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Cost Accounting Manager

This position sits within a high-growth PE backed manufacturing organization.

We are looking for a Cost Accounting Manager to oversee inventory accounting, average costing, product cost structures, and gross margin analysis within the Finance team.

Reporting directly to the Director of FP&A, with a dotted-line relationship to the Director of Accounting, this position plays a key role in connecting Accounting, FP&A, and Operations. The ideal candidate will ensure accurate inventory valuation while delivering meaningful insights into product costs, margin performance, and operational efficiency.

This role will lead cost analysis initiatives, maintain costed Bills of Materials (BOMs), and provide reliable cost data to support financial planning and business decision-making.

FP&A & Financial Planning

• Lead forecasting for inventory, COGS, and gross margin performance
• Translate operational metrics and business drivers into cost projections
• Evaluate forecast-to-actual variances, including price, volume, and mix impacts
• Support the annual budgeting process, quarterly forecasting cycles, and long-term planning
• Develop scalable financial models utilizing NetSuite data
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align financial plans with operational objectives

Inventory Accounting & Cost Management

• Manage inventory valuation using an average cost methodology
• Monitor cost activity across purchasing, manufacturing, and inventory transactions
• Assess the financial impact of material price fluctuations and inventory movement
• Partner with Accounting to reconcile inventory subledger activity with the general ledger
• Oversee inventory reserves related to excess, obsolete, and slow-moving stock

Manufacturing Costing & Absorption

• Develop and maintain labor and overhead absorption rates
• Ensure overhead costs are accurately applied within NetSuite
• Analyze over- and under-absorption trends and recommend corrective actions
• Work closely with Operations to validate production routing and manufacturing assumptions
• Refine costing methodologies using actual production and operational data

Costed BOMs & Product Cost Structure

• Maintain and govern accurate costed Bills of Materials (BOMs)
• Collaborate with Engineering and Operations to ensure BOM accuracy and consistency
• Analyze changes in labor, material, and overhead costs
• Ensure BOM structures align with ERP data and financial reporting requirements
• Support new product launches through detailed and accurate cost builds

Financial Close & Accounting Support

• Assist with month-end close activities related to inventory and cost accounting
• Ensure accurate recognition of cost of goods sold (COGS)
• Prepare inventory rollforwards and supporting financial schedules
• Support audit requests and documentation requirements
• Partner with Accounting to maintain compliance with policies, controls, and accounting standards
• Manage labor and overhead rate calculations, including capitalized variance analysis

Operational & Margin Analysis

• Deliver insights into product profitability, margin trends, and cost performance
• Analyze procurement and manufacturing cost drivers to identify optimization opportunities
• Support pricing strategies and profitability evaluations
• Identify financial risks and cost-saving opportunities across operations

Process Improvement & Systems

• Enhance inventory and cost accounting processes, controls, and reporting capabilities
• Support ERP system improvements and NetSuite optimization initiatives
• Drive automation efforts to improve efficiency and reduce manual processes
• Ensure systems and reporting structures can scale with business growth
• Utilize systems such as Arena to support product lifecycle management and cost integration



Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in cost accounting, FP&A, or manufacturing finance
• Strong background in inventory and cost accounting within a manufacturing environment
• Hands-on experience with average cost accounting methodologies
• Experience developing and maintaining costed BOMs
• ERP system experience required; NetSuite strongly preferred
• Familiarity with Arena PLM is a plus
• Strong understanding of GAAP related to inventory accounting
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling capabilities