Senior Financial Analyst

A growing manufacturing organization is seeking an Senior Operational Finance Analyst / Cost Accountant to support day-to-day plant operations, improve cost efficiency, and build/maintain standard manufacturing costs. This role partners closely with production, engineering, and supply chain teams and plays a key part in variance analysis, cost modeling, and operational decision support. Key Responsibilities Operational Finance & Cost Analysis Analyze material, labor, and overhead variances and identify cost drivers. Investigate issues such as scrap, downtime, and rework; recommend corrective actions. Provide financial insight during daily/weekly production meetings. Standard Costing & ERP Support Develop and update standard manufacturing costs (materials, labor, routings, overhead). Maintain accurate costing within ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, JDE, Plex, or similar). Partner with engineering and procurement on BOM changes and cost updates. Inventory & Operational Support Oversee inventory valuation, cycle counts, and reconciliation of cost variances. Support initiatives to reduce excess inventory and improve turnover. Budgeting, Forecasting & Capital Projects Integrate cost updates into plant-level budgets and rolling forecasts. Support CapEx evaluations with ROI and cost-benefit modeling. Monthly & Quarterly Financial Activities Assist with close processes and prepare financial models for scenario planning. Develop clear management reporting and presentation materials. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field. 5+ years of operational finance or cost accounting experience in manufacturing. Strong experience creating and maintaining standard manufacturing costs (BOMs/routings). Advanced Excel skills and experience with major ERP systems. Ability to translate operational performance into actionable financial insights. High-volume manufacturing or automotive experience preferred.