Permanent - Cost Accountant - Nelson Mandela Metropole (Gqeberha Port Elizabeth) - South Africa

Job Number: 80240


Job Listing APPLY FOR JOB
80240
Permanent
Cost Accountant
ERP,SAP,MS Office Suite,Advanced Excel
Manufacturing
Nelson Mandela Metropole (Gqeberha Port Elizabeth)
Eastern Cape
South Africa

Purpose:


To provide costing and financial support to the Factory Finance function by assisting with product costing, inventory control, cost reporting, ERP data maintenance, and month-end activities, ensuring accurate financial information, effective internal controls, and compliance with company policies and financial reporting requirements.

Key Performance Areas (KPAs)

1. Product Costing & Inventory Control

Purpose

  • Ensure accurate calculation and reporting of product costs and inventory values.
  • Support pricing, profitability analysis and financial reporting.
  • Maintain accurate standard and actual cost models.
  • Monitor inventory valuation.
  • Ensure compliance with IFRS and company costing policies.

Key Duties

  • Maintain standard costing information for raw materials, labour and overheads.
  • Prepare costing schedules and reports for management review.
  • Assist with inventory valuation activities.
  • Support quarterly inventory cost roll-ups.
  • Support annual and interim stock counts and reconciliations.
  • Verify Bills of Material (BOMs) and routing accuracy within ERP systems.
  • Prepare import cost files and submit summaries to the Plant Controller for SAP updates.
  • Review and report monthly on stock count completeness across all company sites.
  • Coordinate and assist Planning with factory stock counts.
  • Investigate stock variances and resolve discrepancies.
  • Prepare and distribute stock count reports for management.

Key Performance Measures

  • Accuracy of standard vs actual cost variances.
  • Inventory valuation adjustments as a percentage of total inventory.
  • Number of costing errors identified during audits.
  • Timely completion of monthly costing reports.
  • Variance resolution turnaround time.

2. Cost Control & Variance Analysis

Purpose

  • Support monitoring of manufacturing costs.
  • Prepare variance reports.
  • Investigate routine cost deviations.
  • Identify cost improvement opportunities.
  • Provide accurate and timely costing information to support operational decision-making.

Key Duties

  • Prepare material, labour and overhead variance reports.
  • Investigate routine cost variances and escalate significant issues to the Plant Controller.
  • Collect, validate and analyse production data.
  • Monitor scrap, rework and yield losses.
  • Report trends relating to production losses.
  • Maintain records of cost-saving initiatives.
  • Update cost-saving tracking schedules.
  • Compile daily production scrap reports.
  • Attend daily scrap meetings.
  • Compile monthly lead balancing reports, including scrap sent to Frys.
  • Identify potential cost-saving opportunities.
  • Communicate savings opportunities to the Plant Controller.
  • Support Production and Engineering teams with costing information.

Key Performance Measures

  • Timely submission of variance reports.
  • Accuracy of variance reporting.
  • Accuracy of scrap reporting.
  • Number of variance investigations completed.
  • Timely completion of monthly lead balancing reports.
  • Accuracy and completeness of costing information.
  • Responsiveness to costing and variance queries.
  • Quality of information supporting cost improvement initiatives.

3. Budgeting & Forecasting Support

Purpose

  • Support budgeting and forecasting of manufacturing costs.
  • Provide financial analysis for annual budgets, rolling forecasts and long-term planning.

Key Duties

  • Prepare manufacturing cost budgets.
  • Prepare manufacturing cost forecasts.
  • Analyse budget versus actual results.
  • Explain budget deviations.
  • Update costing assumptions based on operational changes.
  • Assist with scenario planning.
  • Assist with sensitivity analysis.

Key Performance Measures

  • Budget variance accuracy.
  • Forecast accuracy.
  • Timely submission of budgets.
  • Quality of costing assumptions.
  • Management satisfaction with budget reporting and insights.

4. ERP & Data Integrity Management

 

Purpose

  • Maintain accurate costing and inventory information within SAP.
  • Ensure ERP transactions are processed correctly.
  • Maintain master data integrity.
  • Support accurate financial reporting and operational efficiency.

Key Duties

  • Maintain costing master data.
  • Maintain Bills of Material (BOMs).
  • Maintain routing information.
  • Maintain overhead rates under Plant Controller supervision.
  • Validate production transactions.
  • Validate inventory transactions.
  • Identify and report data discrepancies.
  • Assist with correction of Material Master information.
  • Support ERP system enhancements.
  • Support ERP upgrades.
  • Assist with User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
  • Document costing-related system processes.
  • Document costing procedures.
  • Provide first-line support for costing and SAP transaction queries.
  • Escalate unresolved ERP issues.
  • Escalate unresolved data discrepancies.
  • Maintain costing documentation for audit purposes.

Key Performance Measures

  • Accuracy of costing master data.
  • Number of discrepancies identified and resolved.
  • Timely completion of master data updates.
  • Accuracy of production transaction validation.
  • Accuracy of inventory transaction validation.
  • Timely resolution of ERP queries.
  • Quality of costing documentation.
  • Compliance with ERP data maintenance procedures.

5. Operational & Cross-Functional Support

Purpose

  • Provide finance and costing support to Production, Supply Chain and operational departments.
  • Ensure accurate financial information supports efficient factory operations.

Key Duties

  • Provide costing information for operational decision-making.
  • Prepare cost impact analyses.
  • Support process improvement initiatives.
  • Participate in Lean projects.
  • Participate in Six Sigma initiatives.
  • Participate in continuous improvement programmes.
  • Prepare operational reports.
  • Present costing reports.
  • Assist with scanning and finance-related projects.
  • Monitor scanning process performance.
  • Liaise with Factory System Roles regarding scanning issues.
  • Report issues requiring corrective action.
  • Build effective relationships with internal departments.
  • Build relationships with external stakeholders.
  • Attend operational meetings.
  • Provide finance support during operational meetings.
  • Identify operational issues.
  • Escalate improvement opportunities to the Plant Controller.
  • Perform ad hoc finance and costing duties.
  • Demonstrate professionalism and integrity.
  • Comply with AutoX policies, procedures and core values.
  • Support all APDP-related audit queries.

Key Performance Measures

  • Timely completion of operational support requests.
  • Accuracy of costing information.
  • Accuracy of reports.
  • Responsiveness to finance and operational queries.
  • Stakeholder satisfaction.
  • Number of improvement initiatives supported.
  • Timely completion of assigned projects.
  • Timely completion of ad hoc tasks.
  • Quality and accuracy of operational reporting.
  • Compliance with company policies and procedures

To apply immediately for this position click here.

Job Requirements:

Qualifications & Experience
  • Minimum BCom Accounting or Cost & Management Accounting (NQF 6) qualification.
  • Studying towards CIMA is preferred.
  • 3–7 years' experience in a manufacturing or factory finance environment.
  • Proven experience in:
    • Cost accounting.
    • Inventory valuation.
    • Variance analysis.
    • ERP systems within a manufacturing environment.
Technical Competencies
  • Strong knowledge of cost accounting principles.
  • Knowledge of IFRS, specifically IAS 2 (Inventories).
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
  • Proficiency in SAP FI & MM ERP systems.
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing processes.
Core Behavioural Competencies & Attributes
  • Strong analytical skills.
  • Excellent problem-solving ability.
  • High attention to detail.
  • Strong accuracy and quality focus.
  • Ability to work effectively across cross-functional operational teams.
  • Good communication skills.
  • Strong reporting and presentation skills.
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Ability to meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrates ethical conduct and sound judgement.
  • Strong relationship-building skills.
  • Customer-focused approach. 
BCom Accounting / Cost & Management Accounting (NQF6).
Bachelors
Available

Email to Friend APPLY FOR JOB

Terms & Conditions  |  Privacy Policy  |  Basic Conditions Of Employment Act (Download PDF)
Popi |  User Terms |  Report Fraud |  Member of TRASA
© 2026 Total Recruitment Solutions All Rights Reserved