We are looking for an experienced Sr. Cost Accountant to support a chemicals manufacturing operation through a long-term contract assignment. This role is ideal for a hands-on, detail-oriented accounting specialist who can strengthen standard costing processes, deliver timely analysis, and provide clear insight into cost movement across the business. The position will work closely with purchasing, R&D, sales, and finance partners to improve the speed and accuracy of costing decisions that influence pricing, reporting, and intercompany activity.
Responsibilities:
- Lead monthly standard cost updates and maintain accurate product costing in support of ongoing material and pricing changes.
- Analyze cost variances before and after cost updates, identifying root causes and summarizing key business drivers for stakeholders.
- Prepare and support transfer pricing calculations, ensuring intercompany partners receive timely and reliable information.
- Partner with purchasing, R&D, and sales teams to validate inputs that affect costing, quoting, and margin decisions.
- Produce clear reporting and cost analysis in Excel and related reporting tools to improve visibility into trends and exceptions.
- Streamline recurring costing activities to improve turnaround times, strengthen consistency, and reduce manual inefficiencies.
- Support costing needs tied to new product development and item setup as products move into active production.
- Use SAP and associated reporting tools, including Power BI where applicable, to extract data, review results, and communicate findings.
- Share process knowledge and contribute to work instructions so the broader team can execute costing activities more effectively.
- Strong background in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment, preferably in chemicals or a similar process industry.
- Demonstrated experience with standard costing, cost analysis, and manufacturing variance review, including PPV.
- Working knowledge of transfer pricing support in a corporate or intercompany setting.
- Proficiency with SAP for costing, reporting, and financial data review.
- Solid Excel skills for analysis, reporting, and organizing large sets of cost data.
- Ability to interpret changing material, purchasing, and production inputs and translate them into accurate cost updates.
- Comfortable working cross-functionally with finance, purchasing, R&D, and commercial teams.
- Strong attention to timeliness, analytical detail, and clear communication of cost drivers and recommendations.