Senior Cost Accountant
About The Position
The Cost Accountant will be responsible for establishing and maintaining accurate cost accounting practices for a manufacturing operation that produces precision parts while also executing government‑funded and internally commissioned R&D contracts. This role is critical to ensuring cost transparency, compliance with government contracting requirements, and timely financial reporting across production and R&D activities. The ideal candidate will bring strong manufacturing cost accounting expertise, experience with government contracts or regulated R&D environments, and the ability to partner cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, and finance leadership.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
- 5+ years of experience in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment
- Strong understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and inventory accounting
- Experience supporting R&D activities or project‑based cost tracking
- Advanced Excel skills; experience with ERP systems in a manufacturing setting
Nice To Haves
- Experience with government contracts, government‑funded R&D, or regulated cost environments
- Familiarity with cost‑plus or reimbursable contract structures
- Prior audit support experience (internal or external)
- CPA, CMA, or progress toward certification
- Experience with Deltek and CostPoint
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain standard cost systems for parts production, including material, labor, overhead, and machine‑time allocations
- Analyze manufacturing variances and provide clear explanations to operations and finance leadership.
- Support inventory valuation, WIP tracking, and absorption costing in accordance with IFRS.
- Partner with operations and engineering to ensure accurate routings, BOMs, and cost drivers.
- Track and allocate costs for R&D projects, including government‑funded contracts, ensuring proper segregation between allowable and non‑allowable costs
- Support cost‑plus and commission‑based R&D contract structures (e.g., cost + markup arrangements).
- Maintain documentation to support compliance with applicable government contracting requirements (e.g., audit trails, cost substantiation)
- Assist with preparation of financial reports and support for internal and external audits related to R&D activities.
- Support monthly close activities related to cost accounting, including journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
- Prepare cost‑related analyses for management, including budget‑to‑actual and project profitability reviews
- Assist in establishing and improving internal controls over cost accounting, inventory, and project accounting.
- Contribute to year‑end audit readiness and respond to auditor inquiries.
- Provide limited cost accounting support to affiliated manufacturing entities under intercompany or cost‑allocation agreements (e.g., partial time rebill arrangements)
- Collaborate with corporate accounting, tax, and finance teams on intercompany cost allocations and reporting alignment
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
