Cost Accountant

Description We are looking for a Cost Accountant to join our team in Saginaw, Michigan. This position focuses on evaluating inventory-related margins, strengthening cost accuracy, and delivering financial insight that supports sound business decisions. The role works closely with operations and leadership to improve profitability, maintain reliable costing data, and ensure accounting records reflect manufacturing activity in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Responsibilities:

- Evaluate inventory-related gross margin performance and present clear findings to leadership to support profit and loss decisions.

- Maintain standard costing data by analyzing labor, material, and production inputs and updating cost structures within the ERP environment.

- Research inventory discrepancies, cycle count differences, scrap activity, and manufacturing variances, then communicate corrective actions to operational teams.

- Prepare detailed financial and operational reports, including monthly margin analysis by customer and product, with comparisons to budget and prior-year results.

- Support month-end close by reviewing cost of goods sold, reconciling inventory accounts, and recording journal entries for adjustments and reserves.

- Develop costing and pricing models that help guide customer pricing decisions while protecting margins and market competitiveness.

- Review bills of materials and collaborate with quality, research, and production teams to identify opportunities for cost and process improvement.

- Forecast inventory turns and analyze manufacturing-related capital requests using sales, production, and cost data.

- Assist with inventory count activities, including recurring cycle counts and the annual year-end physical inventory process.

- Serve as backup support for the Plex system by helping with item, process, and BOM setup, user access administration, permissions, and reporting tools as needed. Requirements - Experience in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment, including standard costing and inventory valuation.

- Strong ability to perform gross margin analysis, variance analysis, and profit and loss review.

- Working knowledge of inventory reconciliation, cycle counting practices, and bill of materials management.

- Proficiency with manufacturing ERP systems, preferably Plex Manufacturing ERP.

- Advanced spreadsheet skills, including tools such as VLOOKUP and Pivot Tables for analysis and reporting.

- Ability to prepare forecasts, pricing models, and management reports using financial and operational data.

- Understanding of generally accepted accounting principles related to inventory, overhead application, and month-end close.

Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects highly qualified job seekers to opportunities at great companies. We offer contract, temporary and permanent placement solutions for finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support roles.

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All applicants applying for U.S. job openings must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Benefits are available to contract/temporary professionals, including medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance. Hired contract/temporary professionals are also eligible to enroll in our company 401(k) plan. Visit  for more information.

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