PQ Corporation · 1 week ago
Senior Cost Accountant
Malvern, PA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expPQ Corporation is a leading global provider of silicates, silicas, and derivative products. They are seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to serve as a key finance partner to Plant and Operations leadership, owning core cost and inventory accounting processes and influencing operational and financial decision-making across PQ’s manufacturing network.
ChemicalIndustrialManufacturingService Industry
Responsibilities
Own core manufacturing cost accounting activities, including monthly close support, review of transactions, and preparation of reconciliations for inventory and related cost accounts
Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations; investigate and resolve reconciling items timely and ensure proper documentation and control compliance
Review profit center and/or plant-level results for completeness and accuracy; act as a key reviewer to ensure consistency of reporting standards across plants and stakeholders
Own and govern standard costing processes, including standard setting, periodic updates, and governance to ensure accuracy and completeness
Partner with Plant Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain to ensure costing inputs reflect changes in raw materials, production conditions, yields, and operational practices
Maintain and validate cost-related master data, including BOMs, raw material standards, and transfer pricing updates on a routine cadence (monthly as required)
Lead analysis and interpretation of cost and operational variances (e.g., PPV, usage, yield, absorption, fixed cost spending, planned capacity/production impacts)
Develop clear variance explanations and actionable recommendations for plant and finance leadership
Prepare monthly and ad hoc analyses related to product costs, manufacturing variances, inventory levels, raw material usage, energy consumption, and gross profit performance
Support the budgeting and forecasting process for manufacturing performance, including cost standards and plant cost center reviews
Build and maintain analytical models (Excel) to support cost bridge analysis, actual vs. budget comparisons, and longer-term planning needs
Coordinate and support quarterly and/or annual physical inventory counts, including planning, execution support, reconciliation, and improvement actions to strengthen inventory accuracy
Prepare audit schedules and serve as a key contact for internal/external audit inquiries related to inventory, production reporting, and costing
Support maintenance of an effective control environment, including SOX-related compliance where applicable
Serve as the costing subject matter expert and primary point of contact for costing and production reporting questions and issue resolution
Lead continuous improvement efforts to improve the quality of production reporting and strengthen end-to-end costing processes
Partner with IT and stakeholders on system/process enhancements impacting production reporting, costing, capacity planning, and reporting (e.g., SAP/BW changes), including participation in testing and implementation activities
Act as a liaison across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain/Logistics, and Finance to ensure aligned costing practices and timely decision support
Perform other duties and special projects as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field
5–8 years of experience in cost/plant accounting or plant controlling, preferably in a manufacturing environment
Standard Costing and inventory accounting
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (models, pivots, lookups, data analysis)
Month-end close processes and account reconciliations
Variance analysis and manufacturing performance reporting
Manufacturing experience in chemical (or similar process manufacturing) environment
Experience with SAP
Experience with OneStream
Sarbanes Oxley experience
Professional designations (CMA/CPA)
Company
PQ Corporation
We are a 200 plus year old leading global provider of silicates, silicas & derivative products that enable environmental improvements, enhance consumer products, and increase personal safety.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
PQ Corporation has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (5)
2024 (1)
2023 (2)
2022 (2)
2021 (4)
2020 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$873M2024-06-12Post Ipo Debt· $873M
2017-10-03IPO
2014-09-11Acquired
Leadership Team
Al Beninati
President and CEO
Jim Gentilcore
Chairman and CEO ( Retired)
Recent News
Venture Capital
2026-01-03
2026-01-03
Company data provided by crunchbase