Junior Financial Cost Accountant
Job Description
We are looking for a highly analytical and detail-oriented Financial Cost Accountant/Analyst to join our Plant Controlling team. In this role, you will serve as a key business partner to plant management and operations, delivering financial insights that drive efficiency, profitability, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will bring solid experience in cost accounting and financial analysis within a manufacturing environment, along with hands-on experience using SAP-particularly the CO (Controlling) and FI (Financial Accounting) modules.
Responsibilities
Manage month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations for production costs.
Analyze and report manufacturing variances such as material, labor, overhead, and purchase price differences.
Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, packaging, and finished goods; assist with the annual standard cost roll-up process.
Prepare, analyze, and distribute daily, weekly, and monthly plant performance reports and key KPIs.
Develop and maintain financial models to monitor and forecast plant performance, operational expenses, and capital investments.
Provide clear, concise commentary on financial results, explaining variances against budget, forecast, and prior periods.
Support annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes; collaborate with department leaders to create budgets and spending plans.
Track actual spending versus budget and partner with managers to identify and implement cost-saving initiatives.
Participate in physical inventory counts and cycle count programs; analyze inventory levels and identify slow-moving or obsolete stock (SLOB).
Ensure accurate inventory valuation and reserve calculations; reconcile inventory sub-ledgers to the general ledger and process adjustments.
Address ad-hoc production and inventory-related issues promptly.
Utilize SAP CO-PC (Product Costing), CO-PA (Profitability Analysis), and FI modules for data extraction, analysis, and reporting.
Maintain master data integrity in SAP, including cost centers, profit centers, and material masters.
Act as a financial partner to plant leadership, providing ad-hoc analysis and decision support.
Evaluate capital expenditure requests (CapEx) by calculating ROI, payback period, and NPV.
Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation and providing explanations as needed.
Essential Skills
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline.
1-3+ years of experience in financial analysis or cost accounting within a manufacturing or industrial setting.
Hands-on proficiency with SAP FI and CO modules.
Strong knowledge of cost accounting principles, standard costing, and variance analysis.
Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, complex formulas, and data modeling.
Solid PowerPoint capabilities for clear and impactful presentations.
Experience with BW and Hyperion reporting tools.
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with keen attention to detail.
Strong communication and interpersonal abilities; capable of presenting complex financial data to non-financial stakeholders.
Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
Familiarity with manufacturing processes and cost accounting methodologies.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Experience with Business Intelligence (BI) tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or SAP Analytics Cloud.
Familiarity with automation and data processing tools like VBA, Catalytic, Alteryx, Analysis for Office, or programming languages such as Python.
Work Environment
This position is fully onsite Monday through Friday, with occasional overtime required during peak periods such as month-end and year-end.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $36.00 - $43.26/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Fort Lauderdale,FL.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jan 9, 2026.
About Aston Carter:
Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® double diamond winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com (%20astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com) for other accommodation options.
