Plant Cost Accountant

The company

Our client is a manufacturer of porcelain ceramics. The company has a strong presence in the U.S. and large clientele. Their people-centric approach combined with their ability to craft fine products make them an important player in the sector.

The position & the functions :

On behalf of our client, YER USA is looking for an experienced Cost Accountant to work closely with both the Plant Manager at the company’s production site in Tennessee and with upper management at the company’s U.

S. HQ. You will collect, analyze, and summarize financial information, ensuring accurate and timely reporting of cost-related data.

This position requires a strong understanding of cost accounting principles, excellent analytical skills, the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and a background in a manufacturing sector.

In this role you will :

• Work with Plant Managers to coordinate and develop a bottoms-up annual operations budget for the plant, detailed plant spends and conversion costs by month, a capex plan, & manage standard cost update for manufactured products.
• Focus on assisting in implementing a manufacturing KPI dashboard to monitor, analyze and optimize plant operations.
• Collaborate with production and procurement teams to gather cost-related data.
• Conduct in-depth analysis of production costs, including raw materials, labor, and overhead expenses.
• Identify and analyze variances between standard costs and actual production costs.
• Assist in the preparation of financial statements related to cost accounting.
• Monitor plant spending and provide meaningful analysis of manufacturing variances. Assist operations management in development and deployment of plans to lower costs or improve productivity.
• Work with Plant Manager to construct a monthly forecast of plant spend and conversion costs.
• Develop and provide meaningful analysis of monthly operating results (comparisons to forecast, budget, and prior year).

This includes reporting of monthly plant spend and conversion cost, plant profitability, and key financial metrics for operations (conversion costs, working capital, capex)

• Coordinate monthly review of inventory position and related inventory reserves.
• Actively participate in monthly operations review (MOR) and present plant performance results as requested, with emphasis on helping management understand results and underlying causes of manufacturing variances.

Recommend corrective action aimed at performance improvement.

• Assist in preparation and analysis of capital spending proposals, ensuring compliance with company policy related to capital expenditures.
• Ensure timely completion and closure of projects & appropriate project justification, and that the capex request meets required return thresholds.
• Oversee periodic physical inventory process and cycle count program.

To be successful in this role you need :

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• Proven experience in Cost Accounting, Cost Analysis, Inventory Control & Inventory reconciliation
• Strong understanding of production processes and working experience in a manufacturing or production environment
• Proficient in using accounting software, ERP systems and MS Excel
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment
• Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy

Compensation : 100-120k