Cost Accountant – Manufacturing & Industrial Sectors
AI in this role
We are seeking a highly analytical and detail-oriented Cost Accountant with strong experience in product costing, manufacturing finance, and profitability optimization across manufacturing and industrial sectors. The ideal candidate will be responsible for monitoring production costs, analyzing cost structures, improving operational profitability, and supporting strategic financial decision-making.
The role requires expertise in standard costing, inventory valuation, variance analysis, budgeting, and cost optimization initiatives within manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities
Product Costing & Cost Analysis
Prepare and maintain accurate product costing models for manufactured products.
Analyze raw material, labor, overhead, and operational costs to determine product profitability.
Develop and review standard costing systems and ensure regular updates.
Conduct BOM (Bill of Materials) and routing validations for accurate costing.
Monitor cost trends and identify opportunities for cost reduction and process improvement.
Profitability Optimization
Perform detailed profitability analysis by product, customer, project, and business unit.
Support management with recommendations to improve margins and operational efficiency.
Analyze production variances including material usage, labor efficiency, and overhead absorption.
Identify cost-saving initiatives and participate in continuous improvement programs.
Manufacturing Finance Support
Work closely with production, procurement, supply chain, and operations teams.
Support inventory management, stock valuation, and cycle count reconciliation.
Monitor WIP (Work-in-Progress) and finished goods costing accuracy.
Ensure compliance with accounting standards and internal financial controls.
Reporting & Budgeting
Prepare monthly cost reports, margin analysis, and MIS reports for management.
Assist in budgeting, forecasting, and annual operating plan preparation.
Support month-end and year-end closing activities related to manufacturing accounting.
Provide financial insights for pricing strategies and investment decisions.
ERP & Systems
Maintain costing data within ERP systems such as Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar.
Improve financial reporting automation and costing methodologies.
Ensure data accuracy and integrity across costing and inventory systems.
Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or related field.
Professional qualifications such as CMA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or CA preferred.
Minimum 4–8 years of experience in cost accounting within manufacturing or industrial sectors.
How we rate this
Cost Accountant – Manufacturing & Industrial Sectors at NAFFCO rates 37 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Little AI. AI is not part of the work.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
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