Cost Analyst (Manufacturing)
On-site · Des Moines, Iowa, United States or Grimes, Iowa, United States
Job Summary
Cost Analyst responsible for analyzing, monitoring, and improving manufacturing costs across multiple production facilities, partnering with plant operations, supply chain, and finance leadership to ensure accurate product costing and actionable insights. Develop and govern standard costs for materials, labor, and overhead; perform variance analysis by plant, product line, and cost center; explain inter-plant cost differences and efficiency changes. Support month-end close, inventory valuation, and COGS across facilities; drive cost reduction, productivity, and process improvements; assist make/buy decisions and footprint optimization; develop cost models for new products and manufacturing changes; support budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning; maintain standardized cost reporting and KPIs; ensure GAAP-compliant costing practices; maintain data integrity within ERP systems; mentor junior analysts and collaborate with FP&A, supply chain, procurement, operations, and executive leadership.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required
- ERP experience (e.g., SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, Dynamics, or similar)
- 3–5+ years of progressive cost accounting or financial analysis experience in a manufacturing environment
- Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, variance analysis, and manufacturing KPIs
- Advanced Excel; BI/reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, etc.) preferred
- Ability to communicate financial results clearly to plant and non-finance leadership
- Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple sites in a fast-paced environment
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