Cost Accountant

Description

Cost Accountant

Location: Chennai,India

Required Language: English

Employment Type: Full-Time

Seniority Level: Associate

Travel Mode: Moderate

About Us

Buckman is a privately held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, TN, USA, committed to safeguarding the environment, maintaining safety in the workplace, and promoting sustainable development. Buckman works proactively and collaboratively with its worldwide customers in pulp, paper, leather, and water treatment to deliver exceptional service and innovative specialty chemical solutions to help boost productivity, reduce risk, improve product quality, and provide a measurable return on investment. Buckman is in the middle of a digital transformation of its businesses and is focused on building capabilities and tools in support of this.

Purpose

The Cost Accountant is responsible for ensuring accurate product costing, inventory valuation, manufacturing variance analysis, and cost reporting for North America manufacturing operations. This role partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, FP&A, and Finance leadership to provide financial insights, strengthen cost controls, support month-end close activities, and improve profitability through effective cost management.

Qualifications & Experience

 Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business Administration, Economics, or related discipline.

 CMA, CPA, CA, or equivalent professional qualification preferred.

 Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

 Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial reporting tools.

Mandate Experience

 10+ years of relevant experience in Cost Accounting and Manufacturing Finance

 Experience supporting manufacturing operations and inventory accounting.

 Strong experience with ERP systems, preferably SAP.

Experience in standard costing, inventory valuation, and variance analysis

 Experience supporting month-end close, budgeting, and forecasting processes.

Accountabilities

Perform product costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing cost analysis, month-end close activities, and financial reporting support while ensuring compliance with accounting policies, internal controls, and reporting standards. Provide analytical insights that improve operational efficiency, profitability, and informed business decision-making

Costing & Inventory Accounting

 Maintain and update standard costs for raw materials, labor, and overhead components.

 Validate Bills of Material (BOMs), routings, and cost structures to ensure costing accuracy.

 Perform cost rollups and support new product costing activities

 Monitor inventory transactions and inventory valuation processes.

 Reconcile inventory accounts with the General Ledger.

 Support cycle counts and physical inventory programs.

 Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies and valuation issues

 Ensure compliance with internal control and audit requirements.

Manufacturing Cost Analysis & Reporting

 Analyse Purchase Price Variances (PPV), labour, material usage, and overhead variances.

 Prepare monthly cost and margin analysis reports for management review.

 Provide root cause analysis and actionable recommendations on cost variances.

 Support profitability and margin improvement initiatives.

 Deliver financial insights to Operations and Supply Chain leaders.

 Strong knowledge of Standard Costing and Inventory Accounting

 SAP experience, particularly costing and inventory modules.

 Strong financial planning, analysis, and reporting capabilities.

 Advanced Microsoft Excel skills; Power BI experience preferred.

 Strong understanding of financial controls and compliance requirements

Financial Planning, Analysis & Reporting

 Review and analyze inventory and margin reports and conduct research and analytical studies regarding cost variance/movements and profitability.

 Perform variance analysis of the price, cost, efficiency, and volume drivers related.

 Actively support the forecasting and annual budgeting process in APAC

Others

 Manage sales Incentive computation & accruals together and regular review with HRD and FD

 Provide support to the FP&A Manager and Finance Director -APAC for any initiatives/projects assigned such as new reporting application implementation or training.

Required Skills

 Familiar with ERP system and must have SAP FICO system.

 Relevant costing experience in the manufacturing environment and SAP ERP is a must

 Strong financial planning, analysis and reporting skills

 Knowledge of statutory requirement / regulations / acts / various taxes (GST / VAT / Excise) in countries like India, Indonesia and Pakistan is an advantage

 Computer proficiency in QlikView/Qlik Sense, SAP, RPA, and Microsoft Office applications (particularly MS Excel)

Personality Traits

 Good written, and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively

 Ability to work independently, be resourceful and be an effective team player and adapt to rapid changing environment in a fast-paced, changing, and high-volume environment with emphasis on accuracy and timeliness

 Good interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity and able to deal & collaborate with people from various cultural backgrounds and countries