Cost Accountant

Milwaukee Electronics

$80K — $100K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
  • 3-5 years of accounting or finance experience, with 2+ years in manufacturing cost accounting.
  • Experience with standard costing and inventory accounting.
  • Familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting processes preferred.
  • Knowledge of U.S. GAAP for inventory and cost accounting.

Responsibilities

  • Maintain and update standard costs for products and manage inventory valuation.
  • Analyze material, labor, and overhead variances to provide insights into operational performance.
  • Prepare and distribute monthly management reporting packages and KPI analysis.
  • Assist in the annual budgeting and forecasting process, validating operational assumptions.
  • Collaborate with multiple departments to enhance cost visibility and operational efficiency.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to impact an innovative company on a growth trajectory.
  • Supportive team environment fostering accountability and quality improvement.
  • Collaboration with various departments to enhance financial insights.
  • Opportunity for professional development within finance and accounting.
  • Engagement in systems and process improvements related to manufacturing finance.
Full Job Description
Description

Why This Role Matters

This is an opportunity to create an impact in an innovative company on a growth trajectory.

Who You Are

You will be a results-oriented team player who drives accountability, quality, and efficiency within your department and across the Company. You will be a strong communicator who enjoys working with others to improve various aspects of the company.

Responsibilities

The Senior Cost Accountant & Financial Analyst is responsible for the Company's cost accounting, inventory accounting, management reporting, profitability analysis, and budgeting support activities. This role serves as a key business partner to manufacturing operations by providing accurate product costing, variance analysis, operational reporting, and financial insights that support effective decision-making.

The position works closely with the Vice President of Finance to support the annual budgeting process, periodic forecasting activities, and monthly management reporting requirements.

Some examples of these responsibilities are listed below (but are not limited to the following):

Cost Accounting & Inventory Management
• Maintain standard costs for manufactured products and support periodic cost updates and cost rolls.
• Review bills of material (BOMs), routings, labor standards, and overhead allocation methodologies for accuracy and reasonableness.
• Analyze and explain material price, material usage, labor rate, labor efficiency, overhead spending, and overhead absorption variances.
• Monitor inventory valuation and support compliance with U.S. GAAP.
• Assist with the evaluation and documentation of reserves for excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
• Reconcile inventory subsidiary records to the general ledger.
• Prepare month-end journal entries and account reconciliations related to inventory and cost of goods sold.
• Support annual physical inventories and ongoing cycle count programs.
• Prepare inventory and cost accounting documentation requested by external auditors.
Financial Analysis & Reporting
• Prepare and maintain components of the monthly management reporting package.
• Perform budget-to-actual, forecast-to-actual, and prior-year variance analysis.
• Analyze sales, gross margin, customer, product line, and manufacturing performance.
• Develop and maintain financial and operational key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Prepare recurring and ad hoc reports that identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Communicate financial findings in a clear and actionable manner to finance and operational leadership.
Budgeting & Forecasting Support
• Assist the Vice President of Finance with the annual budget and periodic forecast processes.
• Gather and validate operational assumptions and supporting information from department leaders.
• Maintain budget and forecast models, schedules, and supporting documentation.
• Analyze trends and variances that may affect projected financial performance.
• Provide supporting analysis for revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, inventory, and capital expenditures.
Operations Finance & Business Partnership
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Sales to improve cost visibility and operational performance.
• Analyze labor utilization, production efficiency, machine utilization, scrap, and manufacturing throughput.
• Provide cost and margin analysis to support pricing and customer profitability reviews.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, process improvement, inventory optimization, and margin enhancement.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and decision support as requested by the Vice President of Finance.
Systems & Process Improvement
• Maintain costing structures and related financial reporting within the ERP system.
• Support ERP and reporting improvements related to manufacturing finance, inventory, and costing.
• Develop and improve reports, dashboards, and data analysis tools.
• Assist in strengthening internal controls related to inventory, costing, and financial reporting.
• Document and maintain applicable finance and accounting procedures.

Systems Used
• Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, PPT, Excel)
• CSI
• UKG

Requirements:
Education
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred but not required.
Experience
• Three to five years of progressive accounting or finance experience.
• Minimum of two years of manufacturing cost accounting experience.
• Experience with standard costing, inventory accounting, and manufacturing variance analysis.
• Experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, or monthly management reporting preferred.
• Experience in a discrete manufacturing environment preferred.
Technical Skills
• Working knowledge of U.S. GAAP as it relates to inventory and cost accounting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills required.
• Experience with Infor CSI (SyteLine) preferred but not required.
• Experience with Power BI, SQL, or other business intelligence tools preferred.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $80,000 to $100,000, depending on the candidate's qualifications, experience, and alignment with the requirements of the role. Additional compensation and benefits, if applicable, will be provided in accordance with Company policies and plan terms.

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