Cost Accountant

Job Description

Cost Accountant | ILIA Beauty

The Tone:
This is a hybrid role at ILIA Beauty, located in Laguna Beach, CA, requiring 1-2x weekly on-site reporting. ILIA Beauty operates within a fast-growing consumer goods environment. This role is crucial for maintaining accurate inventory and COGS reporting, supporting the month-end close process, and driving cost tracking related to production, freight, and warehousing. The Cost Accountant collaborates across departments to ensure precise product costing, timely inventory reconciliation, and strong internal controls that adapt with the business’s growth.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Location: Hybrid, Laguna Beach, CA
• Pay: $120000–$130000 yearly
• Team: Reports to the Accounting Manager, collaborating with Accounting, Supply Chain, and Operations teams.
• Mission: This person maintains accurate inventory and COGS reporting, supporting month-end close, and driving cost tracking related to production, freight, and warehousing.
• Tech Stack: NetSuite, Excel, AI tools, automation technologies, data tools.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Manage Inventory & COGS: Support month-end close activities by ensuring accurate cut-off and proper classification of inventory-related spend, and preparing monthly inventory reconciliations between the ERP, 3PL reports, and the general ledger.
• Execute General Accounting Close: Take ownership of various month-end accounting tasks, including preparing journal entries and supporting schedules for inventory, COGS, accruals, and other general ledger items, while preparing and reviewing account reconciliations.
• Analyze & Report Costs: Prepare and present cost and inventory variance analyses, including Purchase Price Variances (PPV) and freight cost trends, summarizing findings for the Accounting Manager and Finance leadership.
• Drive Process & System Improvement: Actively leverage AI tools and automation technologies to enhance accounting workflows, optimize ERP (NetSuite preferred) usage, and maintain updated SOPs for scalability and audit readiness.
• Ensure Audit Readiness & Compliance: Maintain organized documentation and supporting schedules to facilitate external audits and internal reviews, ensuring compliance with GAAP, internal policies, and Shared Services procedures.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Experience: 2–4+ years of accounting experience, with prior exposure to inventory or cost accounting in a consumer goods, CPG, or manufacturing environment strongly preferred; experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred).
• Skills: Advanced Excel skills, working knowledge of GAAP, strong analytical and reconciliation abilities.
• Bonus: CPA or CMA pursuit, experience in a Shared Services or high-volume transactional accounting environment, demonstrated interest in or experience with AI tools, automation platforms, or data analytics in an accounting or finance context.