About the Organisation ***Location: Braeside & Altona (5 Days Onsite)** * Please note this is a multi-site role requiring a 5-day onsite presence across both the Braeside and Altona manufacturing facilities, together with occasional interstate trave l. Our client is a well-established Australian manufacturing group operating across multiple sites throughout Australia and New Zealand, with combined annual revenue of approximately $400 milli on. Following a large acquisition and continued growth across the group, the organisation is focused on improving operational performance, strengthening costing methodologies and providing greater commercial insight across its manufacturing operati ons. With a significant manufacturing footprint across Australia and New Zealand, the business is seeking an experienced Plant Accountant / Cost Accountant to partner closely with operational leaders and support performance improvement initiatives across its manufacturing s ites. About the RoleReporting to the Financial Controller, this is a highly visible role supporting manufacturing operations across Braeside, Altona and interstate sites, requiring regular site engagement and t ravel. Whilst the position has a strong cost accounting foundation, the successful candidate will also act as a key business partner to Site Managers and operational stakeholders, helping translate financial information into meaningful insights that support decision-making and operational perfo rmance. You will be responsible for analysing plant performance, investigating variances, improving costing processes and developing reporting that provides greater visibility across manufacturing ope rations. This role combines hands-on cost accounting with operational business partnering, providing the opportunity to work closely with manufacturing leaders and contribute to performance improvement ini tiatives. What You'll Be Doing• Manage cost accounting activities across multiple manufacturing sites• Analyse manufacturing performance and profitability by plant• Develop and enhance costing frameworks and methodologies• Investigate labour, material and manufacturing variances• Maintain and review Bills of Materials (BOMs)• Monitor inventory and stock movements, ensuring accuracy and integrity• Support weighted average costing and inventory valuation processes• Develop meaningful factory and operational reporting• Assist with budgeting and forecasting activities across manufacturing operations• Partner closely with Site Managers and operational leadership teams• Provide analysis and insights to support improvements in efficiency, productivity and profitability• Contribute to the development of factory-level P&L reporting and KP I analysis What Experience You'll NeedYou will likely be a CA or CPA qualified Accountant with experience gained within a manufacturing, industrial, distribution or inventory-intensive e nvironment. You will possess strong technical cost accounting capability but, equally importantly, have the ability to engage with operational stakeholders and influence decision-making through meaningful analysis and commerc ial insight. Experience with inventory management, manufacturing accounting, BOMs, standard or weighted average costing methodologies and variance analysis will be hig hly regarded. Strong Excel skills are essential, while exposure to SQL or similar reporting tools would be advantageous. Most importantly, you will be a hands-on individual who enjoys understanding how a business operates and takes pride in delivering practical outcomes rather than simply pro ducing reports. What's In It For YouThis is a highly visible role that sits at the intersection of finance and operations. Rather than simply producing monthly reports, you will work closely with Site Managers and operational leaders across multiple manufacturing facilities, helping the business better understand plant performance, costing outcomes and operat ional efficiency. The role offers exposure to a diverse manufacturing footprint spanning multiple sites and product lines, providing the opportunity to contribute to decision-making through meaningful analysis and c ommercial insight. You will join a growing organisation that continues to invest in its manufacturing operations, with the opportunity to contribute to costing improvements, operational reporting and performance initiatives that directly support business outcomes. The role offers a competitive salary package together with the opportunity to play a key role in the continued growth and development of a successful Australian manufacturing group.