The Staff Accountant – Cost Accounting is responsible for developing, maintaining, and analyzing product and job costs across manufacturing operations. This role owns cost development, variance analysis, inventory valuation, and margin reporting, while supporting the month-end close and partnering with Operations to ensure costing data is accurate and actionable. Success in this role means providing reliable cost information that drives sound pricing, profitability, and operational decisions.
Key Responsibilities
Cost Accounting & Analysis
- Develop, maintain, and update costs for materials, labor, and overhead across all product lines and production processes.
- Analyze manufacturing variances — including purchase price, material usage, labor efficiency, and overhead absorption — and clearly explain drivers to management.
- Perform job cost analysis on completed jobs, comparing estimated versus actual costs and identifying trends, exceptions, and margin erosion.
- Establish and review labor and machine rates, overhead allocation methods, and burden rates on a regular basis.
- Monitoring the accuracy of labor and material cost data collected by the shop floor employees and charged to jobs.
- Cost and transact FG transfers into fulfillment warehouse.
Inventory & Manufacturing Support
- Maintain accurate inventory valuation for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods, including reserves for excess and obsolete inventory.
- Plan, coordinate, and reconcile month-end physical inventories and cycle counts; investigate and resolve count discrepancies.
- Monitor scrap, waste, and rework reporting and quantify their financial impact.
General Accounting & Month-End Close
- Prepare journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules related to inventory, cost of goods sold, and manufacturing accounts as part of the month-end close.
- Reconcile perpetual inventory records to the general ledger and resolve differences timely.
- Assist with the preparation of monthly financial statements and management reporting packages.
- Support external audits and reviews by preparing schedules and responding to auditor requests related to inventory and costing.
Reporting, Budgeting & Continuous Improvement
- Prepare recurring margin, profitability, and cost trend reports by product, job, and customer for leadership.
- Assist in the development of the annual budget and periodic forecasts, particularly for material, labor, and overhead costs.
- Identify cost-reduction opportunities and process improvements; support continuous improvement initiatives with financial analysis.
- Strengthen internal controls and documentation surrounding inventory and cost accounting processes.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- 2–3 years of accounting experience with meaningful, hands-on cost accounting responsibility, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
- Strong working knowledge of cost accounting concepts, including standard costing, variance analysis, overhead absorption, and inventory valuation (GAAP).
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookups, and data analysis) and experience with ERP/MRP systems.