Manufacturing Cost Accountant

Boater’s World Manufacturing Group is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Cost Accountant to support our boat manufacturing operation in Chocowinity, North Carolina.

The Manufacturing Cost Accountant is responsible for maintaining and analyzing product costs, inventory, work-in-process (WIP), manufacturing variances, and other cost-accounting activities. This position works closely with the Manufacturing Controller, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and other departments to ensure manufacturing costs are accurately captured and reported.

The ideal candidate has strong manufacturing cost-accounting experience and understands how materials, labor, overhead, inventory, bills of material, and production activity impact product cost and profitability.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Cost Accounting

• Maintain and analyze standard costs for raw materials, labor, overhead, and manufactured products
• Develop and maintain accurate product and model-level costs
• Review manufacturing costs and investigate significant cost fluctuations
• Analyze material, labor, overhead, purchase-price, scrap, rework, and production variances
• Assist with establishing and updating labor rates, overhead rates, and other manufacturing cost assumptions
• Review bills of material, routings, and other production data for costing accuracy
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure manufacturing changes are accurately reflected in product costs
• Support cost estimates for new products, product changes, and manufacturing initiatives
• Identify cost trends, risks, and opportunities and communicate findings to the Manufacturing Controller and appropriate leadership

Inventory & WIP Accounting

• Monitor and reconcile raw-material, work-in-process, and finished-goods inventory
• Ensure inventory transactions and manufacturing activity are accurately reflected in the accounting system
• Analyze WIP balances and investigate unusual or aged activity
• Support physical inventory counts and cycle-count programs
• Research and resolve inventory discrepancies
• Review inventory adjustments and ensure appropriate supporting documentation
• Assist with inventory reserve and obsolescence analysis
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to improve inventory accuracy and controls
• Help ensure materials, labor, and overhead are properly captured throughout the manufacturing process

Variance & Manufacturing Analysis

• Prepare and analyze manufacturing variance reports
• Investigate purchase-price, material usage, labor efficiency, overhead, scrap, and rework variances
• Work directly with plant leadership to understand the operational drivers behind financial results
• Identify recurring cost or production trends and help determine root causes
• Provide financial analysis to support productivity, efficiency, quality, and cost-reduction initiatives
• Analyze actual manufacturing performance against standards, budgets, and forecasts
• Assist leadership with understanding product margins and manufacturing cost drivers

Month-End Close & Financial Reporting

• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual accounting close activities
• Prepare journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, and supporting schedules
• Reconcile inventory, WIP, COGS, manufacturing variance, and other assigned accounts
• Ensure manufacturing-related transactions are recorded accurately and within established deadlines
• Prepare cost-accounting reports and supporting analysis for the Manufacturing Controller
• Assist with financial statement preparation and management reporting
• Research and resolve accounting discrepancies identified during the close process
• Maintain appropriate supporting documentation for accounting transactions and balances

ERP & Manufacturing Systems

• Maintain accurate cost-accounting information within the company’s ERP environment
• Review bills of material, routings, cost layers, inventory transactions, and manufacturing data
• Assist with maintaining standard costs and other cost-accounting system information
• Work with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to improve ERP data accuracy
• Assist with ERP implementation, transition, configuration, testing, or process-improvement activities as needed
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting, controls, and accounting processes through better system utilization

Operational & Cross-Functional Support

• Maintain a regular presence within the manufacturing operation to understand production processes and cost drivers
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and other departments to understand manufacturing activity
• Assist with financial analysis related to scrap, rework, quality, warranty, and production efficiency
• Support new-product introductions and manufacturing process changes from a cost-accounting perspective
• Assist with fixed-asset and capital-expenditure accounting as assigned
• Support warranty cost analysis and related accounting activities
• Provide cost information and analysis to support operational decision-making
• Participate in continuous-improvement initiatives involving cost, inventory, and manufacturing processes

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Follow and support established accounting policies and internal controls
• Maintain accurate documentation supporting cost-accounting and inventory activities
• Assist with the development and improvement of manufacturing accounting procedures
• Support internal and external audit requests
• Assist with physical inventory observations and related audit procedures
• Identify accounting or inventory-control concerns and communicate them to the Manufacturing Controller
• Help maintain appropriate controls over inventory valuation, manufacturing costs, and financial reporting

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• Minimum 3 years of manufacturing cost-accounting experience
• Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory accounting, WIP, COGS, and manufacturing variances
• Experience analyzing material, labor, overhead, purchase-price, scrap, and production variances
• Experience with bills of material, routings, and manufacturing cost structures
• Experience supporting month-end close, journal entries, account reconciliations, and financial reporting
• Experience working with ERP-based accounting or manufacturing systems
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to understand manufacturing processes and connect production activity to financial results
• Strong attention to detail, organization, and follow-through
• Ability to communicate effectively with both accounting and operational teams
• Ability to work full-time on-site in Chocowinity, North Carolina

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience as a Cost Accountant, Plant Accountant, Manufacturing Accountant, or similar position
• Experience with Epicor ERP or a comparable manufacturing ERP system
• Experience with standard-cost development and maintenance
• Experience with physical inventory and cycle-count programs
• Experience with product and gross-margin analysis
• Experience supporting ERP implementation, conversion, or process improvement
• Boat, marine, composites, fiberglass, automotive, powersports, or other durable-goods manufacturing experience
• Experience with warranty cost analysis
• Experience with fixed assets and capital expenditures
• Experience supporting a growing or expanding manufacturing operation

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Manufacturing cost accounting
• Standard costing
• Inventory and WIP accounting
• Variance analysis
• Product costing and margin analysis
• Bills of material and routings
• Month-end close
• General ledger and account reconciliation
• ERP systems
• Microsoft Excel
• Financial and operational analysis
• Inventory controls
• Problem solving and root-cause analysis
• Cross-functional communication
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Organization and follow-through

Work Environment

• Full-time, on-site position in Chocowinity, North Carolina
• Work is primarily performed in an office environment with regular interaction with the manufacturing operation
• Regular production-floor presence may be required to understand manufacturing processes, inventory movement, labor, material usage, and other cost drivers
• Must follow all facility safety requirements and wear required PPE when entering designated manufacturing areas
• Additional hours may periodically be required during month-end close, physical inventories, budgeting, audits, or other business-critical periods

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Employee discounts
• Professional development opportunities
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement

Equal Employment Opportunity

Boater’s World Manufacturing Group is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law.