Specialist - Product Costing

Support Financial Strategy Execution
· Contribute to the implementation of financial strategies aligned with business objectives, ensuring operational cost efficiency and operational efficiency targets.
Product Costing & Inventory Valuation
· Maintain and validate standard costs, BOM's, routings, and overhead absorption rates
· Perform monthly inventory valuation, reserves, and slow moving/obsolete stock analysis
· Reconcile inventory sub ledgers to GL and investigate valuation differences
· Ensure costing accuracy across plants, warehouses, and SKU's
· Driving and maintaining Activity-Based Costing (ABC) through close coordination with plant operations and cross-functional teams for accurate cost allocation and timely decision-making.
Cost Control & Variance Analysis
· Track Product cost (RM, Bulk SKU's, additives & discrete inventory items, etc.)
· Analyze price, volume, mix, efficiency, and yield variances with root cause commentary
· Partner with operations to identify cost reduction and productivity opportunities
· Monitor savings initiatives and validate financial impact
· Prepare actionable variance dashboards for management review
· Develop and track key financial KPIs (conversion cost, yield, wastage, inventory holding, etc.) and support leadership with actionable insights for performance management.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Analysis
· Support annual budget and rolling forecast cycles for operations finance (Variable & Fixed cost)
· Update & Analise actuals vs. budget/forecast and highlight risks and opportunities
· Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses to support decision making
· Ensure alignment between operational plans and financial targets
Operational Support
· Act as finance business partner to supply chain, manufacturing, and commercial teams
· Support pricing, margin analysis, and customer/product profitability reviews
· Support system setup for new units and establish end-to-end operational and process flows & identify and monitor inventory risks; implement appropriate controls during stabilization.
· Translate operational performance into financial outcomes for stakeholders
· Act as a finance business partner to plant operations, supply chain, and procurement teams to drive data-driven decision-making and performance improvement.
· Identify and recommend improvements in financial processes, systems, and reporting frameworks to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
Systems, Controls, Risk, Audit & Compliance
· Ensure adherence to internal controls, accounting policies, and SOP's
· Support internal and external audits, including documentation and issue resolution
· Maintain and improve costing, planning, and reporting systems (e.g., ERP, BI tools)
· Identify control gaps, process inefficiencies, and automation opportunities
· Conduct periodic physical counts and cycle counts with variance analysis and adjustment.
· Ensure compliance with IFRS/local regulations related to inventory and costing
· Support the development and strengthening of internal controls across operational finance processes to mitigate financial and operational risks.
Data & Analytics Support
· Leverage financial and operational data to provide advanced insights (variance analysis, trend analysis, scenario modeling) supporting strategic decisions.
Month End Closing, Reporting & Management Information
· Execute timely month end close activities reconciliation, related to COGS, inventory, and provisions, etc.
· Prepare management reports, KPI's, and dashboards with clear insights
· Ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of reported
· Provide variance explanations and executive level commentary
· Prepare & Support ADHOC, monthly and annual financial reporting requirements
Cross-functional Alignment
· Ensure alignment between finance, operations, supply chain, and commercial teams to achieve overall business targets and operational excellence.