Cost Accountant

About This Role

For a Cost Accountant who enjoys getting behind the numbers, standard costing, BOMs, inventory, production variances, and margin analysis are at the heart of this role. This position takes ownership of product costing, inventory valuation, manufacturing cost analysis, and related financial controls within an established South African manufacturer.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate standard costing for raw materials, bought-out components, labor, and manufacturing overheads
• Review and update BOMs, routings, and costing master data in the ERP system
• Prepare monthly cost accounting reports, including actual-versus-standard variances, gross margin analysis, and stock reconciliations
• Analyze material usage, labor recovery, overhead absorption, scrap, rework, and production variances
• Ensure accurate inventory valuation, WIP reporting, cycle counts, annual stock counts, and obsolete stock reviews
• Support month-end close activities relating to inventory, journals, accruals, provisions, and reconciliations
• Work with Production, Procurement, Engineering, and Finance on landed costs, new product costing, make-versus-buy decisions, and margin assumptions
• Support budgeting and forecasting through cost drivers, production assumptions, and standard cost reviews
• Identify waste, process inefficiencies, margin leakage, and pricing anomalies, with recommendations for corrective action
• Support internal and external audits and strengthen costing, reporting, and ERP controls

Requirements

• CIMA qualification
• Minimum 5 years' cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment
• BCom Accounting, Cost & Management Accounting or Finance preferred
• Strong experience in standard costing, BOMs, inventory, and variance analysis
• Good ERP capability
• Advanced Excel skills
• Strong analytical ability with the confidence to investigate exceptions and challenge inaccurate costing assumptions

Benefits

• Broad ownership of the costing function
• Direct exposure to the operational side of manufacturing
• Opportunity to influence profitability, pricing discipline, inventory accuracy, and continuous improvement across the business

Important Details

• Reporting to: Head of Finance

About the Company

The business operates an end-to-end manufacturing environment, producing specialized products for the mining, road construction, and related heavy-industry sectors.