Cost Accountant

NIBE Element North America•Hayward, CA

About The Position

The Cost Accountant brings hands-on experience in standard costing within Epicor Kinetic ERP, along with strong expertise in accounts payable and cash management. This role is essential in ensuring accurate product costing, inventory valuation, variance analysis, timely supplier payments, and effective cash disbursement controls across multi-site and international manufacturing operations. The successful candidate will act as the financial subject matter expert for cost, accounts payable, and cash management modules within Epicor Kinetic, collaborating closely with Operations, Production Planning, Supply Chain, Procurement, and the Parent Company to enhance cost efficiency, strengthen supplier relationships, and maintain financial accuracy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a closely related field required.
7+ years of progressive cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment.
Must have strong working knowledge of standard costing methodology, variance analysis, BOM/routing structures, and overhead absorption.
Experience with month-end close, inventory reconciliation, and COGS reporting in a multi-site/multi-entity manufacturing setting.
Epicor Kinetic: Part Cost Maintenance, Cost Adjustment Entry, Standard Cost Update Wizard, Job Costing, WIP Reporting, BAQ/Dashboard development, AP Invoice Entry, Payment Processing (checks/EFT/ACH), Supplier Master Maintenance, Bank Reconciliation module.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query, financial modeling.
Working knowledge of ERP GL integration and subledger reconciliation.
Strong understanding of IFRS and U.S. GAAP as it relates to inventory valuation and cost of goods sold.
Ability to translate complex cost data into clear, concise financial narratives for non-finance stakeholders.
High attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy and data integrity.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Excellent communication skills — written and verbal — with the ability to partner cross-functionally.
Self-starter with the ability to work independently and within a team environment.
Ability to multi-task and handle heavy workload
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Ensure quality, accuracy and timeliness of work
Common knowledge of industry concepts; adheres to various federal, state and local accounting or financial regulations; provides recommendation on compliance related matters

Nice To Haves

Accounting Certifications a plus
Preferred hands-on experience with Epicor Kinetic standard costing modules.
CPA, CMA, or CPA candidate preferred.
Familiarity with BI tools (Power BI, SSRS) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Oversee the end-to-end accounts payable process within Epicor Kinetic, including invoice entry, three-way matching (PO–receipt–invoice), approval workflows, and posting.
Review and approve AP postings to ensure proper coding to cost centers, GL accounts, and projects in accordance with company policy.
Review and approve UPS/FedEx Freight billing, notifies purchasing for discrepancies and resolution with third parties.
Ensure timely and accurate processing of supplier invoices, credit notes, and debit memos.
Maintain AP aging schedules and monitor outstanding liabilities to ensure obligations are met on time. Keep up-to-date Reconciliations for AP Purchasing clearing account.
Perform month-end AP close activities including accruals for uninvoiced receipts (goods received not invoiced — GRNI) and reconciliation of the AP subledger to the General Ledger.
Coordinate timely Sales Tax Reporting, data collection and Tariff reimbursement submission to customers.
Enforce AP internal controls including segregation of duties, authorization limits, and duplicate payment prevention.
Build and maintain professional relationships with key suppliers to ensure smooth communication and continuity of supply.
Track early payment discount opportunities (e.g., 2/10 Net 30) and escalate to management where beneficial.
Resolve invoice discrepancies, short payments, and pricing disputes in a timely manner, coordinating with Purchasing and Operations as needed.
Ensure accurate and up-to-date supplier master data in Epicor Kinetic, including payment terms, bank details, and tax information.
Liaise with suppliers on W-9 / W-8 compliance and support year-end 1099 reporting.
Prepare and execute weekly payment runs (check, ACH/EFT, and wire transfers) in coordination with Parent Company within Epicor Kinetic Accounts Payable.
Initiate Intercompany bank transactions according to Company’s policies and procedures.
Coordinate timely payments for CDTFA, utilities, insurance, vehicles registrations, tolls and other on-line payments.
Manage the payment approval workflow, ensuring all disbursements are authorized in accordance with the company’s payment authorization matrix.
Ensure all payment runs are fully documented and supported by approved AP batches prior to bank submission.
Coordinate with Controller on cash availability prior to approving large or unscheduled payment runs.
Monitor outstanding checks and uncleared electronic payments; follow up on stale-dated or undelivered payments.
Review monthly bank and credit cards reconciliations for all company bank and credit cards accounts, ensuring timely identification and resolution of reconciling items.
Ensure prompt investigation and clear outstanding deposits, outstanding checks, bank/credit card errors, and unrecorded transactions within agreed timelines.
Review and approve posting of bank charges, interest income/expense, and other bank-originated transactions to the General Ledger.
Coordinate with Parent Company on any discrepancies, returned items, or fraudulent transactions.
Support the implementation and maintenance of positive pay and other bank fraud prevention tools.
Ensure bank and credit card reconciliations are reviewed and signed off by the Controller as part of the month-end closing process.
Develop, maintain, and update standard costs for raw materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead in Epicor Kinetic.
Perform annual and periodic standard cost roll-ups and revisions to reflect changes in material pricing, labor rates, and overhead allocation.
Collaborate with Purchasing to validate material standard costs against vendor quotes and purchase orders.
Work with Engineering and Production to validate Bills of Materials (BOMs) and routings that drive cost calculations in Epicor Kinetic.
Monitor and update labor and machine rates within the Epicor Kinetic Resource Groups and Work Centers.
Analyze and investigate purchase price variances (PPV), material usage variances, labor efficiency variances, and overhead absorption variances on a weekly and monthly basis.
Prepare detailed variance reports explaining root causes and trends, and present findings to Finance leadership and Operations management.
Monitor WIP (Work-In-Process) balances and reconcile job costing transactions within Epicor Kinetic to ensure accurate job close-outs.
Identify unfavorable cost trends and partner with Operations to implement corrective actions.
Perform lot-level and job-level cost analysis to support continuous improvement initiatives.
Coordinate and support physical inventory counts and cycle counts; investigate and resolve discrepancies.
Review and maintain inventory cost groups, cost methods, and part cost records in Epicor Kinetic.
Ensure proper accounting for inventory adjustments, scrap, and obsolescence in compliance with IFRS and company’s policy.
Monitor and review landed cost entries for imported materials.
Execute all cost accounting month-end close activities, including posting of WIP, inventory adjustments, overhead allocations, and variance transfers to the GL.
Prepare and post journal entries related to manufacturing costs, inventory, and cost of goods sold (COGS).
Reconcile inventory sub-ledger to General Ledger on a regular basis and investigate and resolve any discrepancies.
Prepare cost-related balance sheet reconciliations and ensure timely resolution of open items.
Support the year-end audit process by providing cost accounting schedules, reconciliations, and analysis to external auditors.
Serve as a functional expert and key user for cost-related modules in Epicor Kinetic including Part Costs, Job Costing, Cost Adjustment, Standard Cost Update, and Cost of Sales.
Configure and maintain cost sets, cost groups, and rollup codes within Epicor Kinetic.
Collaborate with IT and the Epicor system administrator to troubleshoot system issues and implement configuration improvements related to costing.
Develop and maintain BAQ (Business Activity Query) reports and dashboards in Epicor Kinetic to support cost monitoring and analysis.
Participate in Epicor Kinetic upgrades, patches, and testing from a cost accounting perspective.
Train operations and finance staff on cost-related processes and Epicor Kinetic functionality.
Support the annual budgeting and forecasting process by providing standard cost assumptions, overhead rate calculations, and absorption projections.
Assist in product profitability analysis by customer, product line, and market segment.
Provide cost input for new product development and engineering change orders (ECOs) by modeling the cost impact of proposed BOMs and routings.
Conduct make-vs-buy analysis and support capital expenditure justifications with cost modeling.
Prepare ad hoc cost analysis and financial modeling as requested by management.
Ensure cost accounting policies and procedures are aligned to Parent Company, documented, maintained, and consistently applied.
Support internal and external audits by providing accurate cost records and explanations.
Maintain compliance with IFRS & GAAP inventory and cost accounting standards.
Identify and implement process improvements to strengthen internal controls over inventory and costing.