Cost Accountant

Reporting to the Financial Controller, this position is in the accountancy sector and has full responsibility for all cost accounting. This includes ensuring that all titles are accurately costed; utilising all tools available to effectively monitor and analyse production costs; and promptly communicating any significant issues arising to management.

Client Details

The client is a world leading publishing company based in the City of London that operates on an international level. They are now looking to expand their finance team due to recent growth within the business and are looking for a Finance Assistant from professional services / consultancy background to help the sustain this.

Description

The successful Cost Accountant will be responsible for the following:

• Maintain the costing module of Sage X3, ensuring new product codes are created and unit costs set up on a timely basis, and that the module is updated with the latest budgets / estimates for each product
• Proactively investigate variances between actual and budgeted costs, interacting with production and other departments to resolve costing related issues
• Ensure costings are closed out following print runs, so that any savings or cost overruns are released to the P&L on a timely basis
• Review in detail, code and sign off any purchase invoices related to stock/WIP and shipping, ensuring quantities and pricing are in line with expectations; investigate any discrepancies, liaising with production controllers and other departments as needed
• Review goods in; reconcile stock received to purchase invoices; upload printer receipts into Sage X3
• Gather all the relevant information that feeds into accurate costing, such as copy orders, Production Estimates, Printing & Binding Authorisations (PBAs) and shipping memos; maintain spreadsheets to track information as needed
• Review month-end reports for accuracy, for example to ensure accruals are based on accurate unit costs
• Reconcile the WIP balance sheet accounts on a regular basis
• Prepare and post journal entries related to product costing, such as WIP & accruals adjustments

Other responsibilities

• Input into and test upcoming IT enhancements that will automate the data flow from PBAs/Estimates into the Cost Accounting module of Sage X3
• Assist the Financial Controller with year-end supporting working papers and additional analysis for the audit file
• Assist the Financial Controller / FP&A team with Title Profitability work
• Support other team members and share knowledge
• Ad hoc requests and analysis from the Production Department, Editors, the Liaison Manager, CFO, Financial Controller and FP&A team

Profile

The successful Cost Accountant will possess the following:

• Experience of cost accounting modules and processes, preferably in the publishing industry
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including using vlookups, pivot tables etc.
• Strong attention to detail
• Good analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to quickly learn how the business works and then use that knowledge to sense-check information and reports
• Experience of Business Objects preferable but not required

Personal attributes:

• Good communication skills
• A team player who understands the bigger picture and is supportive to other finance team members and the wider business
• A proactive, self-starter, keen to enhance processes and develop the analytical side of the role
• Ability to explain financials to non-financial people
• Ability to work effectively with people at all levels inside and outside the organisation

Job Offer

The successful Cost Accountant will benefit from the following:

• Base salary up to £45,000 per annum
• Company bonus
• 28 days holiday allowance + bank holidays
• Company phone
• Company laptop
• Hybrid working
• Staff discount