Senior Cost Accountant

Job Description:

About the Company
Our purpose at Talis is to advance health equity and outcomes by delivering accurate infectious disease testing in the moment of need, at the point of care.
While timely diagnosis of infectious diseases is critically important to enable effective treatment, testing is primarily performed in centralized laboratories, which require samples to be shipped for processing, delaying the return of results by days. Point-of-care testing solves this problem by delivering the timely information necessary for clinical care.
To deliver our purpose we focus on three things:

Putting customers and patients first
Making Talis a great place to work
Living our values to Dream Big, Share Our Screens, Serve Others, Bring Our “A” Game, and Build Trust
Position Overview
The Senior Cost Accountant is responsible for the company’s cost accounting function ensuring accounting, financial reporting and controls compliance as Talis prepares for a substantial commercial scale-up. Candidates should have in-depth knowledge of cost accounting concepts and applicable US GAAP accounting standards along with experience in manufacturing companies, preferably within the diagnostics or medical device industries. The role includes update and review of standard costs, overhead rates, absorption, variances, inventory controls, identification of inherent risks, month-end close tasks, ownership of associated general ledger accounts, preparing account reconciliations, gross margin analysis, and other ad hoc projects and analysis as needed. The Senior Cost Accountant must also maintain and monitor information systems needed to provide an appropriate level of costing information to management. Given the Company’s recent IPO, there will be a significant focus on developing/improving accounting processes and controls as we implement our SOX program.
The ideal candidate will be a proven individual contributor with a track record of executing under tight deadlines and maintaining successful business partnerships. The role also requires an ability to be adaptable to fast changing business conditions. The Senior Cost Accountant reports to the Senior Accounting Manager and will partner with Operations, Supply Chain, FP&A, Financial Systems, Financial Reporting, Internal Audit, Commercial and other key functions on a regular basis.

Responsibilities

Perform month-end close tasks related to inventory and cost accounting
Perform balance sheet reconciliations to ensure inventory, cost of goods sold and manufacturing variances are properly accounted for and recorded in NetSuite
Monitor and reconcile inventory reserves, including excess and obsolescence
Partner with Operations to develop and maintain accurate standard costs in conjunction with current and proposed BOM’s
Track and reconcile inventory based on different business circumstances, such as using ERP reports to build models, validations and audit files in Excel
Maintain, analyze and update item master and standard costs in NetSuite
Develop/update material, labor and overhead rates during the annual budget and standard cost roll-up processes
Review, investigate and explain manufacturing variances and margins (Actual vs. Budget) on a monthly basis by collaborating with Operations and FP&A
Provide support for annual physical inventories and cycle counts as needed
Adapt to contract manufacturer’s reporting and requirements to better understand product costing and production processes
Serves as an internal technical cost accounting resource during the contract negotiation and contract review process related to contract pricing
Prepare year-end audit schedules, including inventory by location, physical inventory summary, inventory footnote, etc.
Collaborate effectively with both internal and external business partners, including auditors, to address and resolve inventory and cost accounting issues
Identify opportunities for internal control and process improvements and drive the implementation of solutions
Perform special projects, analysis and other tasks as needed

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Accounting
CPA or CMA preferred, MBA a plus
3+ years of relevant work experience in manufacturing cost accounting
Proven ability to translate US GAAP cost accounting standards and policy into execution focused on process improvement
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Hands-on ERP experience required; proven ability and willingness to understand ERP functionality to better support general ledger and subledger details
NetSuite experience preferred, but not required
Process and controls-oriented mindset, with a focus on continuous improvement
Analytical background as it pertains to identifying and explaining manufacturing variances (absorption, spend, etc.), inventory, and other gross margin-related financial drivers to finance and business leaders
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing to all levels within the organization
Solid problem-solving and organizational skills
Ability to prioritize and work independently with minimal supervision
Professional, responsive, and customer-focused working relationships
Highly proficient with Excel and overall MS Office proficiency
Self-directed and eager to grow and adapt in a changing and fast-paced environment with multiple projects and priorities under tight timelines
Positive team attitude with a willingness to work on both smaller and large tasks to help get the job done
Experience in diagnostics, medical devices or life sciences is preferred, but not required
Talis offers a comprehensive health and well-being benefits programs, long-term equity incentives, time-off policies, a 401(k) retirement savings plan with an immediate Company match, Education Assistance Program, a rotating suite of snacks, Monday breakfasts, Happy Hours, other fun company events and more! Best of all, join us by working at a growing company like Talis with dedicated and collaborative employees committed to making a difference in Health Care.
Talis is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All aspects of employment decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of any status protected under federal, state, or local law. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our colleagues.
More About Talis:
Built on a foundation of world-class science and engineering, we are developing the Talis One platform, a sample-to-answer, cloud-enabled molecular diagnostic platform that could be rapidly deployed to distributed diagnostic settings in the United States and around the world to diagnose infectious disease at the point-of-care. The Talis One platform comprises a compact instrument, single-use test cartridge, and innovative software including a central cloud database. This system is designed to provide central laboratory levels of accuracy and be operated by an untrained user.
Talis has raised more than $500 million to date and went public in February 2021. We were granted Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for our Talis OneTM COVID-19 Test System in November 2021 and are in further testing stages and preparations for commercial rollout.