Senior Inventory Cost Accountant

Gradian is an engineering-led, full-line thermal solutions partner serving data center and other mission-critical, commercial, and industrial markets. Headquartered in Maple Grove, MN, with additional facilities across North America, we design and manufacture liquid cooling systems, air handling equipment, heat rejection units, and modular, factory-assembled thermal management solutions.

Gradian was founded through the unification of four complementary, established brands: MAS HVAC, Daedex, DeepCoolAI, and EcoChillers. Together, we act as a single-source provider, deploying cooling technologies as scalable systems optimized for efficiency, spatial constraints, and overall performance. With a vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing model, we pair rapid design turnaround with precision fabrication, so customers can move faster on complex projects where reliability, timeline, and quality all matter.

Why work here

At Gradian, you'll work alongside others who get genuinely fired up by complex problems, see your work go from first sketch to job site in weeks, not years, and know that while we're developing the technologies critical for AI infrastructure to scale, our culture remains people-first by design.

It is core to our identity that we operate as one team — driving to win together, energizing others, and building lasting relationships that make the work fun and rewarding.

Position Summary:

The Senior Inventory Cost Accountant is responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and analysis of inventory and cost accounting records. This role leads standard cost maintenance, inventory valuation, manufacturing variance analysis, reserve assessments, and period-end close activities while partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Finance. The successful candidate will strengthen financial controls, translate cost drivers into actionable business insights, and provide technical guidance for inventory costing.

Essential Responsibilities

• Own inventory accounting activities, including valuation, reconciliations, reserves, obsolescence, and cycle-count adjustments.
• Maintain and review standard costs, bills of material, routings, overhead rates, and related master data.
• Analyze purchase price, material usage, labor, overhead, and other manufacturing variances; communicate root causes and recommended actions.
• Lead inventory and cost accounting workstreams during monthly, quarterly, and annual close, ensuring timely and accurate journal entries and account reconciliations.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, and FP&A to improve cost visibility and decision support.
• Support physical inventories and cycle-count programs, investigate discrepancies, and monitor corrective actions.
• Prepare inventory reserve analyses and recommendations in accordance with company policy and applicable accounting standards.
• Maintain effective internal controls and documentation; support internal and external audit requests.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and stronger data controls across inventory and costing processes.
• Provide technical guidance and peer review for accounting team members and contribute to special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressive accounting experience, including at least three years in inventory, cost, or manufacturing accounting.
• Strong knowledge of inventory valuation, standard costing, variance analysis, reconciliations, and period-end close.
• Familiarity with multi-site operations and landed cost.
• Working knowledge of U.S. GAAP and internal control principles.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and large-data analysis.
• Experience using an ERP system and working with cross-functional operational data.
• Demonstrated ability to investigate complex issues, reconcile large data sets, and communicate conclusions clearly.
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and the ability to meet deadlines in a changing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CMA, or other relevant advanced degree or professional certification
• Experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with NetSuite, QuickBooks, business intelligence tools, SQL, or financial process automation.
• Experience improving cost accounting policies, controls, and close processes.

Core Competencies

• Analytical rigor
• Business partnership
• Ownership and accountability
• Process improvement
• Attention to detail
• Clear communication
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Integrity and sound judgment

Measures of Success

• Accurate, timely, and actionable variance analysis to business leaders across supported manufacturing locations.
• Actionable recommendations that improve plant performance, cost control, margin, and decision quality.
• Strong partnerships with plant leadership, operations, supply chain, and corporate stakeholders.
• Improve visibility into inventory and manufacturing costs through enhanced reporting.

Benefits:

• Medical, vision, and dental plans
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Group term life insurance coverage
• HSA, FSA, and Dependent Care plans available
• 8 paid holidays, 4 floating holidays, and generous PTO policy
• 401k matching
• Annual safety shoe allowance
• Education assistance program

EEO Statement:

Gradian is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other legally protected status.

Employment decisions at Gradian are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind and actively promote a culture of fairness, equity, and opportunity.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances, in accordance with applicable laws.