Cost Analyst

This position will report to the Finance Manager and is responsible for a wide range of financial analysis tasks relating to operations and standard costing.  This role will support accounting activities at specific operating locations across North America; including but not limited to overhead spend analysis and controls, inventory control and costing, accounts payable, payroll, inventory costing, budgeting and standard cost variances.

• Responsible for monthly reporting and analysis on plant operations, including the ability to analyze variances.
• Responsible for building annual overhead budgets

• Reconcile general ledger accounts to support financial statements
• Ensure financial records are maintained in compliance with company policies and procedures
• Prepare financial management reports as requested
• Prepare supporting schedules for the financial audits
• Comply with relevant laws and regulations and ensure the integrity of financial data
• Meet all financial reporting deadlines
• Ensure policies and procedures are in place and current
• Responsible for month-end accruals and analysis
• Continuous improvement:  Monitor operations and make recommendations on opportunities for improvement. Share knowledge between sites, working with them to implement best practices / recommendations consistently across all sites and monitor implementation to ensure proper execution/implementation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Be a positive, contributing team member
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work with a high degree of accuracy
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines
• Have excellent analytical and problem solving skills
• Have excellent communication skills
• Proficient with technology. Computer skills a must, specific proficiency in Excel (advanced formulas, pivot tables, filters), Word, PowerPoint, Internet and email.
• Highly motivated with strong analytical, planning, problem-solving and time management skills.
• Ability to act and operate independently with minimal daily supervision
• Ability to work cooperatively with all levels of employees, management, and external parties.
• Strong Fact Based Decision Making skills – supports decisions with data and uses data to solve problems
• Ability to Establish Plans – set clear, measureable goals, anticipating roadblocks and adjusts for problems, can accurate assess the length and difficulty of tasks.
• Change Champion – able to communicate changes, remove obstacles and understand who needs to be involved in driving changes.
• Strong execution skills – can provide support without removing responsibility, monitors progress to ensure achievement of goals, coordinate with other work groups.
• Possesses the ability to strategize and solve problems, working directly with operations.
• Display a willingness to take on a broad range of duties and projects and comfortable with a flexible, hands on approach.
• Strong customer focus – includes the ability to balance the needs of the customer with the needs of the business as well as fostering a strong customer focus mindset.
• Excels in an environment that fosters process improvement and challenges status quo to eliminate non-value added work.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting required
• Accounting/finance experience required
• Strong understanding of accounting theory & transactions
• Manufacturing accounting experience