Manager, Cost Accounting - MFG experience required

Overview of Role

The Manager, Cost Accounting, will be a key member of the Operations Finance organization and serve as the primary leader for manufacturing accounting, inventory accounting, product costing, and operational cost analysis activities. This role is responsible for ensuring the integrity of manufacturing financial data, maintaining strong inventory controls, improving cost visibility, and providing actionable financial analysis that supports operational and business decision-making.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing accounting activities including inventory accounting, month-end close support, journal entries, account reconciliations, inventory valuation, and maintenance of strong financial controls over manufacturing transactions.
• Manage and maintain product costing structures, including bills of material (BOMs), routings, inventory valuation methodologies, and manufacturing cost data to ensure accurate financial reporting and operational visibility.
• Analyze and communicate key manufacturing cost drivers, including labor utilization, material consumption, scrap, yields, inventory adjustments, purchase price impacts, and production efficiencies, providing actionable insights to operations and finance leadership.
• Oversee cycle count programs, inventory control processes, and ERP transaction integrity to ensure accurate inventory records and financial results.
• Partner with manufacturing, engineering, procurement, supply chain, and operations leadership to improve cost visibility, inventory accuracy, operational performance, and financial decision-making.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance operational finance reporting, KPI dashboards, and manufacturing performance analytics that support business reviews, operational accountability, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead efforts to improve cost transparency across products, processes, and manufacturing operations through enhanced reporting, analytics, costing methodologies, and operational partnership.
• Partner with the Director of Operations Finance / Plant Controller to evaluate, develop, and implement enhanced costing methodologies, processes, and reporting capabilities, including the future development of standard costing practices where appropriate.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, inventory planning, product costing analysis, and capital investment evaluations related to manufacturing operations.
• Identify and drive opportunities to improve costing processes, inventory controls, reporting automation, data integrity, and overall manufacturing finance effectiveness.
• Support internal and external audit requirements while ensuring compliance with company policies, accounting standards, and inventory control procedures.
• Lead, mentor, and develop team members while fostering a culture of accountability, operational partnership, continuous improvement, and financial discipline.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• CPA, CMA, or MBA preferred.
• 5–8 years of progressive manufacturing finance and/or cost accounting experience within a full production manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting, inventory controls, product costing methodologies, inventory valuation, and financial reporting.
• Experience working within manufacturing ERP systems such as Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, or similar platforms.
• Advanced Excel skills required; Power BI, SQL, or other reporting and analytics tools preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with manufacturing and cross-functional leadership teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.