Staff Cost Accountant

CesiumAstro; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

HSA/FSA

Retirement plans

Job summary

CesiumAstro in Austin, TX is seeking a Staff Cost Accountant to lead cost accounting for our aerospace and defense manufacturing operations. You will own standard costing, inventory valuation, and the monthly close, partnering with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, and FP&A.

The role requires deep GAAP knowledge, CPA/CMA, and experience with ERP systems. You will drive process improvements, support SEC reporting and SOX controls, and serve as the cost accounting expert across the

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in accounting required.
• CPA or CMA credential required.
• Strong GAAP knowledge and cost accounting experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly close for cost accounting activities.
• Maintain standard costing system and labor rates.
• Oversee inventory valuation and cycle counts.
• Analyze BOMs, routings, and cost changes.
• Prepare monthly variance analyses and reports.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical thinking

Cost accounting knowledge

Accounting judgment

Education

B.S./B.A. in Accounting

M.S./M.A. in Accounting

CPA or CMA

Tools

Acumatica

Oracle

SAP

Microsoft Dynamics

NetSuite

FactoryLogix

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Staff Cost Accountant to our team. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about making an impact in a growing company, we would like to hear from you.

In this role you will lead cost accounting, standard costing, and manufacturing accounting for CesiumAstro's aerospace and defense manufacturing operations. This role owns inventory valuation and cost accounting processes and partners with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, and FP&A to improve financial performance, serving as an individual contributor and the company's subject matter expert on cost accounting matters. The Staff Cost Accountant operates with minimal supervision, exercising a high degree of independent judgment on complex, technical accounting matters.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly close process for all cost accounting activities, including review and approval of inventory‑related journal entries.
• Own and maintain the standard costing system, ensuring accurate product costing across the business.
• Lead annual and interim cost updates, including development of labor and overhead rates.
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to validate manufacturing standards, analyze bill of material (BOM) and routing changes, and evaluate cost impacts of engineering changes and new product introductions.
• Oversee accounting for material consumption, labor capitalization, manufacturing overhead, production variances, scrap, rework, yield losses, and inventory adjustments.
• Ensure manufacturing transactions and production order close processes are recorded accurately and timely.
• Oversee perpetual inventory accounting, physical inventory observations, and cycle count programs, investigating discrepancies as needed.
• Review excess and obsolete inventory reserves and evaluate lower‑of‑cost‑or‑net‑realizable‑value (LCNRV) considerations.
• Prepare and review monthly variance analyses, including purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, efficiency, scrap/yield, and production volume variances.
• Communicate operational drivers of variances and recommend corrective actions to Operations and finance leadership.
• Prepare inventory and cost accounting schedules supporting monthly financial statements, including account reconciliations for inventory, cost of sales, manufacturing variances, and inventory reserves.
• Support SEC reporting requirements related to inventory and cost of sales and support external audit requests.
• Maintain SOX‑compliant controls over inventory and cost accounting and support internal and external SOX testing.
• Serve as the primary accounting business partner for Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, Production Planning, Program Management, Quality, and FP&A.
• Identify and drive opportunities for continuous process improvement and automation within cost accounting workflows.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive cost accounting or manufacturing accounting experience with a B.S./B.A. in Accounting or a minimum of 6 years of experience with a relevant M.S./M.A.
• CPA or CMA required. Advanced expertise in U.S. GAAP inventory accounting, including ASC 330 – Inventory.
• Extensive experience with standard costing, actual costing, and manufacturing overhead allocation.
• Strong knowledge of cost rollups, BOM management, routing structures, and standard cost revisions.
• Advanced knowledge of inventory reserves, obsolescence analysis, physical inventory controls, and cycle counts.
• Strong understanding of inventory capitalization, capitalized manufacturing costs, and fixed asset capitalization for manufacturing equipment.
• Working knowledge of SOX internal controls and ERP manufacturing modules.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with ERP systems such as Acumatica, Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or NetSuite.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
• Experience with FactoryLogix or similar manufacturing execution systems (MES).
• Advanced analytical and critical thinking skills to resolve complex cost accounting and manufacturing issues.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with defense or aerospace manufacturing, government contracting, and public company reporting.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full‑time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.