Accounting Manager - Inventory

Charter Next Generation•Chicago, IL

15d

About The Position

At CNG, we are owners. We empower every individual to make a significant impact — because every moment matters. Whether you’re starting your career journey or aiming for the next level, we foster a supportive environment where your contributions are valued and celebrated. From supporting internal teams to developing next-gen materials, our professional roles span strategy, innovation, and purpose. At CNG, you’ll do work that matters—and own it all. Schedule: Monday - Friday, Business hours

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; CPA or CMA preferred.
5+ years of progressive cost accounting or manufacturing accounting experience; multisite experience strongly preferred.
Deep knowledge of GAAP, inventory valuation, and standard costing.
Demonstrated experience in working with LIFO accounting.
Prior involvement in S&OP processes, including collaboration with demand and supply planning teams.
Strong leadership, communication, and cross functional partnership skills.
High proficiency with ERP systems and advanced Excel or analytics tools.
Ability to simplify complex cost drivers and present insights to nonfinancial leaders.
Continuous improvement mindset with strong problem-solving capabilities.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary finance leader for inventory accounting and valuation.
Partner closely with S&OP, Supply Chain, and Operations Finance to interpret cost impacts of demand planning, production schedules, inventory strategies, and capacity decisions.
Provide support to the accounting, operations finance and S&OP teams.
Communicate financial insights clearly and proactively to senior leadership.
Own the company’s LIFO accounting process, including layer management, calculations, inflation impact analysis, yearend trueups and coordination with the tax team
Ensure accurate, GAAP compliant inventory valuation across multiple manufacturing locations.
Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes related to inventory and COGS, including journal entries, reconciliations, and reserve calculations.
Drive consistency and improvement in inventory accounting practices across the plant network including periodic cycle counting, annual physical inventory counts and the perpetual inventory system
Oversee and create standard costing and annual cost roll processes; partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure BOMs, routings, labor, and overhead rates are accurate and reflective of actual performance.
Analyze in conjunction with the operations finance team material usage, manufacturing variances, scrap, labor efficiency, and production trends; lead cross functional conversations to address root causes.
Strengthen inventory controls and documentation to support internal and external audits.
Lead process improvement initiatives in cost accounting, inventory tracking, and reporting accuracy.
Enhance costing tools, dashboards, and KPI reporting to improve visibility and drive decision-making.
Support ERP/MRP enhancements related to costing, inventory workflows, and data integrity.