Cost Accountant

The Cost Accountant is responsible for helping to drive margin and profit improvement by providing insight, analysis, and control over pricing and costing processes. Specific areas of responsibility include ownership of standard cost rates, identifying and explaining cost variances (including purchase price variance, labor variances, and absorption variances) both for month-end and throughout the month, updating pricing schedules, gross margin analysis, and partnering with different internal teams to drive solutions to execution. This role requires a high degree of accuracy and data analysis skills. Curiosity and a willingness to learn and grow are necessary for success. The Pricing & Cost Analyst must embrace, promote, and adhere to the GSM Core Values: Integrity, People, Teamwork, Curiosity, Accountability, and Service.

This job description is intended to be an overview of the primary responsibilities for this position. All employees are charged with providing support in generally similar duties when management deems it necessary. Special projects and activities may also be created where employees’ talents can best be utilized. General Stamping & Metalworks is a growing organization responding to an ever-changing market. Accordingly, it is expected that tasks and requirements will change from time to time, and employees will be asked to respond as needed and within reason.

Organizational Relationships and Authority

The Cost Accountant reports directly to the Controller. There are currently no direct reports.

This role requires collaboration with others in Customer Resource, Engineering, Operations, Information Technology, and Finance areas of the company.

Key Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the Cost Accountant is to regularly and systematically evaluate and report manufacturing cost variances and communicate recommendations to address specific issues.

Specific Competencies

• Advanced proficiency with Excel including LOOKUP, SUMIF, and Filter functions, as well as Pivot
  Tables, report layout and presentation tools.
• Understands manufacturing operations, bill of material, and pricing functions of an ERP system to extract data and create actionable variance reports.
• Ability to extract data from multiples systems, organize and analyze the data, and formulate insights and recommendations.
• Ability to design cogent presentations of findings, both in summarized and granular formats.
• Ability to exercise professional judgement regarding prioritizing specific opportunities in a manner that ensures that parts having the highest potential impact financially receive prompt attention.

General Competencies

• Time Management: Must manage time effectively to identify and address all parts in need of management attention. Must be able to work with minimum supervision.
• Customer Relations: Must effectively manage difficult or emotional situations involving internal or external customers. Must have superior communication skills, respond promptly and effectively to customer needs, and solicit feedback to improve service. Must respond to requests for service and assistance in a friendly productive manner and meet commitments.
• Attendance/Punctuality: Consistently begins work on schedule; ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; joins meetings and appointments prepared and on time.
• Dependability: Follows procedures and responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits time necessary to reach goals; meets deadlines or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.
• Oral Communication: Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens to get clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates engaging presentation skills; participates in meetings.
• Written Communication: Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; presents numerical data effectively; effectively reads and interprets written information.

Work Environment

The following work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee would encounter while performing the essential functions of this job:

Onsite work:

Open office, cubicle, individual or shared office

Conference rooms or open offices

Projects may require working with users and equipment on the manufacturing shop floor

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly or occasionally required to meet the following physical demands:

• Ability to speak clearly and understandably, with a pleasant tone of voice and manner.
• Ability to hear within a range that enables normal telephone communication.
• Ability to see a computer screen within reasonable reading distance without strain.
• Able to type at a keyboard without bodily or psychological discomfort most of the working day.
• Ability to ambulate around the office environment and manufacturing floor comfortably in order to fulfill tasks required in various offices and departments.
• Ability to handle interruptions while working with multiple projects simultaneously. Position requires organizational and stress management skills.

Salary/Wages and Benefits

Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Conditions of Hire

All employment with General Stamping & Metalworks is at-will by the employer and employee, and therefore subject to change. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen and background check.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree with an emphasis in Accounting AND relevant business experience, and having the interests and competencies described above

Experience

Minimum of 2 years of transferable experience in a manufacturing environment.

General Description

The Pricing & Cost Analyst is responsible for helping to drive margin and profit improvement by providing insight, analysis, and control over pricing and costing processes. Specific areas of responsibility include ownership of standard cost rates, identifying and explaining cost variances (including purchase price variance, labor variances, and absorption variances) both for month-end and throughout the month, updating pricing schedules, gross margin analysis, and partnering with different internal teams to drive solutions to execution.