Senior Cost Accountant

Quanex is looking for a Senior Cost Accountant to join our team located in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for cost accounting and financial analysis across 11 manufacturing plants, ensuring accurate, timely, and GAAP-compliant production cost reporting.

This role serves as a key business partner to plant controllers and operations leadership, providing clear insight into absorption, manufacturing performance, and variances to standard. The Senior Cost Accountant plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the standard cost system, supporting the monthly close process, and driving improvements in cost visibility, inventory accuracy, and financial reporting.

• Excellent Bonus Potential
• Paid Time Off, Training & Holidays
• Charitable Contribution Match Program
• Tuition Assistance
• Wellness/Fitness Resources
• Training & Professional Development
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Dynamic Culture & People – just to name a few!

• Own and oversee cost accounting processes across 11 manufacturing plants, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with corporate standards
• Partner closely with plant controllers and operations leaders to explain absorption, cost behavior, and variances to standard (labor, material, overhead, and PPV) in a clear and actionable manner
• Analyze and interpret manufacturing variances, identify root causes, and collaborate with operations to drive corrective actions and improve performance
• Lead cost-related month-end close activities, including inventory valuation, accruals, allocations, journal entries, and account reconciliations
• Analyze monthly sales, cost of goods manufactured, and book-to-physical inventory results to ensure the integrity of financial reporting
• Ensure accurate inventory valuation (Raw, WIP, FG), including development and review of reserves for obsolete, slow-moving, and lower of cost or market (LCM) inventory
• Lead and approve standard cost updates within the ERP system, including BOMs, routings, labor standards, and overhead rates; communicate financial impacts to plant leadership
• Perform and coordinate quarterly updates to labor and overhead rates across all facilities
• Evaluate production capacity and ensure accurate accounting for excess capacity and under/over absorption of fixed overhead
• Support and improve cycle count programs and physical inventories; analyze variances and partner with operations to enhance inventory accuracy and turns
• Standardize and review KPI reports and operational metrics to ensure consistency and comparability across plants
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes by developing cost models, including materials, labor, overhead, and staffing-related fringe costs
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to drive cost reduction and operational efficiency
• Ensure proper cost center and profit center structures are maintained and consistently applied within the ERP system
• Drive process improvements and standardization across plants to enhance data accuracy, transparency, and reporting effectiveness
• Ensure compliance with SOX requirements and support internal and external audit activities
• Provide guidance and support to plant controllers and finance teams on cost accounting principles and best practices

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment
• Multi-site manufacturing experience preferred
• Strong understanding of standard costing, absorption accounting, and manufacturing variance analysis
• Experience working closely with plant controllers and operations leadership
• Proficiency in ERP systems (E21 and Netsuite preferred) and financial reporting tools
• Ability to translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process improvement skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced environment

The salary range for this position is $80,000 to $100,000 with bonus potential.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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