Cost Accountant

Italtile; Vereeniging; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Italtile seeks a detail-oriented Cost Accountant to standardise costing for all manufactured products across seven plants. You will drive pricing and profitability analyses, work with plant managers, procurement, and finance to ensure cost integrity across the value chain.

You will develop standard costing models, perform variance analysis, and track cost-saving initiatives while supporting month-end close and internal controls within SAP CO/MM.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a Cost Accounting role within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in multi-site or multi-plant cost management is advantageous.
• Proven track record in product costing, variance analysis, and profitability reporting.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and validate standard cost models per SKU, size, finish, and plant.
• Maintain cost per m²/unit across all product lines in SAP.
• Review BOMs and routings in SAP to reflect production realities.
• Perform periodic cost rolls to update standard costs for material, labour, and overhead inputs.
• Produce monthly variance reports comparing actual vs. standard costs across seven plants.
• Investigate and explain variances in raw materials, direct labour, energy, and overhead absorption.
• Present variance commentary with root cause analysis and corrective action recommendations.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities across materials, energy, labour, maintenance, and process efficiency.
• Maintain a formal savings tracker with measurable outcomes per initiative.
• Partner with procurement and operations to support cost reduction projects.
• Produce monthly gross margin reports by SKU, product range, finish type, and plant.
• Flag low-margin or loss-making SKUs to leadership; support pricing reviews with cost-based modelling.
• Analyse net margin by customer and sales channel, including rebates and service costs.
• Build customer-level P&L views to support strategic accounts decisions.
• Perform monthly inventory valuation, WIP reconciliation, and finished goods cost verification.
• Manage overhead absorption rates and conduct reviews against actual expenditure.
• Support month-end and year-end close processes with cost-related journals.
• Maintain SAP CO/MM module integrity and develop internal cost controls.

Skills

Cost accounting

Variance analysis

Product costing

Profitability reporting

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

ERP reporting

Education

CIMA qualification (part-qualified or fully qualified) or equivalent

Tools

SAP CO/MM/PP modules

Job description

We are looking for a detail-orientated Cost Accountant to join our business. The Cost Accountant is responsible for the accurate and timely costing of all manufactured products across seven production facilities. The role serves as the financial engine behind product pricing, profitability analysis, and cost control — providing management with reliable data to drive operational and commercial decision-making. The incumbent will work closely with plant managers, production teams, procurement, and commercial finance to ensure cost integrity across the full manufacturing value chain.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Costing & Bill of Materials (BOM) Integrity

• Develop, maintain, and validate standard cost models per SKU, size, finish, and plant.
• Maintain accurate cost per m²/unit across all product lines in SAP.
• Review and update Bills of Materials (BOMs) and routings in SAP to reflect current production realities.
• Perform periodic cost rolls to update standard costs for material, labour, and overhead inputs.

2. Cost Variance Analysis & Reporting

• Produce monthly variance reports comparing actual vs. standard costs across all seven plants.
• Investigate and explain variances in raw materials, direct labour, energy, maintenance, and overhead absorption.
• Present variance commentary to plant and finance leadership with root cause analysis and corrective action recommendations.
• Quantify the financial impact of yield losses, production waste, rework, and unplanned downtime.
• Collaborate with plant engineers and production supervisors to capture accurate waste and loss data.
• Report cost-of-quality metrics and trend these over time to support continuous improvement initiatives.

4. Unit Cost Reduction & Savings Tracking

• Identify cost-saving opportunities across materials, energy, labour, maintenance, and process efficiency.
• Maintain a formal savings tracker with validated, measurable outcomes per initiative.
• Partner with procurement and operations to support cost reduction project delivery.

5. Product & SKU Profitability Reporting

• Produce monthly gross margin reports by SKU, product range, finish type, and plant.
• Flag low-margin, breakeven, or loss-making SKUs to commercial and executive leadership.
• Support pricing reviews with cost-based profitability modelling.

6. Customer Profitability Analysis

• Analyse net margin by customer and sales channel, incorporating rebates, logistics costs, claims, credits, and service costs.
• Build customer-level P&L views to support strategic account decisions and commercial negotiations.
• Identify unprofitable customer segments and provide data-driven recommendations.

7. Inventory & Overhead Management

• Perform monthly inventory valuation, WIP reconciliation, and finished goods cost verification.
• Manage overhead absorption rates and conduct regular reviews against actual expenditure.
• Support month-end and year-end close processes, including cost-related journal entries and reconciliations.

8. Systems, Controls & Compliance

• Maintain SAP CO/MM module integrity, ensuring master data accuracy across all plants.
• Develop and enforce cost accounting policies and internal controls across the manufacturing division.
• Support internal and external audit processes with accurate cost schedules and working papers.

Qualifications

• Advantageous: CIMA qualification (part-qualified or fully qualified) or equivalent professional designation

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a Cost Accounting role within a manufacturing or production environment
• Demonstrated experience in multi-site or multi-plant cost management is advantageous
• Proven track record in product costing, variance analysis, and profitability reporting

Competency

• SAP (CO/MM/PP modules) Essential - advanced working knowledge
• Standard Costing & BOM Management
• Variance Analysis
• Microsoft Excel
• ERP Reporting & Data Extraction
• Power BI / BI Reporting Tools Advantageous

Advantageous

• Analytical Rigour: Ability to interpret complex cost data and translate findings into clear business insight.
• Attention to Detail: High degree of accuracy in cost capture, reporting, and reconciliation.
• Commercial Acumen: Understanding of how cost decisions impact pricing, margin, and competitiveness.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Confident communicator capable of presenting financial data to non-financial audiences including plant managers and executives.
• Accountability: Self-directed, deadline-driven, and ownership-oriented.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Proactively identifies inefficiencies and pursues solutions.
• Resilience & Adaptability: Able to manage competing priorities across multiple plant environments.