Cost Specialist

No Relocation Assistance Offered
144115 - Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
**About the location/department**
The Cost Specialist is located at the hub reporting directly to the Cost Manager. Cost Specialist is the primary finance business partner to support Global Supply chain initiatives/activities and driver of insight by establishing financial plans, KPIs, tracking performance, delivering analytics, internal controls and supporting commercial team for Margin Decisions.
**The objectives of Cost Specialist is to**
- Cost Specialist is responsible for the management of the focus factory spending and ensuring that key budget targets (Cost per Case, Cost per Ton) are being delivered. Key attention to headcount, labor costs, utility costs, maintenance spending, and fixed conversion costs.
- Responsible for the Quarterly Standard Cost calculations for the focus factory and managing the process to ensure a timely submission of costs and intercompany prices for both materials and finished goods.
- Imperative to collaborate with Global and Regional CBS, ensuring that master data is accurate and reviewing rate routings and providing all the explanations needed for significant changes to the cost.
- Responsible for the month-end financial closes and collaborating with Colgate Business Services (CBS) to achieve timely closes and maintain the financial integrity and accuracy of the data.
- Balance Sheet reconciliation of prepaid and accrual accounts, as well as GR/IR un-vouchered accounts, and monthly review of capital spending (MWIP account) to insure projects are on time and within budget.
- Tracking and management of Fixed Assets movements as well as the physical counts and follow up all the capitalization process for the CEB projects related to the plant, including idle asset analysis and depreciation simulation.
**Customers of Cost Specialist include**
- Senior Finance Leadership
- DOM (Director of Manufacturing)
- Business Operations
- Business partners and Local finance
**Roles and Responsibilities**
- Monitor performance against the strategic plan, identify risks & opportunities, and provide on-going analytical support to leadership teams
- Facilitate PPR Meetings
- Facilitate/Participate in Operational/Business Partnering Meetings and Activities
- Prepare for and participate in Local Leadership Team alignment meetings
- Analyze plant performance reports and financial statements and monitors key business drivers to communicate timely insights
- Responsible for effectiveness of internal controls related to inventory management. Ensure the focus factory is efficiently utilizing working capital: physical counts, DOC tracking, review of SLOB materials, and communicating risks and opportunities.
- Recommends possible solutions to address financial issues based on knowledge of the business
- Communication of monthly results to the Plant Controller and providing a summary of the key events, with action plans to close performance gaps and risks to the P&L. The Cost Specialist is the key partner for the operations team to help them prepare for the monthly production performance reviews (PPR's).
- Providing monthly analysis of the manufacturing variances for the focus factory and quarterly estimates of production volume and manufacturing estimates, with focus on the risks and opportunities.
- Collaboration with procurement to understand Purchase Price Variances and identify issues with material prices and influences of exchange rate fluctuations with the period.
- Absolute Material Loss reporting each month and the identification of opportunities to reduce scrap and material loss in the focus factory. Also, look for opportunities to employ best practices in the Colgate supply chain that are applicable to the focus factory.
- Responsible for performance of the annual conversion cost budget (Cost of Sales) and the Mid-Year Reviews.
- These tasks are critical and require the leadership and guidance of the Cost Specialist to insure that costs are properly stated for the next year.
- Validation and review of FTG projects and insuring the integrity of the FTG database for the focus factory.
- Reviewing and validating CEB savings for MWO's: volume, cost, profit, etc. Collaborating with engineering, operations, and commercial teams to insure alignment of key project assumptions.
- Special projects and participation on Colgate taskforce
**Minimum Required Education, Experience and Professional Qualifications**
- Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field
- CPA or MBA a plus
- Experience in Costing area, STD Cost and Statuory Cost
- Demonstrated experience in leading/managing projects
- Intermediate/Advanced English level
**Required Technical Skills and Abilities**
- Knowledge in Google Suite (Sheets/Presentation)
- Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills
**Required Finance Competencies**
- Financial Statement Impact - Demonstrates accounting and financial expertise and executes responsi

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