Cost & Management Accountant: Data-Driven Costing & Insights

Pro Talent; KwaZulu-Natal; On-site; ZAR 520,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Pro Talent in Durban Head Office seeks a high-energy Cost and Management Accountant to build costing tools, perform inventory valuation and provide profitability insights across operations. You will collaborate with production, procurement and IT to improve data quality and automate reporting.

The role requires strong costing expertise, ERP experience (Meat Matrix or similar), advanced Excel and Power BI skills, and the ability to translate data into actionable management information.

Qualifications

• South African relevant degree in accounting, finance or management accounting.

Responsibilities

• Build and improve costing tools, dashboards and reconciliation workflows and controls that turn operational data into timely action.
• Develop and maintain costing models covering materials, labour, overheads, yields and wastage.
• Validate assumptions with production and procurement, maintain standard costs and explain differences between standard and actual performance.
• Analyse gross profit by SKU, customer, channel and production run.
• Investigate margin erosion, input cost changes, yield losses and stock allocation issues, and recommend practical corrective action.
• Ensure sound valuation of raw materials, work in progress and finished goods.
• Lead finance support for stock counts, reconcile ERP records with warehouse and production data, and investigate discrepancies through to their root cause.
• Work with ERP, IT and operational teams to strengthen data quality, automate repeatable reporting and establish clear ownership of source data.
• Work directly with department managers to understand processes and test what the numbers are telling us and translate findings into clear actions.
• Support budgets, forecasts and scenario modelling.
• Provide financial insight for pricing, promotions, supplier negotiations and production planning, and flag risks and opportunities early.

Skills

Cost accounting

Management accounting

Power BI

Power Query

SQL

Excel

Data analysis

Management reporting

Education

Relevant SA degree in accounting/finance/management accounting

CA(SA) / CIMA advantageous

Strong experience in costing/manufacturing environments

Tools

Meat Matrix ERP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Pro Talent in Durban Head Office seeks a high-energy Cost and Management Accountant to build costing tools, perform inventory valuation and provide profitability insights across operations. You will collaborate with production, procurement and IT to improve data quality and automate reporting.

The role requires strong costing expertise, ERP experience (Meat Matrix or similar), advanced Excel and Power BI skills, and the ability to translate data into actionable management information.