Product Costing Analyst I

Mary Kay•Town of Addison, WI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This role partners with Marketing, Product Development, Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Global Product Management to analyze the financial viability of new Mary Kay products. You'll help estimate product costs, evaluate pricing strategies, analyze profitability, and provide the financial insights that support key business decisions throughout the New Product Development (NPD) lifecycle. Working under the guidance of the Manager, you'll develop financial models using input from both U.S. and international business partners to support product approvals by regional teams, senior leadership, and executives. You'll also prepare cost estimates for new products, monitor financial performance after launch through KPI reporting and data visualization tools such as Tableau, and investigate unusual data trends to help ensure accurate financial reporting and decision-making.

Requirements

1+ years of experience in financial analysis; knowledge and understanding of New Product Development Financial assessment in a retail or consumer product business
Bachelor/University Degree in Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Market Research, Marketing or other business-related discipline.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Access, and PowerPoint
Experience with PivotTables, subtotals, and other advanced Excel functions.
Strong analytical, mathematical, and problem-solving skills.
High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple financial inputs from U.S. and international partners.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively with non-finance partners and global teams.
Ability to quickly learn Mary Kay’s products, business processes, international markets, and manufacturing operations.
Curious, innovative, adaptable, and comfortable approaching problems from multiple perspectives.
Ability to evaluate the reasonableness of financial inputs and follow up with business partners as needed.
Ability to work with a sense of urgency on ad hoc requests and projects that support speed to market.
Ability to develop a strong understanding of internal data sources and reporting processes.

Nice To Haves

A post-graduate degree and/or previous experience in an analysis or financial reporting role in a retail, consumer packaged goods, or direct selling environment preferred.
Experience with Tableau
Experience with Agile or stage-gate processes
Knowledge of JD Edwards
Cosmetics industry experience

Responsibilities

Prepare and support the development of cost estimates for new products.
Coordinate cost estimate activities to help ensure projects are completed on time.
Review cost information provided by Procurement, Engineering, and Process Development teams.
Conduct benchmark research and analyze historical cost trends to validate assumptions.
Apply cost accounting principles and company policies to support pricing and profitability analysis.
Identify and clearly communicate key cost drivers to NPD project teams.
Develop make-versus-buy analyses and provide financial decision support related to manufacturing feasibility and profitability for U.S. and international subsidiaries.
Serve as the Finance representative on assigned NPD projects.
Respond to cost-related questions and gather project updates from cross-functional partners.
Communicate project status to management and escalate issues when needed.
Build effective working relationships with Project Managers, Business Leads, and other NPD stakeholders.
Participate in Product Leadership Team meetings and assist in presenting cost analyses during key stage-gate approval points.
Provide analyses and tools to support strategic pricing decisions for new products.
Manage ad hoc requests from Global Product Management and communicate any risks or roadblocks.
Support business leads with current and historical cost, pricing, and profitability insights.
Assist with new product target costing and price-setting best practices.
Help, develop, and maintain product and pricing tools in partnership with IT, external vendors, and internal teams.