Cost Accounting Manager

The Cost Accounting Manager will own end-to-end cost accounting activities while also serving as a key partner for financial planning, forecasting, and decision support. This role sits at the intersection of accounting integrity and business performance: ensuring accurate product costing, inventory valuation, and margin reporting while driving forecast accuracy, budget discipline, and actionable insights across the organization.

This position requires a hands-on finance leader with strong technical accounting knowledge, a sharp analytical mindset, and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally to improve processes, strengthen controls, and support strategic planning.

This is a hybrid role, expected to be onsite 3 days a week in our San Jose HQ.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the cost accounting function, including standard costing, inventory valuation, and COGS reporting in accordance with company policy and applicable accounting standards.

• Manage month-end close activities related to inventory, COGS, cost allocations, accruals, reserves, and production variances; ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.

• Lead cost roll-ups, bills of material (BOM) costing, routings/labor and overhead rates, and ensure alignment between costing models and operational reality.

• Analyze and explain cost variances (purchase price, usage, yield, labor, overhead absorption) and drive corrective actions with Operations/Supply Chain.

• Partner with Operations to improve inventory controls, cycle counts, physical inventory, obsolete/slow-moving inventory analysis, and reserve methodology.

• Ensure accuracy of inventory transactions and costing in the Oracle including troubleshooting and root-cause resolution.

• Support audits (internal/external), including documentation, schedules, and responding to audit inquiries.

• Identify and implement process improvements to strengthen controls, automate reporting, and enhance data quality.

• Lead or co-lead the budgeting and forecasting process for COGS, inventory, and operational spend; partner with business leaders to align assumptions and key drivers.

• Produce monthly financial performance packages including margin bridges, variance-to-plan, and forward-looking risk/opportunity assessments.

• Track and report key KPIs (e.g., gross margin, inventory turns, PPV, material yield, absorption) and provide actionable recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.

• 6+ years of progressive finance experience with strong cost accounting exposure (manufacturing, distribution, hardware, CPG, or complex inventory environments preferred).

• Demonstrated experience with standard costing, inventory valuation, and variance analysis.

• Experience leading budgeting/forecasting and delivering FP&A insights to business partners.

• Strong Excel skills and experience working with large datasets; ability to create repeatable models and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA and/or CMA strongly preferred.

• Preferred ERP experience with Oracle and comfort partnering with IT/Systems teams.

• Experience with BI/reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, SQL, etc.).

• Experience in multi-site operations or global supply chain environments.

• Prior people management or strong mentoring/leadership experience.

Company Statement/Values: 

At NETGEAR, we are on a mission to unleash the full potential of connectivity with intelligent solutions that delight and protect. We turn ideas into innovative networking products that connect people, power businesses, and advance the way we live.  

We're a performance-driven, talented and connected team that's committed to delivering world-class products for our customers. As a company, we value our employees as the most essential building blocks of our success. And as teammates, we commit to taking our work to the Next Gear by living our values: we Dare to Transform the future, Connect and Delight our customers, Communicate Courageously with each other and collaborate to Win It Together. You’ll find our values woven through our processes, present in our decisions, and celebrated throughout our culture. 

We strive to attract top talent and create a great workplace where people feel engaged, inspired, challenged, proud and respected. If you are creative, forward-thinking, passionate about technology and are looking for a rewarding career to make an impact, then you've got what it takes to succeed at NETGEAR. Join our network and help us shape the future of connectivity. 

NETGEAR hires based on merit. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.