Cost Analyst

Finlays Solutions•New Lenox, IL

1d•$75,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

NLX Beverage Solutions, now integrated into Finlays Solutions, is part of a leading B2B beverage manufacturing partner supporting beverage brands, flavor houses, private-label partners, and manufacturers. Finlays Solutions emphasizes technical capability, collaborative problem-solving, innovation, integrity, partnership, and sustainable success. The Manufacturing Cost Analyst supports the financial and operational performance of a multi-site beverage manufacturing organization. The role covers product costing, manufacturing cost analysis, inventory valuation, variance analysis, and financial support for manufacturing operations. It focuses on understanding cost changes and how manufacturing performance affects profitability, and using financial analysis to help improve operations. The position is onsite at the New Lenox location. The analyst maintains and analyzes manufacturing costs, develops and updates finished-product standard costs, reviews manufacturing cost inputs, investigates variances, and supports budgets, forecasts, financial models, and profitability analysis. The role partners with Plant Managers and teams across Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, and Commercial to explain financial impacts, identify cost and efficiency opportunities, and support continuous improvement. The analyst is also expected to follow the company’s quality, food safety, and health and safety practices and participate in programs that drive continuous improvement. The annual salary range is $75,000–$90,000. Individual pay depends on work location and job-related skills, experience, and education or training. The total compensation package includes a choice of medical, vision, and dental plans, a quarterly incentive bonus, paid time off, parental leave, bereavement leave, and a 401(k) for eligible employees. The role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
3–7 years of accounting, finance, cost accounting, or financial analysis experience in a manufacturing environment.
Strong understanding of manufacturing cost accounting.
Experience with standard costing, product costing, and manufacturing variance analysis.
Strong Excel skills and ability to analyze large datasets.
Experience with an ERP system.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to work effectively with Finance and non-Finance personnel.
Ability to manage multiple priorities across multiple manufacturing locations.
Ability to work beyond regularly scheduled hours during peak periods or critical operations.
Adequate vision, hearing, and verbal communication skills to meet essential job performance and safety standards.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and regularly perform physical tasks such as pushing, pulling, lifting, climbing, bending, stooping, squatting, and detailed hand tasks.
Physical capability to lift, climb, and use hand and power tools, including pallet jacks, scales, ladders, and standard material-handling and cleaning equipment.
Ability to work in a dynamic manufacturing environment with possible exposure to odors, dust, moderate noise, and temperature and ventilation fluctuations.
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment as required by job duties and safety protocols.
Ability to work at elevated positions up to 50 feet using proper safety precautions.
Ability to work in limited or cramped spaces and extend arms into machinery for inspection, cleaning, or maintenance while following safety protocols.
Must be at least 18 years of age.
The position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Manufacturing ERP experience.
Experience in beverage, food, consumer packaged goods, or other process manufacturing.
Experience with Microsoft D365 ERP.
Experience with Power BI, Power Query, or other data analytics tools.

Responsibilities

Maintain and analyze manufacturing costs across multiple production facilities, including the company’s actual-cost approach for raw materials and standard-cost approach for finished goods.
Develop, maintain, and analyze finished-product standard costs for ingredients, packaging, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead.
Review and maintain product bills of materials, formulas or recipes, routings, and other manufacturing cost inputs.
Analyze changes in ingredient, commodity, packaging, labor, and overhead costs and assess their effects on product costs and margins.
Support standard cost updates and ensure costing assumptions reflect current manufacturing economics.
Analyze financial effects of new products, formula or packaging changes, production-process changes, and sourcing decisions.
Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to understand operational drivers of product-cost changes.
Analyze ingredient and raw-material usage and yield against standards and expected production requirements.
Review production volumes, product mix, run rates, and manufacturing efficiency to understand their impact on unit costs.
Work with plant personnel to identify root causes of significant manufacturing variances and develop corrective actions.
Analyze co-manufacturing, third-party production, or other external manufacturing costs when applicable.
Prepare and analyze monthly purchase-price, material-usage, yield, production-efficiency, labor, overhead, volume, and other manufacturing variances.
Investigate significant variances and distinguish pricing, volume, mix, efficiency, yield, and operational factors.
Explain manufacturing performance clearly to Finance and Operations leadership.
Track recurring cost variances and identify trends requiring operational or sourcing action.
Partner with Plant and Operations leadership to identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve yields, and increase manufacturing efficiency.
Investigate production yield variances, including losses associated with batching, blending, filling, processing, and other manufacturing activities.
Evaluate ingredient and commodity price changes and analyze production-efficiency drivers of unfavorable labor and overhead performance.
Support manufacturing-related budgets, forecasts, and financial models.
Provide cost and profitability analysis for operational and commercial decisions.
Analyze the effects of raw-material pricing, packaging costs, production volumes, product mix, and manufacturing efficiency on gross margin.
Support profitability analysis at the product, customer, plant, or other appropriate level.
Identify opportunities to improve cost structures, manufacturing efficiency, and profitability.
Develop recurring reports and analysis that improve management visibility into manufacturing performance.
Build working relationships with Plant Managers and Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, and Commercial teams.
Serve as a financial resource to manufacturing locations and help operational leaders understand the financial impact of production decisions.
Translate financial and cost information into clear, actionable business insights.
Participate in manufacturing and continuous-improvement initiatives where financial analysis is needed to quantify opportunities and results.
Develop an understanding of company products, manufacturing processes, and key cost drivers.
Follow Good Manufacturing Practices, allergen control, food defense, HACCP, SQF, regulatory requirements, and health and safety practices.
Document visitors, contractors, and customers entering and leaving the facility as required by facility practices.
Report food safety and quality issues to management immediately and share quality and food-safety knowledge across functions.
Understand and communicate Finlays quality and food-safety standards and the employee’s role in the system.
Handle customer complaints in a timely and professional manner.
Participate in Finlays programs that drive continuous improvement methodologies.