Cost Accountant

We are looking for a skilled Cost Accountant to join our team on a contract basis in Homewood, Illinois. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with various departments to ensure accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and cost analysis. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in cost accounting processes and demonstrate proficiency in driving process improvements and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain cost accounting systems to track production costs, including materials, labor, and overhead, ensuring compliance in a Microsoft D365 environment.

• Monitor inventory valuation methods and oversee physical inventory counts to reconcile them with financial records.

• Analyze cost data, prepare variance reports, and provide actionable insights to optimize profitability and operational efficiency.

• Collaborate with plant management to calculate and update yields, staffing levels, and throughput rates.

• Support Financial Planning & Analysis (FP& A) in budgeting, forecasting, and cost analysis efforts.

• Develop cost estimates for customer bids, analyzing profit margins and cost structures to support pricing strategies.

• Ensure compliance with industry standards and recommend cost-control measures to enhance manufacturing efficiency.

• Work cross-functionally with teams such as Manufacturing, R& D, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Sales, IT, and Finance to meet data requirements.

• Lead projects related to improving standard costing efficiencies and identify automation opportunities.

• Provide training and support to users and data stewards on master data standards and best practices.

The salary range for this position is $40/hr to $44/hr. Benefits available to contract/temporary professionals, include medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance. Hired contract/temporary professionals are also eligible to enroll in our company 401(k) plan. Visit Robert Half Benefits Website for more information.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• 3-7 years of experience in Cost Accounting, Inventory Accounting, or a similar role, preferably within the consumer packaged goods industry.
• Strong financial modeling skills, particularly using Excel.
• Proven ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights for decision-making.
• Excellent collaboration skills with the ability to build effective partnerships across various organizational levels.
• Familiarity with Microsoft D365 systems and planning tools such as Planful or Hyperion.
• Experience working with multiple databases and extracting data from diverse sources.
• Proficiency in manufacturing cost accounting principles and practices.

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 roberthalf.gobenefits.net for more information.

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