Cost Accounting Manager

Role: Cost Accounting ManagerLocation: Dubai, UAE (Regular travel across GCC operations)

Key Responsibilities

• Standard costing & manufacturing accounting — set and maintain SKU-level standard costs across both BUs; own bill-of-materials integrity in the ERP; run monthly variance analysis (PPV, usage, mix, yield, labour and overhead absorption).
• Inventory accuracy & control — design and run cycle-count and full-count programmes across all plants; lead the slow-moving/obsolete (SLOB) process — analysis, reserves, disposals; drive inventory turnover against targets.
• Margin & commercial analysis
• SKU, customer, channel and segment profitability; contribution-per-machine-hour to inform pricing, mix and capacity; support intercompany/transfer-pricing reviews.
• Cross-functional partnering — work hand-in-hand with plant operations, procurement, and sales; liaise with external auditors on inventory valuation and provisioning; provide cost insight to entity GMs and the executive team.
• Systems & reporting — own ERP cost-module hygiene and master-data discipline; build costing/inventory reporting (Excel now, Power BI as the data matures); contribute to the wider finance transformation roadmap.
• What Success Looks Like
• First 12 Months
• Standard costs live for top SKUs by spend across both BUs within 6 months.
• Inventory accuracy above 95% at every plant within 9 months.SLOB position reduced 15–20% through targeted disposal and reserves.
• Monthly variance reporting embedded in the close and management review.

Required Experience

8–12 years in cost controllership or manufacturing accounting, ideally including a recent group/regional role.

Paints, coatings, chemicals, polymers, or similar process-manufacturing background.

Demonstrated hands-on standard costing methodology; strong inventory accounting (FIFO/weighted-average, valuation, provisioning, audit defence).ERP fluency — Sage X3 strongly preferred; SAP, Oracle, or MS Dynamics acceptable. Advanced Excel; Power BI an advantage.

Qualified accountant — ACCA, CIMA, CMA, CPA, or equivalent.

Interested candidates email your CV with the subject (Cost Controller) - megha@peopleedgehr.comPreferred: multi-entity, multi-currency group experience; Gulf/Middle East manufacturing; experience building a controllership function rather than maintaining one