Manufacturing Cost Accountant

What we do- Aspen•East Providence, RI

12d•Onsite

About The Position

This role serves as a primary cost accounting resource at the East Providence manufacturing facility, with ownership of standard cost integrity, inventory controls, and manufacturing variance reporting. The Manufacturing Cost Accountant partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Production, Engineering, and Finance to ensure accurate standard costs, robust controls, and actionable financial analysis. This position operates within a SOX-compliant environment and reports to the Manufacturing Controller. The Manufacturing Cost Accountant plays a key role in supporting operational decision-making, continuous improvement initiatives, external audits, and financial compliance requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field.
5+ years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment.
Experience with standard costing and inventory accounting.
Experience supporting month-end close and financial reporting.
Experience with ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics or similar.
Experience leading Physical Inventory.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing accounting principles.
Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP)
Experience with inventory reconciliations and variance analysis.
Understanding BOM’s, routings, labor standards, and overhead allocation methodologies.
Experience in a public company environment with SOX 404 compliance and internal control documentation required.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to communicate financial information to non-financial stakeholders.
Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Strong collaboration and business partnering skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a multi-site manufacturing environment a plus.
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) strongly preferred; familiarity with the D365 costing module and inventory management is a significant differentiator.
CPA or CMA a plus.

Responsibilities

Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, labor, overhead, and freight components.
Support annual standard cost rollups and interim cost revisions.
Analyze manufacturing cost drivers and identify opportunities for cost improvement.
Review and validate Bill of Materials, routing, labor standards, and overhead rates.
Collaborate with Operations and Engineering to ensure costing assumptions accurately reflect manufacturing processes.
Reconcile inventory balances and investigate inventory-related discrepancies.
Support monthly inventory close activities, including inventory valuation and reserve analysis.
Monitor inventory transactions for accuracy and compliance with company policies.
Coordinate and participate in physical inventory and cycle count programs.
Analyze inventory adjustments, scrap, obsolescence and excess inventory reserves.
Prepare and analyze monthly manufacturing variances, including: Material usage variance, PPV, Labor variance, Overhead variance, Yield variance, Substitution variance, Freight, customs and duties.
Build and maintain a monthly manufacturing variance package suitable for presentation to plant operations leadership, including root cause narratives and action item tracking; provide clear explanations of significant variances to Finance and Operations leadership.
Partner with operational teams to identify root causes and corrective actions.
Prepare month-end journal entries related to inventory, manufacturing costs, and reserves.
Perform account reconciliations and support balance sheet reviews.
Ensure timely and accurate month-end close activities.
Support management’s reporting and financial analysis related to manufacturing operations.
Assist with internal and external reporting requirements.
Maintain and administer costing data within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O), including cost group configuration, standard cost activation, and inventory close processing.
Support implementation and enhancements of D365 F&O costing processes and controls, including BOM/route validation and production order management.
Validate production order transactions and inventory movements.
Assist with ERP testing, upgrades, and process improvements impacting manufacturing accounting.
Support external audit requests and documentation requirements.
Own and maintain key SOX 404 control documentation related to inventory valuation, standard cost rollups, and PPV; support internal and external audit readiness (including requests from internal and external auditors) with timely, accurate workpapers.
Assist in the development and documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Ensure inventory and costing processes comply with US GAAP and company policies.