Production Accountant in Whitstable

Amphenol Ltd has been at the forefront of using the latest technologies and practices for over 50 years to meet the needs of interconnection in a variety of applications. Based in Whitstable, Kent, Amphenol Ltd has maintained its status as a market leader in the Aerospace and Military industries.

The Vacancy:

Purpose of the role: To facilitate accurate costing, actual and budget data, win sales reporting, ensure standard costs are accurate and reflective of the realities of the business, own sales reporting, and assist the wider business to make commercially sensible decisions.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Facilitate the annual budget process relating to operational, SG&A expenses, cost reduction, headcount requirements, and inventory levels.
• Manage the individual submissions of these budget requests, ensuring significant increases/decreases are justifiable and, where appropriate, commensurate with the revenue budget.
• Analyse and bridge the OI impact compared to prior year.
• Manage the financial modelling.
• Facilitate the reporting of actual financial results.
• Manage the financial model recording actual data.
• Provide explanations for significant variations in cost to budget and trends.
• Bridge movements in results from one period to another (e.g., Q2 vs Q1).
• Manage the calculation and reporting of revenue forecasting.
• Work with the wider business to understand customer behaviour and lead times, making revenue forecasting more accurate.
• Own reporting of revenue into the corporate reporting module.
• Responsible for the preparation and review of the annual standard cost absorption model.
• Update the cost model with the budgeted cost structure and make judgment calls where appropriate to comply with the Finance Manual.
• Work with Operations to determine a sensible level of production hours for the forthcoming year while complying with the Finance Manual.
• Calculate the new absorption rates.
• Assess the impact of the rate change upon margin and inventory valuation and report back.
• Work with the Purchasing department in setting the annual standard material.
• Help manage the criteria under which current and standard material costs are set, ensuring the costs accurately reflect the true cost of acquisition.
• Review significant changes and seek justification.
• Assess impact upon margin and inventory valuation.
• Manage quarterly reviews of standard, current last price paid.
• Monitor variances throughout the year.
• Review PPV on a regular basis.
• Review CJV.
• Review under/over absorption and its impact.
• Assess the impact on margin and the risk to the inventory valuation, making recommendations where appropriate.
• Manage inventory controls, ensuring the reported inventory balance accurately reflects the physical stock and is in accordance with the Finance Manual valuation policies.
• Reconcile the physical stock reports to the ledger, investigating differences.
• Manage the required E&O provision, identifying exclusions or additions with supporting evidence.
• Recommend other inventory provisions required (e.g., NRV, revaluations).
• Monitor raw materials, components & WIP.
• Work with Operations to ensure safety stocks reflect current requirements and are managed and approved correctly.
• Manage E&O quarterly reviews.
• Ensure accurate reporting of operational & SG&A costs and support managers in adhering to budgets and forecasts.
• Continue with monthly reviews, helping to identify potential future cost overspends and feed back into the forecast.
• Track key performance measures to help drive production efficiency.
• Develop KPI’s measuring direct labour utilisation and efficiency.
• Work with Operations to eliminate waste.
• Work with finance to ensure the integrity of the monthly income statement.
• Review the income statement, ensuring the component elements of absorption & variances are commensurate with revenue and burden incurred.
• Explain significant variations.
• Carry out such other duties that may be reasonably requested.

Person Specification:

Technical: Confident user of pivots, Excel, interested in technology, AI, modelling. Experience of understanding ERP systems. Qlik reporting and development.

Skills and Competencies: Skilled at explaining complex financial concepts in plain language. Able to deal with large amounts of data. Happy to take the initiative and “go investigate.”

Qualifications: Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).

Experience: Experience working in Manufacturing highly desirable but we recognise this is rare.

Benefits:

• Life Assurance
• Quarterly Bonus Scheme
• Holiday Buy Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Group Income Protection
• Company Sick Pay
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Subsidised Restaurant facility
• Free onsite parking