Why would I want this job?
The Production/Costing Analyst will play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient and effective management of production orders and cost accounting within our manufacturing facility. The analyst will work closely with cost accounting management to identify and track variance opportunities, serving as a key point of contact with the production floor for periodic variance reviews.
What would I be doing?
The analyst will drive continuous improvement on the production floor, ensuring all costs and standards are updated and correct. They will formulate and establish labor and overhead standards, updating related financial reporting systems, and providing impactful financial analysis on production and material costs to support decision-making.
The analyst will also analyze actual production costs, comparing standard costs to actual production costs, preparing estimates for new and proposed product costs, and maintaining processes and controls associated with manufacturing costs and inventory valuation.
Key Responsibilities of this Role:
- Ensure timely and accurate completion of production orders.
- Provide first-tier system support to the inventory, production, and shipping areas.
- Work with management to identify and track variance opportunities.
- Operate as a point of contact with the production floor for periodic variance reviews.
- Provide profit and loss information at a department level in the production areas.
- Represent accounting/finance/costing in process reviews and changes related to production.
- Drive continuous improvement on the production floor.
- Develop and support the cost accounting function ensuring all costs and standards are updated and correct.
- Formulate and establish labor and overhead standards and update related financial reporting systems.
- Provide impactful financial analysis related to production and material costs, including management of overhead expenses, for the different production rooms in the facility to support decision making.
- Analyze actual production costs, including comparing standard costs to actual production costs.
- Prepare estimates of new and proposed product costs.
- Maintain and improve processes and controls associated with manufacturing costs and inventory valuation.
- Assist the Plant Controller in the analysis of monthly and quarterly business results, and the development of detailed forecasts and annual budgets.
- Ensure validity and accuracy of financial systems through analysis and coordination with production teams.
- Assist in developing and documenting policies and procedures, including system requirements and internal controls.
- Perform accounting close activities related to cost accounting.
- Provide accounting and finance leadership and direction.
- Assist with Ad-hoc assignments and special projects.
What would make me qualified?
Experience and Skills Required
- Strong analytical skills
- Initiative in problem-solving and process improvement
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Must be detail-oriented and experienced in follow-through and completion of projects
- Strong time-management skills
- Ability to adhere to accounting close timelines
- Experienced in managing and driving improvements and change within a finance function
- Ability to work independently and adhere to tight deadlines
- Proficiency in Excel and other applications, especially advanced modeling and analytical techniques
- Experience with Oracle general ledger, Cognos, and production planning and accounting systems a plus
- Working knowledge/navigation of accounting applications
- BS in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
- Experience in commercial or food manufacturing industry a plus
- Experience in a production or inventory control environment preferred
- Experience administering or working at a data management level in an ERP system
- SAP experience preferred
- 3+ years of experience in Accounting, Cost Accounting a plus
Core Competencies of the Role:
- Ensures Accountability: Follows through on commitments and makes sure others do the same; Acts with a clear sense of ownership; Takes personal responsibility for decisions, actions and failures; Establishes clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results; Designs feedback loops into work.
- Business Insight: Knows how businesses work and how organizations make money; Keeps up with current and possible future policies, practices, and trends in the organization, with the competition, and in the marketplace; Uses knowledge of business drivers and how strategies and tactics play out in the market to guide actions.
- Decision Quality: Makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information; Relies on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment when making decisions; Considers all relevant factors and uses appropriate decision-making criteria and principles; Recognizes when a quick 80% solution will suffice.
- Manages Complexity: Asks the right questions to accurately analyze situations; Acquires data from multiple and diverse sources when solving problems; Uncovers root causes to difficult problems; Evaluates pros and cons, risks and benefits of different solution options.
- Financial Acumen: Understands the meaning and implications of key financial indicators; Uses financial analysis to generate, evaluate, and act on strategic options and opportunities; Integrates quantitative and qualitative information to draw accurate conclusions
Additional Qualification:
- Capable of sitting, standing, and walking for extended periods.
- Requires the ability to work in both office and retail settings, adapting to frequent changes in movement and posture.
- Must be able to tolerate refrigerated temperatures for certain tasks.
- Occasionally required to lift objects up to 50 lbs.
- Vision must be sufficient to see information in print and/or on electronic devices.
- Regular travel to other retail locations may be necessary
- Must be able to engage in hearing, talking on the telephone, attending in-person meetings, typing, and managing paper/files, etc.