Cost Accounting Manager

Northwood Space • Los Angeles, CA

5d • $114,000 - $155,000

About The Position

As Northwood’s first Cost Accounting Manager, you will build and lead the cost accounting function as the company scales its space infrastructure products from development into production. You will establish the strategy, policies, processes, and controls that provide accurate visibility into inventory, cost of goods sold (COGS), and hardware production costs, while maintaining hands-on ownership of core accounting activities. Working with Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Program teams, you will inform decisions about product costs, production efficiency, and inventory management, and develop the systems and team capabilities required for increasingly complex manufacturing operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in cost accounting, inventory accounting, or manufacturing accounting, including experience leading accounting processes, projects, or teams.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP and manufacturing cost accounting, including standard costing, inventory valuation and reserves, WIP, COGS, purchase price variances, overhead allocation, absorption, and manufacturing inventory flows within an ERP environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cost accounting close and reporting, establish accounting policies and controls, review complex analyses, and resolve discrepancies across financial and operational data.
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Advanced Excel proficiency and ability to build processes, prioritize competing needs, and influence cross-functional decisions in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in aerospace, defense, hardware, automotive, electronics, or another complex manufacturing environment, particularly within a startup or rapidly scaling organization.
• Experience building or scaling a cost accounting function, including establishing standard costing methodologies, inventory controls, management reporting, and team responsibilities.
• Experience partnering with operational leadership to drive measurable improvements in product costs, manufacturing efficiency, inventory management, and financial performance.
• Experience leading ERP implementations or improvements across cost accounting and inventory workflows, including requirements definition, testing, data validation, process automation, and user adoption.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the cost accounting function, defining policies, methodologies, controls, reporting, and team development priorities for inventory, standard costs, work in progress (WIP), COGS, and manufacturing variances.
• Lead cost accounting activities during month-end and quarter-end close, including preparation and review of journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, variance analyses, and supporting schedules in accordance with US GAAP.
• Establish and oversee standard costing methodologies for purchased and manufactured hardware, including labor and overhead rates; investigate material variances and guide cross-functional actions to improve cost accuracy, production efficiency, and margins.
• Own inventory accounting policies and valuation for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods, including reserves, excess and obsolete inventory, and physical inventory controls; work with operational teams to resolve discrepancies and maintain audit readiness.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Program leadership to translate production activity, BOM changes, procurement trends, and capacity assumptions into product cost insights, cost reduction opportunities, and planning recommendations.
• Lead cost accounting systems and process improvements by setting ERP requirements, strengthening controls, automating workflows, and developing scalable reporting.
• Build and mentor the cost accounting team as business needs grow.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager