Cost Accountant

Location: Covina, CA on site

Salary: $100k - $120k/yr DOE + Benefits Package

Requirements: BS/BA in Accounting or Finance, 3+ years of Cost accounting experience, Manufacturing preferred, Advanced MS Excel skills

Position Overview: A growing and innovative manufacturing company is seeking a Cost Accountant to join its finance team. This hands-on role is responsible for manufacturing cost analysis, inventory accounting, standard cost management, variance analysis, reporting, budgeting support, and month-end close activities. This is an excellent opportunity for an accounting professional who enjoys partnering with operations teams and working closely with manufacturing processes to improve cost visibility and profitability.

Key Responsibilities: Develop, maintain, and analyze standard costs for materials, labor, and overhead. Monitor and analyze manufacturing variances, including labor, material, overhead, and production variances. Perform inventory valuations and reconciliations for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods. Reconcile inventory records to the general ledger. Support month-end and year-end close activities related to inventory and cost of goods sold. Prepare journal entries, reports, schedules, and supporting analysis. Partner with manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, and leadership teams to improve cost accuracy and financial performance. Support physical inventory counts, cycle counts, and inventory control initiatives. Analyze slow-moving and obsolete inventory and assist with reserve calculations. Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and annual standard cost updates. Assist with internal and external audits related to inventory and manufacturing operations. Develop reporting tools and dashboards to improve operational and financial visibility.

Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance or related field; CPA or CMA preferred.3+ years of cost accounting experience- manufacturing environment preferred (product costing, standard costing, variance analysis).Strong knowledge of GAAP; familiarity with IFRS is a plus. Strong understanding of GAAP, cost accounting, inventory accounting, and manufacturing operations. Experience with standard costing, BOMs, routing structures, inventory valuation, and cost analysis. Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, Power Query, and complex financial modeling. ERP system experience required; QuickBooks experience is a plus. Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills. Comfortable spending time on the production floor working directly with operations teams. Self-starter with a proactive and adaptable approach. Experience leveraging AI tools for reporting, analysis, and process improvement is a plus.