Cost Accountant

About This Role

This Cost Accountant role focuses on ensuring effective stock control, maintaining pricing processes, and conducting variance analysis within a manufacturing environment. The position applies standard costing techniques to provide accurate information for informed decision-making by stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and maintain effective inventory control processes to ensure accuracy, reliability, and compliance across manufacturing operations
• Provide key stakeholders with accurate product cost of sales information based on approved monthly standard costs to support strategic and operational decision-making
• Analyse financial and operational information to identify abnormal cost variances and investigate root causes
• Maintain and update Bills of Materials (BOMs) to ensure product costing accuracy within financial and operational systems
• Manage monthly updates of cost prices and transport rates to ensure current and accurate costing information
• Provide inventory and pricing support to decentralised business units, ensuring effective resolution of queries and operational challenges
• Support the Management Accountant by assisting with finance-related business unit queries and management reporting requirements
• Execute month-end close activities, ensuring all costing, inventory, and reconciliation processes are completed accurately and within required deadlines
• Support year-end financial close activities and audit requirements through the timely completion of reporting and reconciliations
• Perform detailed reconciliations to validate transactions, identify discrepancies, and strengthen financial control processes
• Participate in monthly and bi-monthly stock counts, ensuring inventory accuracy and compliance with stock management procedures
• Attend bi-annual maintenance spares counts and verify inventory records through the review and sign-off of stock documentation
• Investigate incorrect capturing of raw material codes and collaborate with relevant plant managers to implement corrective actions
• Monitor Goods-In-Transit balances and proactively resolve variances to maintain inventory integrity
• Prepare stock reports, providing commentary and insights on abnormal costs, variances, and inventory trends
• Identify and investigate usage variances and losses, validating findings with relevant operational and plant management teams
• Ensure manufacturing work orders are accurately closed and maintain reporting of outstanding work orders at month-end
• Maintain the accuracy of standard costs and manufacturing recovery rates to support reliable financial reporting
• Analyse Purchase Price Variances (PPVs), assess reasonability, and provide recommendations for corrective action where required