Manufacturing Cost Accountant

TekWissen•Sunnyvale, CA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

TekWissen is a global workforce management provider headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan that offers strategic talent solutions to clients worldwide. The job opportunity below is with one of our clients specializing in biotechnology product development services. The client is dedicated to supplying laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies, and services essential in healthcare, scientific research, safety, and education. As a global leader in serving the scientific community, the organization generates approximately $40 billion in annual revenue and is committed to making the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Their global team delivers innovative technologies, convenient procurement solutions, and pharmaceutical services through industry-leading brands. As a Financial Analyst III / Manufacturing Cost Accountant, you will support manufacturing operations with a strong focus on cost accounting, inventory, manufacturing performance, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. This role will partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Accounting, and Finance to analyze factory performance, support the monthly close process, maintain accurate inventory and manufacturing cost reporting, and provide financial insights that support operational decision-making.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of related experience, or an advanced degree with applicable experience/equivalent work experience.
Solid understanding of financial statements, inventory accounting, and manufacturing cost concepts is required
Experience analyzing financial results and investigating financial, cost, and inventory variances is required.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, lookups, formulas, and analysis of large datasets.
Strong ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Accounting, and Finance.
Ability to translate financial results into meaningful insights for non-finance stakeholders.
Continuous improvement mindset with an interest in simplifying and automating financial processes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

CPA, CMA, MBA, or progress toward a professional accounting certification is a plus.
Prior experience in manufacturing finance or cost accounting is preferred.
Experience with standard costing, inventory accounting, PPV, manufacturing variances, and cost of goods sold is preferred.
Experience with SAP or another ERP system, particularly inventory, production, and product costing functionality, is preferred.
Experience with Hyperion, HFM, or similar financial reporting systems is preferred.
Experience working across multiple manufacturing sites or business units is preferred.
Experience with Power BI, Tableau, Power Query, or other reporting and automation tools is preferred.

Responsibilities

Support the monthly financial close process for manufacturing operations, including inventory, cost of goods sold, and manufacturing expenses.
Prepare and analyze manufacturing variances, including purchase price variance (PPV), material usage, direct labor, overhead, absorption, scrap, and other production-related variances.
Perform actual vs. budget and forecast analysis, identify key drivers, and provide clear commentary on manufacturing performance.
Support standard costing activities, including annual standard cost updates, cost rolls, and analysis of changes in material, labor, and overhead costs.
Analyze and reconcile inventory balances, including raw materials, work in process, finished goods, and inventory held at third-party or contract manufacturing locations.
Support inventory reserve analysis, including excess and obsolete (E&O), slow-moving, and at-risk inventory.
Perform inventory and balance sheet reconciliations and investigate discrepancies to ensure accurate financial reporting.
Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to analyze scrap, inventory adjustments, productivity, manufacturing spending, and other factory cost drivers.
Support cycle count and physical inventory processes, including investigation and resolution of inventory variances.
Review manufacturing cost center expenses and prepare reclassifications and corrections as necessary.
Work closely with Accounting during financial statement reviews and ensure appropriate reconciliation between financial and management reporting.
Support the development of the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), forecasts, and manufacturing budgets, with a focus on material costs, labor, overhead, inventory, and operating expenses.
Develop financial models and cost analyses for new product introductions, sourcing initiatives, manufacturing transfers, and other operational projects.
Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain to understand material cost changes, sourcing savings, supplier impacts, and purchase price variances.
Prepare recurring financial and manufacturing reports, highlighting key trends, risks, savings opportunities, and areas requiring management attention.
Support internal and external audit requirements related to inventory, costing, manufacturing expenses, and financial controls.
Identify opportunities to improve and automate financial and cost accounting processes, particularly data-intensive month-end and reporting activities.
Perform ad-hoc financial and cost analysis to support Finance and Operations leadership.