Plant Cost Accountant

Job Description:

Brooks Instrument (www.brooksinstrument.com), an industry leader in flow and pressure instrumentation for critical applications, is seeking candidates for a Plant Cost Accountant position that will be based at the company headquarters in Hatfield, Pennsylvania (suburban Philadelphia). The company has manufacturing locations in Pennsylvania, Hungary, Malaysia and Korea, and also maintains sales and service offices throughout the world. Our high-tech products are used in laboratory and process applications in end markets such as: oil & gas, petrochemical, medical devices, waste water, life sciences, and analytical instruments. 

Brooks is a division of ITW (Illinois Tool Works), a fortune 200 company. ITW is one of the world’s leading diversified manufacturers of specialized industrial equipment, consumables, and related service businesses. The company has operations in 56 countries and employs over 50,000 employees. These talented employees, many of whom have specialized engineering or scientific expertise, contribute to ITW’s global leadership in innovation. The company is proud of its broad portfolio of nearly 10,000 active patents, and is focused on fully leveraging its highly differentiated business model to deliver solid growth with consistent best-in-class margins and return on capital.

Basic Functions

The Plant Cost Accountant is responsible for supporting the manufacturing operation through accurate product costing, inventory analysis and variance reporting. This position partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Finance to audit inventory controls, provide meaningful cost insights and identify improvement opportunities. The plant cost accountant is considered the liaison between Finance and Operations and must be able to communicate clearly with all levels of management and staff.

The successful candidate will combine strong accounting and analytical skills with a practical understanding of manufacturing operations. This role requires an individual who is comfortable working with and analyzing detailed financial data for management business decisions.

This positions reports to the Finance Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Monitor inventory transaction activity, working with Operations and Materials to resolve any issues. 
• Reconcile inventory and cost-related general ledger accounts and research discrepancies.
• Support month-end and year-end close activities, including journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, and variance analysis.
• Analyze manufacturing variances, including purchase price, material usage, warranty & scrap.
• Develop and maintain inventory related dashboards, reports, and financial models.
• Support new product introductions and engineering changes by reviewing product costs, bills of material and routings.
• Maintain and analyze standard costs for purchased and manufactured inventory, including annual revaluation.
• Support annual physical inventory count process with Operations, Materials, and IT, managing audit function and control to ensure accurate valuation.
• Assist with development of capital expenditure requests, including financial justification.
• Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation and responding to cost and inventory-related requests.
• Ensure compliance with company accounting policies, internal controls, and applicable financial reporting requirements.
• Provide assistance and review for all capital project requests related to Operations.
• Identify and participate in continuous improvement initiatives across Finance and plant operations.
• Perform other related duties and special projects, as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• Two to three years of cost accounting experience preferred, or three to five years general accounting or financial analysis experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with standard costing, inventory accounting, manufacturing variances, and month-end close preferred.
• Experience working with an ERP system required; experience with SAP or a comparable manufacturing ERP system is preferred.
• CPA, CMA, or progress toward a professional certification is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of accounting principles, inventory valuation and transactions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify trends, investigate discrepancies, and develop sound conclusions.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, formulas, data analysis, and financial modeling.
• Ability to organize and analyze large amounts of financial and operational data accurately.
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining an understanding of broader business objectives.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information to non-financial colleagues.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, and other functional areas.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently with limited supervision.
• Strong sense of ownership, accountability, discretion, and professional judgment.
• Continuous improvement mindset with an interest in understanding plant processes and identifying more efficient ways of working

Benefits

Our employees enjoy competitive, merit-based salary plus excellent benefits including:

• Health and dental insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• 401K plan with generous company match
• Vacation, personal days and holidays
• Continuing education reimbursement program
• Flexible spending accounts 

The opportunity to join a well established (80 years in business) yet dynamically changing organization that works together as a team to meet the challenges of satisfying customers’ needs and managing rapid growth to better compete in a global marketplace.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.