Sr. Cost Accountant

Description Our client is seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to join an established manufacturing operation in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area. This onsite, interim opportunity will play a key role in supporting cost accounting functions, inventory accuracy, and financial reporting within a high-volume production environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong manufacturing experience, deep knowledge of standard costing, and the ability to analyze and communicate cost drivers effectively.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and oversee standard costing processes, including cost updates, roll-forwards, and ongoing review of cost assumptions.
• Analyze manufacturing variances (material, labor, and overhead), identify root causes, and partner with operations to drive corrective actions.
• Support month-end close activities related to cost accounting, including journal entries, inventory reconciliations, and variance reporting.
• Review and maintain bill of materials (BOM) accuracy, ensuring alignment between production data and financial records.
• Partner closely with plant leadership, supply chain, and production teams to monitor cost trends and provide insight into operational performance.
• Assist with inventory management processes, including cycle counts, physical inventories, and reconciliation of discrepancies.
• Evaluate cost accounting processes and controls, recommending enhancements to improve accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.
• Prepare reporting and analysis on inventory valuation, cost of goods sold, and manufacturing performance metrics.
• Support audit requirements related to inventory and cost accounting, ensuring proper documentation and compliance with policies.
• Leverage ERP system capabilities to streamline cost tracking, reporting, and data integrity across the manufacturing environment. Requirements
• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, with a strong emphasis in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience with standard costing methodologies, inventory accounting, and manufacturing variance analysis.
• Solid understanding of bill of materials (BOMs) and their impact on costing and production reporting.
• Hands-on experience working within large ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or similar manufacturing platforms.
• Strong Excel skills, including data analysis, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Experience supporting month-end close and working cross-functionally with operations teams.
• High attention to detail, strong analytical ability, and the capacity to translate complex cost data into actionable insights.
• Ability to operate effectively in an onsite, fast-paced manufacturing setting.

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