Cost Accountant

Judge Direct Placement is seeking a Cost Accountant & Pricing Manager in Chicago, IL area! They will be responsible for leading financial analysis, standard product costing, pricing models, and product-line profitability strategies. The manager identifies margin‑improvement opportunities, evaluates pricing strategies, tracks manufacturing variances, and delivers SKU and customer‑level profitability analysis to maximize overall business margins.

• Manage product bills of materials (BOMs) and maintain accurate standard costs for raw materials, packaging, and labor within Net Suite and Nulogy
• Analyze daily and monthly manufacturing variances across assigned locations, including direct and indirect labor, materials, yields, scrap, and line productivity
• Partner with plant leadership to identify root causes of production and yield variances using Nulogy’s real‑time manufacturing data
• Review and optimize product formulations, BOMs, and routing processes to improve accuracy and operational efficiency
• Evaluate indirect manufacturing costs and capacity utilization to support cost allocation and operational decision‑making
• Develop and maintain data‑driven pricing models for customers and products, including new product launches and custom co‑packing opportunities
• Assess the financial impact of raw material and commodity price fluctuations on product pricing, including purchase price variance (PPV) adjustments
• Support customer RFPs and contract negotiations by delivering financial models and margin analysis to leadership
• Review customer and vendor agreements to ensure alignment between contractual terms, pricing models, and invoicing practices
• Lead SKU‑and customer‑level profitability analysis to identify margin improvement opportunities and underperforming products
• Deliver detailed reporting on gross margin and variable contribution margins across the business
• Develop and maintain KPI‑driven reporting that connects customer and product performance to budget and pricing assumptions
• Identify and investigate margin variances, collaborating with sales, operations, and supply chain teams to drive corrective actions
• Support annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes across multiple manufacturing locations
• Serve as the finance lead for integration and data alignment between Net Suite (financials) and Nulogy (manufacturing execution)
• Oversee routine inventory reconciliations across systems to ensure accuracy and minimize discrepancies across sites
• Audit production data and usage logs to verify accurate consumption of materials, packaging, and labor processes

• s:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related fiel
• d.Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) preferr
• ed5–7 years of progressive experience in cost accounting, pricing, or commercial financial analysi
• s.At least 1–2 years of experience in a supervisory, team‑lead, or project-management capacit