Senior Plant Cost Accountant

LaSalle Network; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Job summary

LaSalle Network is seeking a Senior Plant Cost Accountant to join the finance team in Lake Forest, IL. The role focuses on inventory and manufacturing variances, standard costing, and reporting to improve profitability through actionable insights.

The position involves cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering, and supports ERP enhancements and audits during month-end and planning cycles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• 5+ years in manufacturing accounting, cost accounting, or financial analysis, with at least 3 years in manufacturing operations.
• Experience with standard costing, inventory accounting, variances, and month-end close.
• ERP experience; Dynamics 365 preferred.
• Strong Excel skills and dashboard development.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day inventory activity with Operations/Materials.
• Own inventory/cost-related GL reconciliations and variances.
• Support month-end/year-end close with journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Evaluate manufacturing variances and surface drivers and recommendations.
• Build inventory reporting and cost dashboards to aid decisions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams on new product introductions and BOMs/routings.
• Maintain standard costs and support annual standard cost updates and revaluations.
• Coordinate physical inventory processes and ensure audit readiness.
• Assist with audits related to inventory and cost accounting.
• Review CAPEX requests and provide ROI and depreciation analysis.
• Track CIP activity and assist capitalization of completed projects.
• Deliver product-level profitability and margin insights to improve performance.
• Monitor slow-moving inventory and coordinate disposition plans.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication

Business partnering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Admin

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Excel (Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query)

Power BI

Job description

Our client is hiring a Senior Plant Cost Accountant to join its finance team in Lake Forest, IL. This direct-hire opportunity is ideal for a mid-to-senior level cost accountant who enjoys partnering with plant leadership, digging into inventory and manufacturing variances, and improving profitability through actionable insights. The Senior Plant Cost Accountant will play a key role in month-end close, standard costing, and reporting, with exposure to ERP enhancements and cross-functional collaboration across Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering. This is an exciting chance to step into a growth-oriented environment with meaningful impact.

What’s the job?

• Oversee day-to-day inventory transaction activity and collaborate with Operations/Materials to troubleshoot and correct issues
• Own inventory- and cost-related general ledger reconciliations, researching variances and driving items to resolution
• Support month-end and year-end close by preparing journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, and related variance analysis
• Evaluate manufacturing variances (purchase price, material usage, labor, scrap) and surface drivers, trends, and recommendations
• Build and maintain inventory reporting and cost dashboards, using financial models to support decision-making
• Partner with cross-functional teams on new product introductions and engineering changes, validating product costs, BOMs, and routings
• Maintain standard costs for purchased and manufactured items, including support for annual standard cost updates and revaluations
• Coordinate and support physical inventory processes to ensure accurate inventory valuation and audit readiness
• Assist with internal and external audit requests tied to inventory and cost accounting, ensuring documentation and support are complete
• Review CAPEX requests and provide financial justification support (ROI, depreciation impact, capitalization policy alignment)
• Track CIP activity and help facilitate timely capitalization of completed projects, including fixed asset tagging coordination
• Deliver product-level profitability and margin insights (revenue, material/labor, overhead absorption) to help improve performance
• Monitor slow-moving and obsolete inventory reporting and partner with Operations/Supply Chain on action plans and disposition strategy
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and longer-range planning by providing cost, inventory, and operational inputs
• Participate in continuous improvement efforts and ad hoc projects as assigned

What’s needed?

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
• 5+ years of manufacturing accounting, cost accounting, or financial analysis experience, including at least 3 years supporting manufacturing operations
• Experience with standard costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing variances, and month-end close
• ERP experience required; Microsoft Dynamics 365 experience preferred
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query, financial modeling, and dashboard development
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and business partnering skills, with the ability to collaborate across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and leadership teams
• CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification is a plus
• Ability to work additional hours as needed during month-end close, physical inventories, annual planning, forecasting, and audit activities

Key Details

• Compensation: $90,000–$100,000 base salary
• Location: Lake Forest, IL
• Work Model: Onsite
• Benefits: Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance
• Employment Type: Direct Hire

LaSalle Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer m/f/d/v.