Cost Accounting Specialist

Job Description

Position Name: Cost Accounting Specialist

Business: Controls Solutions

Location: Chihuahua México

Reports to: Sr. Cost Accounting Manager

Department: BU Finance

Generic Job Description

Reporting to the Senior Cost Accounting Manager, the Senior Cost Accounting Specialist serves as the subject matter expert for product costing, inventory valuation, cost governance, and manufacturing financial analysis. This role leads to key costing initiatives across the operation, ensuring the integrity of standard costs, inventory controls, labor and overhead structures, and ERP costing processes.

The Senior Cost Accounting Specialist acts as a strategic business partner to Operations, Materials, Procurement, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Finance leadership, providing insights to improve profitability, cost accuracy, inventory performance, and operational efficiency.

Additionally, this role leads annual standard cost roll activities, physical inventory governance, new product costing, compliance requirements, and continuous improvement initiatives related to costing processes and ERP systems. This role is intended to serve as the natural successor to the Senior Cost Accounting Manager position.

Responsibilities:

Cost Accounting & Cost Governance

• Serve as the primary subject matter expert for manufacturing cost accounting processes and costing methodologies.

• Support and lead where necessary on the annual Standard Cost Roll process, ensuring accurate material, labor, burden, and overhead rates across all products.

• Maintain and continuously improve cost structures, costing models, and inventory valuation methodologies within ERP systems.

• Perform detailed analysis of labor, material, overhead, absorption, and manufacturing variances to identify risks and opportunities.

• Ensure integrity and consistency of cost data across ERP, reporting systems, and financial statements.

• Authority:

• To maintain labor and overhead rates in MRP systems.

• To correct labor and overhead rates in MRP systems.

• To report and distribute Costing related reports to the operation and company executives as required. 

Inventory Accounting & Controls

• Own inventory-related accounting processes, including reconciliation of inventory General Ledger accounts.

• Support and lead where necessary, finance activities associated with annual physical inventories, cycle count governance, and inventory accuracy initiatives.

• Perform regular reviews of inventory reserves, Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory, deferred variances, and inventory-related risks.

Reporting & Business Analytics

• Provide support in the on-going development, automation, and enhancement of cost accounting reports, dashboards, and analytical tools using ERP systems, Excel, Power BI, Domo, and other reporting platforms.

• Support internal and external audit requests through accurate and timely financial analysis.

Business Partnership

• Partner closely with Operations, Procurement, Engineering, Supply Chain, and FP&A teams to evaluate cost performance and margin improvement opportunities.

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) initiatives through cost modeling, bill-of-material validation, and profitability analysis.

ERP & Process Improvement

• Support in the development and maintenance of costing procedures, policies, and internal control documentation.

• Lead continuous improvement efforts focused on reporting accuracy, inventory controls, and operational efficiency.

Compliance & Internal Controls

• Support internal and external audits and maintain audit-ready documentation.
• Ensure record retention requirements and financial documentation standards are maintained.
• Support compliance initiatives related to Trade Compliance, C-TPAT, OEA, EH&S, and other applicable regulations.

Authority

• Update and maintain labor, overhead, burden, and costing configurations within ERP/MRP systems.
• Support and prepare some of the published, validated, and distributed official costing, inventory, and operational performance report locally and from Copeland.
• Recommend process improvements and corrective actions related to costing, inventory controls, and financial reporting where necessary.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.

• Master's Degree or professional certification (CPA, CMA, MBA) preferred.

• Minimum 6-8 years of progressive experience in Cost Accounting within a manufacturing environment.

• Strong knowledge of standard costing, inventory valuation, variance analysis, and manufacturing finance.

• Good understanding of US GAAP and Mexican GAAP.

• Experience with ERP/MRP systems; Oracle experience strongly preferred.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience with Power BI, Domo, or similar business intelligence platforms.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and financial modeling skills.

• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

• Fluent English communication skills.

• Valid passport, U.S. visa, and ability to travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting ERP implementations or major system conversions.

• Experience in multi-site manufacturing operations.

• Strong knowledge of inventory control and supply chain financial processes.

• Experience developing automated reporting and dashboard solutions.

• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, or Kaizen methodologies.

• Experience supporting external audits and SOX compliance programs.

Onsite Work Arrangement:

This role is based fully onsite, and not eligible for hybrid or remote work opportunities. Copeland is committed to fostering a productive and connected culture, so you will have the opportunity to work with your teams and leader to understand teams operating principles to collaborate effectively to best serve our customers.