Cost Analyst

Role & responsibilities

• Prepare and maintain standard costs for raw materials, packaging materials, and finished goods at the SKU level.
• Conduct monthly cost variance analysis (material, labor, and overhead) against standard/budget, identify root causes, and report findings to management.
• Track and analyze manufacturing overheads, conversion costs, and cost per unit/case/liter of production.
• Support monthly and annual budgeting, cost forecasting, and rolling estimates for plant operations.
• Perform inventory valuation, cycle count reconciliation, and support physical stock verification and audits.
• Monitor raw material and packaging cost trends (e.g., PET, sugar/sweeteners, concentrates, aluminum cans, glass, closures) and assess their impact on product margins.
• Prepare product costing for new product development (NPD), pack-size changes, and SKU rationalization initiatives.
• Support month-end and year-end closing activities related to cost of goods sold (COGS), inventory valuation, and cost accruals.
• Coordinate with production, procurement, quality, and supply chain teams to gather and validate cost-related data.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and actively support plant-level cost reduction and efficiency initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with costing policies, internal controls, and statutory/internal audit requirements.
• Prepare MIS reports, cost dashboards, and management presentations on plant and product profitability.
• Maintain and validate Bills of Material (BOM) and routings in the ERP system to ensure costing accuracy.
• Support yield analysis, wastage/scrap costing, and studies on the cost impact of line efficiency and downtime.
• Provide costing data and analysis to support statutory, internal, and cost audits as required.

Preferred candidate profile

• Bachelor's degree in Commerce, Accounting, or Finance; CMA (Cost & Management Accountant) / ICWA, semi-qualified CA/CMA, or MBA in Finance preferred.
• 4 to 5 years of relevant experience in costing/cost accounting within a manufacturing environment; experience in beverage manufacturing is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and cost accounting principles.
• Hands-on experience with BOM, routings, and product costing modules in an ERP system.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Excel (pivot tables, lookups, financial modeling); working knowledge of Power BI or Tableau is an advantage.
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing cost drivers, including raw materials, packaging, utilities, labor, and overheads.
• Familiarity with inventory valuation methods (FIFO, weighted average, standard costing).
• Strong analytical, numerical, and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to present costing insights clearly to cross-functional and leadership teams.
• Ability to work under tight month-end/year-end closing timelines and manage multiple priorities.