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RH
Robert Half
Cost Accountant
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Based on Michigan data
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What they do
A Cost Accountant analyzes the cost of company products or services, determines factors affecting costs, and makes recommendations for managing costs. Analyzes financial processes within a company or organization and develops internal cost reporting and accounting systems.
$82,978 / year median in Michigan
-6% projected decline
Job Description
We are looking for a Cost Accountant to join our team in Saginaw, Michigan. This position focuses on evaluating inventory-related margins, strengthening cost accuracy, and delivering financial insight that supports sound business decisions. The role works closely with operations and leadership to improve profitability, maintain reliable costing data, and ensure accounting records reflect manufacturing activity in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Responsibilities:
- Evaluate inventory-related gross margin performance and present clear findings to leadership to support profit and loss decisions.
- Maintain standard costing data by analyzing labor, material, and production inputs and updating cost structures within the ERP environment.
- Research inventory discrepancies, cycle count differences, scrap activity, and manufacturing variances, then communicate corrective actions to operational teams.
- Prepare detailed financial and operational reports, including monthly margin analysis by customer and product, with comparisons to budget and prior-year results.
- Support month-end close by reviewing cost of goods sold, reconciling inventory accounts, and recording journal entries for adjustments and reserves.
- Develop costing and pricing models that help guide customer pricing decisions while protecting margins and market competitiveness.
- Review bills of materials and collaborate with quality, research, and production teams to identify opportunities for cost and process improvement.
- Forecast inventory turns and analyze manufacturing-related capital requests using sales, production, and cost data.
- Assist with inventory count activities, including recurring cycle counts and the annual year-end physical inventory process.
- Serve as backup support for the Plex system by helping with item, process, and BOM setup, user access administration, permissions, and reporting tools as needed.