Cost Accountant

Abantu Staffing Solutions; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 560,000; Full time

Job summary

Abantu Staffing Solutions is seeking a disciplined cost accountant to join our factory finance team in the Eastern Cape. You will support product costing, inventory valuation, and month-end activities within an SAP environment.

The role requires a BCom in accounting, progress towards CIMA preferred, 3–7 years of manufacturing finance experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to partner with operations and reporting teams.

Qualifications

• BCom accounting or cost & management accounting (NQF6).
• Studying towards CIMA is preferred.
• 3–7 years' manufacturing or factory finance experience with cost accounting, inventory valuation, and variance analysis.
• Experience with ERP systems in a manufacturing setting.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with operations.
• Good communication and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide costing and financial support to the factory finance function including product costing, inventory control, cost reporting, ERP data maintenance, and month-end activities.
• Ensure accurate financial information, internal controls, and compliance with policies and reporting requirements.
• Product costing and inventory control: maintain accurate cost models and monitor inventory valuations for pricing and reporting.
• Maintain standard and actual cost models; monitor IFRS compliance and costing policies.
• Cost control and variance analysis: prepare variance reports and investigate cost deviations; identify cost improvement opportunities.
• Support budgeting and forecasting of manufacturing costs and performance; contribute to annual budgets and rolling forecasts.
• ERP data integrity: maintain accurate costing and inventory data in SAP; ensure correct transactions and master data maintenance.
• Collaborate with production, supply chain and other departments to provide costing information and drive continuous improvement; ensure reliable financial information for operations.

Skills

Cost accounting

Inventory valuation

Variance analysis

ERP systems

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication & reporting

Education

BCom Accounting/Cost & Management Accounting (NQF6)

Studying towards CIMA preferred

Tools

SAP ERP

Job description

Minimum Requirements

• BCom Accounting/ Cost & Management Accounting (NQF6)

• Studying towards CIMA preferred

• Minimum 3–7 years’ experience in a manufacturing or factory finance environment, proven experience in cost accounting, inventory valuation, and variance analysis and experience with ERP systems in a manufacturing setting

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• High attention to detail and accuracy

• Ability to work cross-functionally with operations

• Good communication and reporting skills

Key Responsibilities

• Provide costing and financial support to the factory finance function by assisting with product costing, inventory control, cost reporting, ERP data maintenance, and month-end activities

• Ensure accurate financial information, effective internal controls, and compliance with company policies and financial reporting requirements

• Product costing and inventory control: Ensure accurate calculation and reporting of product costs and inventory values to support pricing, profitability analysis, and financial reporting; Responsible for maintaining accurate standard and actual cost models, monitoring inventory valuation, and ensuring compliance with IFRS and company costing policies

• Cost control and variance analysis: support the monitoring of manufacturing costs by preparing variance reports, investigating routine cost deviations, and assisting with the identification of cost improvement opportunities; Provide accurate and timely cost information to support operational decision-making and effective cost control

• Budgeting and forecasting support: Support accurate budgeting and forecasting of manufacturing costs and operational performance; Provide financial input and analysis to annual budgets, rolling forecasts, and long-term planning processes

• ERP and data integrity management: Support the maintenance of accurate costing and inventory data within the ERP system by ensuring transactions are processed correctly, master data is maintained, and data integrity is upheld; Assist in maintaining reliable cost-related information within SAP to support accurate financial

• Operational and cross-functional support, reporting, and operational efficiency: Provide finance and costing support to production, supply chain and other operational departments by assisting with costing information, reporting and continuous improvement initiatives; Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure accurate financial information is available to support efficient factory operations