Cost Analyst Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
• 3–5 years of accounting or financial analysis experience.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing cost accounting principles.
• Experience analyzing inventory, labor, and production data.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP, Power Query, and complex formulas.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to work independently.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to explain financial information to non-financial leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Nice To Haves

• Manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with cost accounting and inventory analysis preferred.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations is highly desirable.
• Experience with ERP systems (ADP, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, or similar) preferred.
• Knowledge of Power BI or other reporting tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Analyze manufacturing costs, including labor, materials, and overhead.
• Prepare and analyze cost reports to identify trends and cost-saving opportunities.
• Assist with monthly financial close activities related to manufacturing operations.
• Support standard cost development and maintenance.
• Perform variance analysis on labor, material usage, and manufacturing overhead.
• Monitor production yields and identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve efficiencies.
• Analyze scrap, rework, and production losses.
• Partner with Operations to investigate yield variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Develop reports that measure manufacturing performance against established targets.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and investigate inventory discrepancies.
• Analyze inventory transactions and adjustments.
• Assist with cycle counts and physical inventories.
• Support inventory valuation and reconciliation activities.
• Ensure inventory records accurately reflect production activity.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing dashboards and KPIs.
• Analyze labor productivity, machine utilization, and production efficiencies.
• Create recurring reports for plant leadership and executive management.
• Use Excel, ERP systems, and business intelligence tools to identify trends and opportunities.
• Partner with Production, Warehouse, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to improve operational performance.
• Assist department managers with financial analysis and decision support.
• Recommend process improvements that strengthen internal controls and operational efficiency.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives across the plant.