Senior Inventory Costing & Variance Manager

Paylocity; Champlin (MN); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Forgent Power is seeking a seasoned cost/inventory accountant to oversee material, WIP, and finished goods accounting, including intercompany inventory and variances. You will lead month-end close, standard cost maintenance, and inventory valuation with close collaboration with Supply Chain and Manufacturing.

The role requires 5+ years in cost/inventory accounting within manufacturing, ERP experience (SAP/Oracle/Dynamics/Epicor), and strong Excel and SOX compliance knowledge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience with a strong focus on cost accounting/inventory accounting, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• CPA, CMA, or CPIM certification preferred.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor, or similar) required; cost module configuration a plus.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, financial modeling).
• Experience supporting SOX compliance and internal/external audits.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing manufacturing variances and standard costing.

Responsibilities

• Oversee accounting for raw materials, WIP, finished goods, unbilled inventory, and intercompany inventory profit elimination.
• Prepare and analyze financial reports focusing on inventory performance, valuation, and COGS.
• Lead closing activities including reconciliations, journal entries, and roll-forwards for GL accounts.
• Maintain and analyze standard costs with cost rollups to support variance analysis.
• Perform monthly inventory valuation, reconciliation, and reporting across inventory sub-ledgers and GL.
• Analyze purchase price variances, manufacturing variances, labor/overhead absorption, and scrap/yield variances.
• Lead or support physical/cycle counts and resolve discrepancies.
• Coordinate 3rd party warehouse inventory reconciliations with internal reporting.
• Prepare journal entries for inventory, COGS, and cost accruals in month-end close.
• Manage excess/obsolete/slow-moving inventory reserves and reporting.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Manufacturing to identify cost drivers and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain overhead allocation rates and burden rate calculations.
• Support annual budgeting and forecasting for inventory and COGS.
• Ensure SOX compliance and respond to audits; support internal/external inquiries.
• Identify process/system improvements to boost efficiency and reporting accuracy.
• Support ERP costing modules and participate in system enhancement projects.
• Produce ad hoc analyses for finance leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Assist auditors with inquiries and schedules; mentor junior staff.

Skills

Cost accounting

Inventory accounting

Advanced Excel

SOX compliance

Variance analysis

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Microsoft Dynamics

Epicor

Cost module configuration

Job description

Forgent Power is seeking a seasoned cost/inventory accountant to oversee material, WIP, and finished goods accounting, including intercompany inventory and variances. You will lead month-end close, standard cost maintenance, and inventory valuation with close collaboration with Supply Chain and Manufacturing.

The role requires 5+ years in cost/inventory accounting within manufacturing, ERP experience (SAP/Oracle/Dynamics/Epicor), and strong Excel and SOX compliance knowledge.