Cost Accountant

WHY WERNER? BECAUSE WE ARE THE PRO'S CHOICE! You will find our market leading products and brands on trucks and job sites all over the world. Focusing on end users' needs drives our success. Our entire product development process—from research to engineering to manufacturing to commercialization—creates products that ensure ease of use, productivity, durability and safety for the end user. On jobsites across America and the world, WernerCo brands are most preferred.

We invite you to become an integral member of our dynamic team as an Operations Cost Accountant at our Weather Guard and Knaack manufacturing facility. This pivotal role promises a blend of meticulous cost management and strategic collaboration with cross-functional teams. Your days will be filled with diverse and engaging tasks ranging from managing the month-end close process, scrutinizing production costs, to assisting in forecasting our plant operations. As part of our North America Finance Team, you'll delve into product costing activities, ensuring precise cost analyses that contribute directly to our facility's operational success and financial stability. You'll find plenty of opportunity for your ambition, with ample room to grow and refine your skills in cost accounting, all while contributing to our mission of maintaining financial transparency in our manufacturing processes.
 
Here, your voice will be heard, your contributions valued, and your career nurtured through continuous learning and development opportunities. Together, we'll shape the financial landscape of our operations, ensuring the delivery of superior products, while paving the way for our mutual success. Join us, and become a key member of our team in fortifying our financial foundations, propelling us towards building a world class manufacturing facility. Apply today to see how WernerCo. could help you accelerate your career in Finance!

• Month-End Close Process: Lead the month-end close process specific to manufacturing activities. This includes executing necessary journal entries related to cost of sales, variable and fixed costs, warranty, obsolescence, inventory, and all manufacturing production variances.
• Account Reconciliations: Prepare monthly and quarterly account reconciliations and schedules focusing on labor, inventory, scrap, cost of sales, and production variances.
• Analysis: Analyze production labor and overhead absorption to provide insights into manufacturing efficiency and cost management.
• Forecasting: Assist in preparing and presenting weekly plant forecasts, contributing to effective planning and financial management.
• Product Costing: Support product costing activities in collaboration with Data Control, Engineering, and the New Product Development team, focusing on bill of material and routing changes for new and existing products at the Crystal Lake production facility.
• Costing Activities Support: Support all plant costing activities related to BOM structure verification and changes, routing changes, time studies, and labor content verification.
• Labor Efficiency: Maintain and prepare analyses on direct labor efficiency and productivity, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Standard Cost Review: Work with the Plant Controller to schedule and manage the annual standard cost review, updating the plant’s labor and overhead rates accordingly.
• Engineering Change Orders: Maintain standards and manage BOM review cadence based on Engineering Change Order reviews that result in cost changes.
• Scrap Tracking: Record, track, and reconcile weekly scrap collections and recoveries, contributing to waste reduction and cost savings.
• Appropriation Requests: Track appropriation requests and monitor progress against the budget, ensuring financial discipline in capital spending.
• Fixed Assets Management: Safeguard the plant’s fixed assets through accurate tracking, tagging, and analysis, following established procedures for acquisition and disposal.
• Forecasting and Budgeting: Assist in the preparation of quarterly forecasts, the annual budget, and the execution of the annual physical inventory.
• Audit Support: Provide support for the annual external audit by preparing and delivering necessary information.

Education:

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

Experience:

Entry Level - New Grad

2-5 years of Cost Accounting within a plant manufacturing environment preferred.

Key Competencies:

• Detail-oriented with a strong work ethic.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in interacting and communicating with all levels of the organization.
• Advanced MS Excel skills and proficiency with various financial and reporting systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills with an ability to prioritize and multi-task effectively.

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WernerCo is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. WernerCo is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All qualified applicants to WernerCo are considered for employment without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status or any other protected characteristic. WernerCo will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind based on these characteristics.