Manufacturing Operations Financial Analyst

Cost Analyst

The Cost Analyst supports the Controller and site operations teams by managing key financial and accounting processes within a manufacturing environment. This role serves as a core member of the site finance and accounting team, with a strong focus on inventory, forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, and cost accounting. The Cost Analyst manages and maintains the cost accounting system, oversees cost of goods sold and cost of goods produced reporting, and provides clear, data-driven insight into financial operating results.

Acting as a strategic business partner, this position collaborates closely with leaders and cross-functional teams in finance and operations to improve financial performance and support informed decision-making.

• Support the Controller and site operations teams with day-to-day financial and accounting processes.
• Manage and maintain the cost accounting system to ensure accurate and timely recording of costs.
• Oversee and prepare cost of goods sold and cost of goods produced reporting for the manufacturing site.
• Perform detailed variance analysis to identify drivers of manufacturing performance and cost fluctuations.
• Lead and support forecasting and budgeting activities, including preparation, review, and analysis of financial plans.
• Analyze inventory levels, movements, and valuation to ensure accuracy and support operational decision-making.
• Develop and maintain standard costing for products and processes, and analyze manufacturing variances against standards.
• Assist with month-end close activities, including journal entries, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Prepare and deliver clear financial reports, dashboards, and analyses to finance and operations leadership.
• Use Excel tools such as pivot tables and VLOOKUP to organize, analyze, and present financial data.
• Leverage ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, SAGE, Net Suite, or Infor to extract and validate financial information.
• Provide insight and recommendations based on financial operating results to support business decisions and performance improvement.
• Act as a business partner to teams and leaders across finance and operations, collaborating on initiatives to optimize costs and efficiency.
• Support continuous improvement of financial processes, reporting, and controls within the site.

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance.
• At least 3 years of variance analysis experience within a manufacturing company.
• At least 3 years of forecasting and budgeting experience.
• At least 3 years of inventory experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with cost accounting and cost analysis in a production or manufacturing setting.
• Strong financial analysis skills, including the ability to interpret and explain manufacturing variances and cost drivers.
• Proficiency in creating and using pivot tables and VLOOKUP functions in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working within ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, SAGE, Net Suite, or Infor.
• Ability to work with bills of materials (BOM) and understand their impact on product costing and inventory.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in financial data and reporting.
• Ability to communicate financial insights clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with multiple priorities.

• Experience with advanced cost accounting methodologies and standard costing in manufacturing.
• Background in inventory cost analysis and optimization.
• Familiarity with multiple ERP platforms and the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently without micromanagement while maintaining high accountability.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams in finance and operations.

This position is based fully onsite at a manufacturing facility, providing direct exposure to production operations and inventory processes. The role involves working closely with finance and operations teams in a collaborative environment that values autonomy and trust, with leadership that does not micromanage. You will work primarily with financial systems and ERP platforms such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, SAGE, Net Suite, or Infor, as well as Microsoft Excel for data analysis and reporting.

The onsite setting allows for regular interaction with production and inventory personnel, supporting accurate costing and timely financial insights.

This is a Contract position based out of Allentown, PA.

The pay range for this position is $38.00 - $43.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some…