Cost Accountant

Conduct internal audits of manufacturing plants, production lines, and shop-floor operations.

• Review production processes to ensure adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality standards, and safety norms.

• Evaluate machine utilization, downtime, scrap generation, and rework to identify operational inefficiencies.

Costing & Inventory Audits

• Audit product costing, BOM accuracy, standard costing, and variance analysis (material, labor, and overhead).

• Review inventory controls for raw materials, WIP, finished goods, scrap, and tooling.

• Verify inventory valuation, consumption norms, slow-moving/obsolete inventory, and physical stock reconciliations.

• Assess controls over material issuance, rejection handling, and scrap disposal.

Supply Chain & Procurement Audits

• Audit procurement processes including vendor selection, pricing, purchase orders, and contract compliance.

• Review controls over inward material inspection, goods receipt notes (GRN), and vendor payments.

• Evaluate logistics, warehousing, and dispatch processes to minimize leakage and delays.

Financial Controls & Compliance

• Test the design and operating effectiveness of financial controls related to manufacturing operations.

• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements including GST, income tax, customs (if applicable), labor laws, and internal policies.

• Monitor adherence to SOX-related controls (where applicable).

Risk Management & Fraud Prevention

• Identify operational, financial, and compliance risks specific to manufacturing activities.

• Perform targeted testing to detect fraud risks such as material pilferage, inflated consumption, ghost vendors, or manipulation of production data.

• Recommend preventive and detective controls to protect plant assets and inventory.

Process Improvement & Efficiency

• Identify opportunities for cost reduction through process optimization, waste reduction, and better resource utilization.

• Review capital expenditure (CapEx) controls, asset capitalization, and fixed asset verification at plant locations.

• Support initiatives to improve customer delivery performance through stronger control and audit processes.

Data Analytics & Systems

• Analyze ERP data (SAP/Oracle/Tally or equivalent) related to production, inventory, costing, and finance.

• Use data analytics to identify trends, anomalies, and control gaps across manufacturing operations.

• Recommend improvements to ERP controls, audit triggers, and reporting mechanisms.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Prepare detailed audit reports highlighting manufacturing-specific risks, control gaps, and actionable recommendations.

• Present audit findings to plant heads, operations leadership, and senior management.