Staff Accountant I

Job Costing Accountant

Department: Accounting & Finance

Reports To: Senior Manager, Shared Services

Location: Eagan, MN

POSITION SUMMARY

The Job Costing Accountant supports the day-to-day job costing function for a high-volume manufacturing and trade show services business. This role is responsible for the accurate and timely recognition of revenue and cost of goods sold (COGS), proper allocation of costs to jobs, and adherence to GAAP.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Revenue & COGS Recognition

• Process revenue recognition for custom booth builds and trade show services based on shipment dates, show dates, and project milestones.
• Ensure accurate COGS treatment by reviewing purchase orders, material costs, labor, and freight allocations for each job.
• Maintain and reconcile deferred revenue schedules on a monthly basis.
• Apply GAAP and ASC 606 revenue recognition standards consistently across all job types.
• Identify and escalate revenue or COGS discrepancies for timely resolution.

Monthly Close & Revenue/COGS Review

• Review revenue and COGS completeness, accuracy, and timing on a monthly basis to ensure all transactions are recorded in the correct period.
• Identify gaps or mismatches between recognized revenue and associated costs and prepare accrual or deferral entries to resolve variances and discrepancies.
• Document and support month-end close entries with appropriate backup for audit and management review.

Job Costing & Cost Tracking

• Perform job cost entries and verify that costs are accurately assigned to the correct projects and cost categories.
• Upload daily freight costs into SAP and review entries for accuracy; collaborate with operations and logistics to research and resolve discrepancies.
• Investigate cost variances and partner with project managers and operations teams to determine root cause and corrective action.
• Prepare job cost variance summaries to support project margin visibility.

Reporting & Reconciliation

• Reconcile COGS and revenue accounts to the general ledger on a monthly basis and investigate differences.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation for all job cost entries and revenue recognition decisions.

Process Support & Controls

• Identify recurring issues impacting cost accuracy or revenue recognition and surface them to management with supporting detail.
• Participate in process improvement initiatives with operations, sales, and finance to improve job setup and cost tracking workflows.
• Support the development of policies and procedures that strengthen job costing accuracy and internal controls.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• 1-3 years of experience in accounting or finance; experience in job costing, cost accounting, or manufacturing/project-based environments is a plus.
• Working knowledge of GAAP, including revenue recognition and deferral accounting concepts.
• Familiarity with ASC 606 revenue recognition standards preferred.
• Experience with ERP systems required; SAP experience strongly preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, basic formulas).
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills; comfortable working cross-functionally with non-accounting stakeholders.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Revenue and COGS are recognized accurately and on time, aligned with operational milestones.
• Daily freight uploads are posted timely and accurately, with discrepancies identified and resolved quickly.
• Job cost data is clean, reconciled, and well-documented with minimal rework.
• Reporting on project profitability is consistent and delivered on schedule.
• Cross-functional relationships with operations and logistics support faster issue resolution.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• The work is sedentary in nature, working on a computer at a desk for most of the day.
• Work schedule is hybrid in our Eagan, MN HQ office.

Benefits

• PTO
• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Critical illness and accident insurance
• Pet insurance
• And more