Title: Financial Planning Analyst - Cost Accountant - Permanent Location: Drogheda, Co Louth. ** Fully Office based** MANUFACTURING BACKGROUND REQUIRED Description: This role will partner with key stakeholders in the business to drive continuous improvement and cost saving initiatives. The successful applicant will be responsible for all costings and product analysis onsite. Full ownership of product costs to monthly gross margin analysis of existing products. Key responsibilities: Business Partnering Work closely with Managing Director, Finance Director and business leadership to provide operations support on a day-to-day basis. Drive decision making through robust financial analysis on capital investment, cost saving and innovation initiatives. Operational Performance Reporting Work closely with Managing Director and Factory Manager to identify continuous improvements and cost saving initiatives. Communicate performance across all tiers, from shareholders to factory management. This includes updating and presenting non-financial KPIs; Drive and Improve KPI reporting to provide better Analysis to Management and to drive improvements in Factory Operations Analysis and reporting of plant manufacturing performance and efficiency. Develop and implement a detailed Line and Product Efficiency Model Ownership of Product Costings and Gross Margin Analysis Drive absolute clarity on Bill of Materials by SKU Manage gross margin analysis by SKU Work with the Financial Director and Commercial Director to develop and manage a robust new product launch costings tool. Provide weekly and Monthly GM Reports and suggestions for improvements to GM Reconcile GM between P&L and Commercial Ad Hoc Work Provide support to management for project work or costing saving initiatives Evaluate CAPEX proposals and make recommendations to Finance Director and Managing Director. Duties include: Maintaining Weekly Price files Product Costing Reporting and GM Analysis by SKU Process Costing Promotional Costing CAPEX Project Costing Labour Analysis, KPI, Efficiencies etc. Overhead Analysis. Systems and Reports Review Determining Best Practice and Driving Changes Assisting the Financial Director in any other duties as required. Key Requirements Essential 3+ Years Relevant experience as a Financial Planning and Accounting or Manufacturing Cost Accountant position within a manufacturing environment or related field. Experience of Assessing and Implementing new systems and software to drive improvements and changes Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles. Strong financial analysis skills, including experience with variance analysis, forecasting, and financial modelling Manufacturing Factory Experience Fluent Written and Spoken English Very Strong Excel Skills, v-look up, Pivot Tables, Advanced Charting, Simulations and Databases etc. Good Numerical Skills & Attention to Detail. Exceptional time management, problem solving, and interpersonal communication skills. Collaborative and metrics driven, with a commitment to process accuracy and results Desirable Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense, SQL, OLAP). Third Level Degree Qualification in Accounting & Finance Or Third Level Degree Qualification in Food Science. Experience working in an FMCG or food environment would be an advantage. Experience with Software Implementation and automation of reports. The Successful Candidate will demonstrate a can-do attitude and be pro-active in relation to identifying areas of cost in products and processes. The role will involve a split of time between desk work and floor work. Up to 40% of time will be spent on the factory floor, capturing data, liaising with production team and our process technologist to correctly identify and report on cost centres. The remaining time will be spent calculating, reporting, analysing, and disseminating information on costings for products and processes. Skills: cost accounting CIMA ACA ACCA CPA Financial Planning Analyst Benefits: PENSION