Cost Accountant

Gerald Lilian Executive Appointments (GLEA); Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 350 000 - 450 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading manufacturing firm in Johannesburg is seeking a skilled Cost Accountant to manage production costs and ensure financial accuracy. The successful candidate will have up to 5 years of experience in a similar role and will be responsible for calculating production yields and managing inventory. Key skills include strong cost accounting and analytical abilities, as well as advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel. This role offers significant opportunities for growth and hands-on on-the-job training.

Qualifications

• Up to 5 years experience as a Cost Accountant in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Experience working with Bill of Materials.
• Solid understanding of yield management including production yields.

Responsibilities

• Manage costs within the company’s production environment.
• Ensure accurate financial tracking and contribute to operational efficiency.
• Calculate production yields and monitor yield rates to minimise waste.

Skills

Cost accounting experience

Standard costing exposure

Strong Microsoft Excel skills

Numerical proficiency

Inventory management

Education

B Comm in Cost Accounting or Management Accounting

B Tech in Cost and Management Accounting

National Diploma in Cost and Management Accounting

Job description

Based East Rand. Join market leader that manufactures their industrial products for local and international markets and forms part of a local Group of Companies. This medium sized business which employs approximately 230 staff (60 salaried and 170 wages) is a highly profitable Entity in the Group. It specialises in manufacturing and engineering that includes the use of furnaces, smelters and has a refinery. The customer base includes automotive, cable, mining and related industries noting that the business has been in existence for many decades. The position reports into both a Management Accountant and Financial Director who will be both mentoring and training the Cost Accountant to upskill and become more experienced in the role. By way of summary, the position will offer significant opportunities for growth and hands-on involvement with on-the-job training provided to support development.

The Cost Accountant will play a key role in managing costs within the Companys production environment, ensure accurate financial tracking and contributes to operational efficiency. This will include production processing, cost analysis for the factory, calculating product costs, analysing variances and preparing cost reports. Although the manufacturing & engineering process do not rely heavily on Bill of Materials, nevertheless, it is expected that the successful candidate will have worked with BOM Systems in previous roles. It is required that the Cost Accountant will calculate production yields as well as monitor and improve yield rates to minimise waste and maximise efficiency. In addition, weekly and monthly stock takes will need to be carried out ensuring accurate stock counting, reconciliation, cycle counts and ensuring inventory accuracy to support reliable financial reporting and operational planning.

Requirements

• B Comm (preferably in Cost Accounting or Management Accounting) or B Tech in Cost and Management Accounting or a National Diploma. Up to 5 years experience as a Cost Accountant in a manufacturing or engineering environment is an essential prerequisite for this vacancy.
• Candidate must have strong cost accounting experience as well as standard costing exposure, worked with Bill of Materials, have a good grasp of structured cost breakdowns and material tracking. In addition, a solid understanding of yield management including production yields is crucial and expertise in inventory (stock) management.
• Key skills and competencies also include numerical proficiency which covers aptitude with numbers as well as meticulous focus on accuracy from data entry and report preparation to identifying discrepancies.
• Personal attributes will cover a candidate that has a passion for manufacturing and be motivated by the dynamics of production, process improvement and tangible outputs. Furthermore, an inquisitive nature which will drive questions on the status quo and drive continuous improvement. Finally, the candidate that enjoys challenges and has a positive attitude. Naturally, there is a need for strong Microsoft skills especially Excel which should be reasonably advanced.