• Analyze cost variances and work with teams to identify improvements.

Skills

Cost accounting

ERP systems

Excel

Data analysis

Manufacturing knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Microsoft D365

SAP

Oracle

Power BI

Job description

Overview

Morgan Advanced Materials is a business rich in history and innovation. Founded in the UK in 1856, we have grown into a global organisation with 70 sites in 18 countries. Our model to serve our customers where they need us has led to a diversified product range using our unparalleled expertise in ceramic and carbon materials, which we exploit to solve difficult problems for our customers across a diverse range of markets.

We are a purpose driven organisation. Our purpose is to use advanced materials to make the world more sustainable and to improve the quality of life. We deliver on that purpose through the products that we make, and the way that we make them.

The Technical Ceramics business of Morgan Advanced Materials engineers high performance functional and structural ceramic materials, components and sub-assemblies to address customer-specific technical challenges.

Key Figures: Revenue £1,100.7m (2024), ~8,000 employees, manufacturing in 20+ countries, and a global customer portfolio. A UK PLC with head office located in Windsor, Berkshire UK. Listed on London Stock Exchange; Member of the FTSE 250 Index.

Responsibilities

At Morgan Advanced Materials, we develop and manufacture specialist materials used in products and applications where performance, reliability and durability really matter.We're looking for an experienced Senior Cost Accountant to join our manufacturing team in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and play a key role in implementing our new Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) ERP system.This isn't a role where you'll simply inherit an existing process and keep it ticking over. You'll help build and implement our standard costing processes, improve inventory valuation and make sure our manufacturing costs are accurate, meaningful and useful to the business.If you enjoy getting into the detail, working with people on the shop floor and making systems work properly, rather than just looking good on paper, this could be an interesting opportunity.

The Role

You'll take the lead on developing and implementing standard costing practices across our manufacturing operations, working closely with Finance, Operations, Engineering and Procurement.A big part of your role will involve supporting our D365 implementation, ensuring the right costing structures, processes and controls are in place from the outset.You'll need to be comfortable rolling up your sleeves, challenging existing processes and translating complex manufacturing data into financial information people can actually use.

What You'll Do

• Lead the development and implementation of standard costs for materials, labor and overhead across manufacturing operations.
• Support the Microsoft D365 ERP implementation, helping establish accurate costing structures and inventory valuation processes.
• Work closely with Operations and Engineering to review bills of materials (BOMs), production routings, labor requirements and overhead allocations.
• Conduct and support production time studies to establish realistic labor standards and manufacturing rates.
• Analyze cost variances, investigate what's driving them and work with teams to identify improvements.
• Develop the annual standard cost roll-up process, accounting for changes in materials, labor, production processes and inflation.
• Support product pricing and business decisions through cost modeling, margin analysis and scenario planning.
• Establish reliable reporting and controls to support financial accuracy, compliance and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

What You'll Bring

We're looking for someone who understands manufacturing cost accounting beyond the spreadsheets.Ideally, you'll have:

• 5–8+ years of cost accounting experience within a manufacturing environment.
• A bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.
• Hands‑on experience developing and implementing standard costing systems. This is particularly important.
• A solid understanding of manufacturing processes, BOMs, routings, labor rates, overhead allocation and inventory valuation.
• Experience working with ERP systems such as Microsoft D365, SAP or Oracle.
• Strong Excel skills and the ability to analyze complex financial and operational data.
• Experience investigating cost variances and explaining the findings to people outside Finance.
• The confidence to work directly with production teams, engineers and operational leaders.

Even better if you have:

• Previous experience supporting an ERP implementation or system migration, particularly involving standard costing.
• Hands‑on knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Experience using Power BI for financial reporting and analysis.
• A continuous improvement mindset and a track record of making costing processes more effective.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who can work independently, ask the right questions and turn financial data into practical improvements.

What You’ll Get

This is a long‑term contract opportunity, initially expected to last approximately 12 months, with the potential to transition into a permanent position.You'll have the opportunity to:

• Play a significant role in a major ERP implementation.
• Help shape how standard costing and inventory valuation are managed across the facility.
• Work closely with Finance and manufacturing teams, with genuine involvement in operational decision‑making.
• Make a measurable difference to the accuracy and effectiveness of our costing processes.

Important: This role involves working with controlled technical data, so you’ll need to meet U.S. ITAR requirements.

Individual must be a Citizen of the United States, or Permanent resident alien of the United States, or Protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) as defined by 22CFR120.15

Compensation (Base Salary Range) $63816 - $95725

Morgan Advanced Materials is an EEO/AA/M/W/D/V Employer.

Morgan Advanced Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Ind-1