Senior Cost Accountant

Position Summary

The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for leading all aspects of cost accounting, inventory accounting, and manufacturing financial analysis while driving continuous process improvements. This role partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and financial reporting. The ideal candidate has strong experience implementing or optimizing ERP systems and enjoys improving processes in a growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

Cost Accounting

• Maintain and enhance costing methodologies.
• Calculate, analyze, and update product cost and material costs.
• Analyze COGS variances and trends including purchase price, and production volume.
• Prepare monthly cost accounting journal entries and reconciliations.
• Review inventory transactions to ensure accuracy and compliance with company policies.
• Perform margin and profitability analyses by product, customer, and business unit.
• Assist with annual physical inventory processes.

Inventory Management

• Maintain accurate inventory valuation in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
• Partner with Operations to improve inventory accuracy and cycle count programs.
• Analyze inventory reserves, obsolescence, excess inventory, and slow-moving stock.
• Reconcile inventory subledger to the general ledger.

Financial Reporting & Analysis

• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes.
• Prepare management reports explaining cost trends and manufacturing performance.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs related to inventory.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and annual operating plans.
• Support internal and external audit requests.

ERP Implementation & Process Improvement

• Serve as Finance lead or key contributor during ERP implementations, upgrades, and optimization projects.
• Design and validate cost accounting processes within ERP systems.
• Test costing functionality, inventory transactions, production workflows, and financial reporting.
• Develop internal controls around ERP cost accounting modules.
• Create documentation, procedures, and end-user training materials.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve reporting efficiency.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Operations, Purchasing, Supply Chain and FP&A to improve operational performance.
• Provide financial guidance for new product introductions and manufacturing initiatives.
• Participate in capital expenditure analysis and manufacturing investment decisions.
• Present financial results and recommendations to leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• CPA or CMA preferred
• 5–8+ years of progressive accounting experience
• Minimum 3 years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment
• Experience with high growth and/or CPG companies
• Demonstrated experience participating in at least one full ERP implementation or major ERP upgrade
• Strong understanding of:
  • Standard costing
  • Inventory accounting
  • GAAP
  • Internal controls
• Advanced Excel skills
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Infor, Epicor, NetSuite, or similar
• Experience with business intelligence tools is a plus

Core Competencies

• Analytical thinking
• Continuous improvement mindset
• ERP systems expertise
• Business partnership
• Strong attention to detail
• Project management
• Problem solving
• Effective communication
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Experience

• CPG operations
• Public company or SOX compliance experience
• ERP implementation leadership
• Experience developing financial dashboards and KPIs

Success Measures

Within the first 12 months, the successful candidate will:

• Improve accuracy and timeliness of monthly cost reporting.
• Enhance inventory controls and reduce inventory discrepancies.
• Successfully support ERP implementation or optimization initiatives.
• Develop meaningful inventory KPIs that improve operational decision-making.
• Identify and implement process improvements that reduce manual work and strengthen internal controls.
• Build strong partnerships across Finance and Operations.

Originally posted on Himalayas