Cost & Inventory Accounting Manager Americas & EMEA

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Work with the Global leader to assist in and drive improving the Cost & Inventory Accounting processes; this should consider all aspects of the operating model including performance targets, processes, people, service delivery model, data, and technology
• Manage daily operations of the cost & Inventory accounting processes in the EMEA and AMER region, from standard cost setting to monthly variance analyses and reporting, inventory valuation, month-end close and cost reporting
• Drive Reporting of product costs, cost variances, inventory adjustments and inventory valuation per SOX control and business control requirements
• Review and approve journal entries, and ensure accuracy and timeliness of accounting entries for object accounts in scope
• Follow and communicate policies and procedures to establish a consistent approach across the organization for processes
• Support change management initiatives aligned with overall change management strategy
• Act as a people manager and first point of contact for the regional networks of cost & inventory accountants, supporting the team through coaching and talent development
• Drive understanding of the current state processes and realize the design / develop end state process improvement under supervision of finance leaders. This in close cooperation with other functional/regional and global leaders
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement, automation, digitization, adherence, and proactively propose enhancement to Global Standards
• Ensure application of the global process design in the Americas and EMEA region, governed by a set of clearly defined controls
• Act as the go-to for issue communication (and drive issue resolution) within the Americas Costing process
• Support transformation PMO activities including managing stakeholders, tracking budgets, coordinating with third party consultants, and delivering on defined KPIs

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

• A. Internal Contacts
• B. External Contacts
• Departments
• Reason for Contact
• Contact
• Reason for Contact
• IT
• Align full data integrity across platforms.
• Auditors
• Annual and ad-hoc audits. Full compliance of documentation to audit requirements.
• Functions (Commercial, Operations, etc.)
• Understand value-added activities and possibilities for value creation, optimize processes to remove inefficiencies and reduce cost
• Compliance
• Integration of SOX compliance within process designs.
• Controllership
• Closely partner with the Controllership team for downstream alignment between cost accounting and statutory reporting

WORK ENVIRONMENT / EHS RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hybrid incl. working from office in Pennsylvania.
• Regional and international traveling required few times per year to our various regions for project work and coordination of activities.
• Maintain the highest EHS standards of all sites visited.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Key Education or Certification Required
• Bachelor’s degree (BS) in accounting, finance, or related field required. CPA or equivalent a plus.
• Required Minimum Number of Years of Relevant Experience
• - 7-9 years of progressive process specific experience, not only related to Cost & Inventory Accounting processes but also to other finance and accounting processes, with 5-7 years of Cost & Inventory Accounting experience.
• - 3+ years overall experience in the manufacturing/diversified industrial products industry, preferably within chemical manufacturing.
• - Strong experience in financial and management reporting.
• - Solid understanding of accounting ERP systems is required, JD Edwards a plus.
• - Accounting experience in a manufacturing organization, including experience in Bill of Materials and analysis of manufacturing variances required.
• - Prior supervisory experience of international teams.
• - Prior transformation experience preferred.
• - Prior experience working for a public company with US GAAP and SOX requirements required.