The Requirements
This is an ideal role for a strong general accountant, preferably with Public experience, to step up to a cost accounting role; or for a cost accountant with some experience under his/her belt to take on a complex, multi-plant position.To meet the basic qualification for this role you must have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. To be a good fit for the role of Cost Accountant, you also should have:
- A bachelor's degree in Accounting
- 1 to 3 years of cost accounting experience or 1 to 3 years of experience and demonstrated success in a general accounting role within a manufacturing environment
- Strong general accounting skills Quick question for you - click here
- Experience with standard costing, absorption and manufacturing variance reporting required
- Advanced Excel skills and experience with large databases, arrays, VLOOKUP, pivot tables, etc. are required; you must be able to import data, create reports, perform ad hoc work, etc. in Excel, but there is onsite expertise to help with high level needs, such as Macros
- Proficiency with other Microsoft Office programs (Word, Outlook, etc.)
- Public experience is highly preferred
- A CPA or CMA
- Microsoft AX experience
- SOX experience with identification of key controls is a plus Quick question for you - click here
- Forecasting experience a plus
- Strong interpersonal abilities to build effective workplace relationships; excellent written and verbal communication skills
- The disposition to thrive on a high performing team, creating an environment where open, honest communication is the norm
- The ability to work independently
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Demonstrated experience working effectively with internal contacts and teammates
- The ability to work and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
- An open, trainable/coachable persona with the desire to learn and advance your skills
- A deadline-driven, results-oriented mindset
- An interest in the EDV and Lithium-ion battery industry
The team works a standard Monday through Friday shift, typically 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. While extra time is required on occasion, especially during close, it is minimal. We enjoy great work/life balance!
The Role
Reporting to the Cost Accounting Manager, as Cost Accountant, you will be the 3rd member of a talented team of cost accountants. You will be seated in our Charlotte manufacturing plant where you can readily interact with plant personnel, and travel regularly to our Concord plant where you will do the same. To be effective in your role, it will be important to build strong business relationships across functions within both plants.Cost Accountant is a critical role in the ongoing success of the Celgard organization. In this role, you will help ensure that our costs are properly recorded and work to identify opportunities for cost savings. Central to your success will be your ability to effectively serve as a liaison between Manufacturing and Finance. It will be your mission to identify and extrapolate information critical to informed decision making with the goal of helping Operations run the plants as efficiently as possible.
Your specific responsibilities will include:
- Managing the DMC standards, reviewing weekly variances/yields and reporting results to site managers and Plant Controller
- Acting as primary liaison between the manufacturing plants and the finance function
- Month-end and year-end closings Quick question for you - click here
- Accounting for inventory reserves, manufacturing variance capitalization and full absorption
- Serving as primary financial counsel to the plant manager regarding operational issues
- Working with manufacturing personnel to identify areas to manage and reduce costs and implementing process improvements
- Managing standard cost roll and analysis of materials, work center rates and production changes
- Ensuring the cycle counts are performed properly and in accordance with policy
- Supporting, maintaining, and updating SOX internal controls for assigned areas of responsibility
- Working as an effective member in a high performance, team-centered work environment to support overall plant goals
- Participating on cross-functional continuous improvement teams
Why Celgard
Exposure and visibility -- as a cost accountant, naturally you will enjoy a good deal of exposure to the business, making this an ideal opportunity to learn Celgard and grow your career. Additionally, you'll enjoy high level visibility as you work cross-functionally in both local plants and find ways to positively impact the business. Your successes will be noticed and appreciated!Career opportunities -- we encourage our employees to continually learn and develop their skills and advance their careers. You will enjoy the opportunity to grow within the role through multiple levels (1, 2 & 3) and eventually pursue management, if that is your goal. In fact, several of our leaders started in cost accounting!
Autonomy and support -- we want you to take ownership of your role, and once you're up to speed you'll enjoy a good deal of autonomy. Of course, there's plenty of support when you need it, and an open door policy. If you need help, you need only ask.
Innovative growth environment -- we are proud of setting the bar in our industry and being #1 in the world for the dry process. The market for Lithium batteries is growing fast and demand is soaring, especially with the strength of the electric drive vehicle market. You'll have the opportunity to learn about a rapidly advancing, cutting-edge industry which we think you'll find interesting.
Fun, warm environment; great people -- while you will find wonderful people working throughout the company, we think you'll find the Accounting department a particularly good place to be. The team is warm and welcoming and we enjoy each other's company. We have a touch point meeting weekly to ensure we're all on the same page and interact regularly. We also enjoy going to lunch together sometimes. If you like a sense of community, you're going to love it here!
Make your mark through continuous improvement -- Celgard, as a company, actively pursues continuous improvement -- in fact, we are currently working on a continuous improvement initiative. Just because something has been done a certain way, doesn't mean there's not a better way. You can directly impact your role as you find better ways of doing things. We're interested in hearing and implementing your strong ideas.
Help support products that make a difference -- our product line is used in a diverse number of applications in robust markets, including laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, electric drive vehicles and more. Our products make a difference in the world and you can feel good knowing that your work is directly supporting our efforts.
Research & development -- Celgard continuously enhances the design and functionality of our battery separators through significant research and development. We take pride in our teams of scientists, engineers, and technical specialists, who enable us to remain a market leader in technology advancement.
Competitive compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary, we offer a strong and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances; a prescription drug program; a 401(k) plan; flexible spending accounts; vacation and holiday pay; educational assistance; and more.
Keys to Success
The cost accounting position can be a career shaping role when an independent person with strong initiative, self-motivation and the ability to spot cost savings and improvement opportunities is at the helm. Those that excel are adept at interacting with engineers as engineers. In other words, engineers are not accountants and you will learn to speak their language and engage them in a way that is productive. For example, you will get very good at talking about time and using Metric and English systems interchangeably. You will continually do cost analysis for new products and look for improvements for existing products, using effective questioning as a tool to uncover possible savings. You'll discover the power of the "what if" question as you explore various options. To meet your high reaching mission of cost savings, you must have a strong understanding of how different things affect the overall business, and the engineers will play a critical role in helping you understand.In addition, to succeed at Celgard and within the Accounting team, you will need excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive professional relationships. This isn't a role where you will work in a silo, but one where you will constantly interact.
Within Accounting, we maintain an upbeat attitude and a friendly climate where we care about one another and help out where we can. At the same time, when you're reaching out to the wider company to gather information, you'll interact with some very busy people. At times you'll need a thick skin as you continue to be persistent and gather the information you need. Maintaining an upbeat attitude will keep open positive lines of communication.
About Celgard
With more than 40 years of experience in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of high-performance membrane separators, Celgard is a recognized leader among lithium battery material suppliers, delivering outstanding product performance, reliable supply, technical solutions, and global business support. Our exceptional leadership team has years of experience in our markets and is comprised of recognized visionaries in battery and separator design and manufacturing. The entire Celgard team is dedicated to providing premium products and services to help our customers build the best batteries for today's and tomorrow's applications.Celgard provides worldwide business support with sales and technical service team members located throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. Manufacturing operations are located in the USA, China, and Korea. We are ideally positioned to serve the just-in-time needs of a global market. We have a global network of distribution partners who provide personal assistance with our customers' procurement needs. These authorized distributors are a great asset to our world-class product supply chain.
A career at Celgard provides opportunities for challenge and advancement. Our goal is to create an environment where all employees can excel, grow, and perform to their highest potential, providing value and service to our customers and the communities in which we operate.
Celgard is part of Polypore International, Inc., a global high-technology filtration company specializing in microporous membranes. Also based in Charlotte, NC, Polypore International, Inc., operates in ten countries serving six continents.