Cost Accounting Manager

We are looking for an experienced Cost Accounting Manager to lead cost finance activities across multiple manufacturing locations in Charleston, Illinois. This role partners closely with plant and operations leadership to strengthen cost visibility, improve financial decision-making, and support operational performance. The ideal candidate brings deep manufacturing cost accounting expertise, a strong command of inventory controls, and the ability to translate plant data into practical business insights.

Responsibilities:
• Direct cost accounting activities for several manufacturing sites, maintaining consistent reporting practices, reliable financial data, and adherence to company policies.
• Act as a key advisor to plant leaders by explaining cost trends, identifying major variances, and recommending actions to improve plant performance.
• Travel to operating locations to review results, confirm inventory accuracy, and build strong alignment between finance and site operations.
• Lead the administration of standard costing, including cost updates, bill of materials accuracy, labor assumptions, overhead calculations, and cost rollups.
• Prepare and present monthly cost performance reviews with analysis of production, usage, labor, and overhead variances.
• Work with operations teams to evaluate scrap levels, yield performance, cycle times, and other drivers affecting manufacturing efficiency.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and longer-range financial planning for assigned plants.
• Oversee inventory valuation processes, cycle count programs, and physical inventory activities while reinforcing effective controls over raw materials, work in process, and finished goods.
• Provide financial guidance for cost reduction efforts, capital spending decisions, profitability analysis, and improvements to reporting tools and data quality.
• Partner with engineering and product development teams to estimate costs for new offerings and assess manufacturing factors such as energy usage, firing cycles, batch consistency, and specialized production methods.• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline; CPA or CMA is preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in cost accounting, financial analysis, or a similar finance role within manufacturing.
• Background supporting more than one manufacturing facility in a regional or multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with responsibility for guiding or managing direct reports.
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, variance analysis, and manufacturing finance principles.
• Experience in refractory, ceramics, minerals, or other heavy industrial manufacturing environments is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with enterprise resource planning systems such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, or comparable platforms.
• Ability to communicate effectively across finance, operations, supply chain, engineering, and plant leadership teams, with willingness to travel regularly to site locations.