JOB TITLE: Cost Accounting Lead

REPORTS TO: VP Controller

STATUS: Full time, Exempt

LOCATION: Onsite, Everett or Bellingham, WA or Avon Lake, OH

SALARY RANGE: $120,000-$150,000/year based on experience, location and interview outcome

BENEFITS: Medical, dental, and vision insurance, optional FSA, 401k with employer match, life and AD&D insurance, Employee Assistance Program, short & long term disability, tuition reimbursement, 21.67 days of paid time off + 10 holidays

Job Summary:

The Cost Accounting Lead will be a critical finance and operations partner responsible for building and owning the company's cost accounting foundation from the ground up. This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to go beyond the numbers-diving into production processes, systems, and data to understand how costs are generated and how they can be improved upon.

As the inventory specialist on the accounting team, the Cost Accounting Lead will oversee inventory management, costing and reporting throughout the organization. This individual will lead the implementation of standard costing in NetSuite (with BlendApps add-on), establish scalable inventory and cost calculation and maintenance processes, analyze variances and impacts from ongoing business changes and serve as the primary driver of cost visibility across the business. They will work side-by-side with production and supply chain to identify cost drivers, determine standard cost of product and other impacts to cost of goods sold that are auditable and compliant with US GAAP, and educate sales and operations regarding margin drivers to assist them in achieving the company's margin targets.

The ideal candidate has applied their inventory accounting expertise in a high-growth, fast-changing manufacturing environment and is equally comfortable managing the inventory close and management processes in the ERP system, analyzing data in spreadsheets, and interacting with operations personnel on the production floor.

Key Responsibilities:

Must operate and work within our Mission Driven Culture Core Values and Principles and encourage others to do the same.

• Own and build the company's cost accounting infrastructure, including the design and implementation of standard costing in NetSuite (BOMs, routings, labor and overhead structures).
• Get into the details of production processes to understand how materials, labor, and yields translate into actual costs-and ensure those realities are accurately reflected in the system.
• Own inventory-related month-end close, including journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, and ensuring accurate inventory valuation and reserves (obsolescence, excess, slow-moving).
• Analyze and explain production variances (material, labor, overhead, yield) and proactively identify root causes.
• Partner directly with production, purchasing, and supply chain teams to improve cost accuracy and drive margin improvement.
• Work closely with operations to validate BOMs, routings, and production data.
• Collaborate on NetSuite integrations and data flows, including middleware tools such as BlendApps, to ensure data integrity across systems.
• Build and maintain reporting and dashboards for product cost, margins, and operational performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in inventory controls, costing methodologies, and manufacturing finance processes.
• Support audit and internal controls, owning inventory-related documentation and audit readiness.
• Contribute to new product costing, pricing decisions, and profitability analysis.
• Support manufacturing expansion and scaling initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• 6+ years of experience in cost accounting within a manufacturing or process manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience implementing or improving standard costing systems, preferably in NetSuite.
• Strong understanding of inventory accounting, COGS, and variance analysis.
• Experience with system integrations and data workflows, including familiarity with BlendApps or similar tools.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with operations teams.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capabilities.
• Ability to operate in a high-growth, evolving environment.
• Strong ownership mindset and willingness to dig into issues and drive resolution.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in chemical or process manufacturing environments.
• Prior experience with NetSuite implementation or optimization.
• Hands-on experience with BlendApps integrations.
• CPA, CMA, or equivalent certification.
• Experience in a high-growth, scaling organization

Licensing & Special Requirements:

• Subject to a criminal background check.

Working Conditions:

• Preference will be given to candidates with who can be on-site at least 3 days a week at one of the Company's primary manufacturing locations. Travel to the other sites will be necessary and expected as needed to implement processes and provide training for ongoing maintenance.

The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or otherwise to balance the workload. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.