Manufacturing Cost Analyst

Position Summary:

The Manufacturing Cost Analyst is responsible for providing financial and operational analysis to support manufacturing performance. This role partners closely with Plant Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to analyze production costs, inventory, labor, and manufacturing yields, and to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

Key Responsibilities:

Cost & Financial Analysis

• Analyze manufacturing costs, including labor, materials, and overhead.
• Prepare and analyze cost reports to identify trends and cost-saving opportunities.
• Assist with monthly financial close activities related to manufacturing operations.
• Support standard cost development and maintenance.
• Perform variance analysis on labor, material usage, and manufacturing overhead.

Yield & Production Analysis

• Monitor production yields and identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve efficiencies.
• Analyze scrap, rework, and production losses.
• Partner with Operations to investigate yield variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Develop reports that measure manufacturing performance against established targets.

Inventory Management

• Monitor inventory accuracy and investigate inventory discrepancies.
• Analyze inventory transactions and adjustments.
• Assist with cycle counts and physical inventories.
• Support inventory valuation and reconciliation activities.
• Ensure inventory records accurately reflect production activity.

Operational Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain manufacturing dashboards and KPIs.
• Analyze labor productivity, machine utilization, and production efficiencies.
• Create recurring reports for plant leadership and executive management.
• Use Excel, ERP systems, and business intelligence tools to identify trends and opportunities.

Business Partnership

• Partner with Production, Warehouse, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to improve operational performance.
• Assist department managers with financial analysis and decision support.
• Recommend process improvements that strengthen internal controls and operational efficiency.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives across the plant.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.

Experience

• 3–5 years of accounting or financial analysis experience.
• Manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with cost accounting and inventory analysis preferred.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations is highly desirable.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of manufacturing cost accounting principles.
• Experience analyzing inventory, labor, and production data.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP, Power Query, and complex formulas.
• Experience with ERP systems (ADP, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, or similar) preferred.
• Knowledge of Power BI or other reporting tools is a plus.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to work independently.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to explain financial information to non-financial leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.