Cost Accountant / Financial Analyst

About the Company

Our client is a leading manufacturing organization specializing in CNC machining and gear cutting services. With a commitment to precision, quality, and innovation, the company serves a diverse range of industries including aerospace, automotive, and industrial machinery. The organization prides itself on leveraging advanced technology and skilled craftsmanship to deliver complex components that meet stringent quality standards. Their focus on continuous improvement and customer satisfaction has established them as a trusted partner in the manufacturing sector.

About the Role

The Cost Accountant role is a vital position within the manufacturing operations, responsible for overseeing job costing, financial analysis, and reporting in a dynamic CNC machining and gear cutting environment. This position owns the entire lifecycle of job cost tracking, from initial quoting to job closure, ensuring accurate cost capture and margin protection. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with shop floor leadership, estimating teams, and finance to analyze variances, develop cost models, and support strategic decision-making aimed at optimizing operational efficiency and profitability. This role requires a detail-oriented professional with a solid understanding of manufacturing processes, cost analysis, and financial principles, capable of translating complex data into actionable insights.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 2-5 years of cost accounting experience in a job shop, machine shop, or manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of job costing, machine hour rate development, and WIP accounting
• Familiarity with routings, work orders, and shop floor data collection (labor/machine time reporting)
• ERP experience with job shop systems (e.g., JobBOSS, E2/ProShop, Global Shop, Epicor, Infor, or similar)
• Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, lookups, and cost modeling
• Solid understanding of GAAP as applied to inventory and cost of sales
• CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification is a plus
• Ability to walk the shop floor and communicate effectively with machinists and supervisors

Responsibilities

• Maintain detailed job cost records for each work order, capturing material, direct labor, machine time, tooling, and outside processing costs
• Analyze actual versus estimated costs at job close-out, reporting on margin erosion and root causes such as setup overruns, cycle time variances, scrap, and rework
• Develop and update machine hour rates by work center, including depreciation, tooling, and overhead allocations
• Support estimating and quoting processes by providing cost data on setup times, run times, material yield, and outside services; perform quote vs. actual analysis to enhance future accuracy
• Track and analyze setup versus run time for jobs and machines, identifying low-margin parts and customers for strategic review
• Reconcile work-in-progress (WIP) inventory by job, perform monthly valuation, and assess percent-complete status for long-running jobs
• Monitor scrap, rework, and first-pass yield metrics, quantifying their impact on costs and operational efficiency
• Track costs associated with perishable tooling and allocate these costs accurately to relevant jobs and work centers
• Cost and reconcile raw materials including bar stock, forgings, and castings
• Analyze capital expenditure requests for new machinery, evaluating ROI, payback periods, and capacity impacts on machine rates
• Support month-end closing activities, including WIP-to-finished goods transfers, COGS calculations, inventory reserves, and journal entries
• Assist with physical inventory counts of raw materials, WIP, tooling, and finished goods to ensure inventory accuracy
• Partner with operations and purchasing teams to identify cost reduction opportunities and support pricing strategies
• Provide backup and support to the Division Controller on critical functions such as banking, payroll, financial close, KPI reporting, and special projects

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Retirement savings plan with company match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Opportunities for professional development and certification support
• Collaborative and innovative work environment