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Location: Lae, Papua New Guinea
Industry: Manufacturing

Global Talent Search is seeking an experienced and analytical Cost Accountant to join a well-established manufacturing business in Lae, Papua New Guinea.

This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional who thrives in a hands-on environment and wants to make a measurable impact on cost management, profitability and operational efficiency. Reporting directly to the Financial Controller, you will play a key role in monitoring production costs, analysing gross margins, identifying cost-saving opportunities and supporting informed commercial decisions across the business. You will also provide guidance and oversight to the costing function, working closely with finance, procurement, supply chain and operational teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cost Analysis & Control: Monitor and analyse the cost of goods sold across finished goods and raw materials, identifying cost drivers and recommending improvements.
• Gross Margin Management: Analyse product margins, investigate fluctuations and provide insights to support profitability.
• Product Costing: Review and validate product costing calculations, ensuring accuracy and consistency across costing processes.
• Purchase Price Monitoring: Track changes in supplier pricing, compare historical and current costs and identify potential financial impacts.
• Inventory & Input Cost Analysis: Monitor average costs and key production inputs to identify variances and opportunities for cost optimisation.
• Pricing Support: Contribute to selling price reviews, providing recommendations based on production costs and margin requirements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with purchasing, warehousing, shipping and supply chain teams to understand and manage cost movements.
• Team Supervision: Provide guidance and support to the Costing Officer, ensuring accurate reporting and continuity of costing operations.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to strengthen financial controls, improve processes and enhance the quality of cost reporting.

About You
We are looking for a detail-oriented finance professional with strong analytical capabilities, commercial awareness and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
To succeed in this role, you will ideally possess:

• A Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or Accountancy.
• 3–5 years of relevant accounting experience, ideally in a cost accounting or management accounting capacity.
• Previous experience within a manufacturing or production environment, highly regarded.
• Strong knowledge of product costing, inventory accounting, cost of goods sold and gross margin analysis.
• Experience in financial data analysis, reconciliations, journal entries and accounting processes.
• The ability to identify cost variances, investigate underlying causes and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to engage across finance and operational departments.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to guide and support junior finance personnel.

Why Consider This Opportunity?
This position offers more than traditional accounting responsibilities. You will have the opportunity to influence key commercial decisions and contribute directly to business performance.

• Commercial Impact: Your analysis and recommendations will help shape pricing, cost management and profitability.
• Leadership Exposure: Work closely with the Financial Controller while providing oversight to the costing function.
• Cross-Functional Involvement: Gain valuable exposure to manufacturing operations, procurement and supply chain management.
• Professional Development: Further develop your expertise in cost accounting, financial analysis and operational finance.

Ready to Take the Next Step? If you are a motivated Cost Accountant with a passion for financial accuracy, operational efficiency and driving business improvement, we would welcome your application.

Apply today through Global Talent Search and take the next step in your finance career.
All applications will be treated in strict confidence.

To Apply

To apply, email your CV and other relevant documentation to [email protected]. Please include the Job ID "#29239" in the email's subject to ensure your application is processed.