Manufacturing Assistant Accountant

About Epta
The Assistant Accountant will play a key role within the Finance team, supporting manufacturing cost control and Food & Beverage business partnering activities. The role is designed as a development position for an early‑career finance professional, combining factory cost analysis, financial reporting and commercial support. The objective is to ensure high‑quality financial information, strong cost control and actionable insights to support operational and strategic decision‑making.

This permanent role is located at our Bradford Office and offers hybrid working (3 days office/2 home) offering 37.5 hours between 07:30 and 17:30. Salary £35,000.

• Factory Cost Control:
  • Monitor and analyse standard costs and variances (materials, labour, overheads).
  • Support month‑end close activities related to manufacturing operations.
  • Work closely with production and operations teams to understand and improve performance.
  • Maintain and validate costing data within SAP (Production and MM modules preferred).
  • Support inventory valuation and cost accuracy.
• Finance Business Partnering – Food & Beverage:
  • Support budgeting and forecasting processes.
  • Deliver variance analysis and performance insights and margin analysis.
  • Partner with operational and commercial stakeholders to drive profitability improvement and cost optimisation initiatives.
• Reporting & Data Quality:
  • Produce accurate, timely, and consistent financial reports for internal and Group purposes.
  • Ensure integrity and consistency of financial data across systems and reports.
  • Support continuous improvement of reporting processes and tools.
• Governance & Controls:
  • Work closely with the Finance Governance & Control function to ensure data accuracy and compliance.
  • Support internal and external audit processes.
  • Ensure adherence to financial controls, policies, and procedures.

• Approximately 2 years’ experience in a manufacturing, cost‑focused finance role.
• Understanding of standard costing and variance analysis.
• Working knowledge of SAP (Production and Material Management modules preferred).
• Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline.
• Professional certification (ACCA/CIMA) not required; study support may be provided for those wishing to pursue qualification.
• Strong attention to detail, proactive approach, willingness to learn and develop, adaptability, good analytical skills, and a team‑working approach.