Curium Pharma is rebuilding its cost accounting foundation from the ground up — and for the right person, this is exactly the kind of challenge worth getting out of bed for.
The Overview
Curium Pharma is a life sciences manufacturer on a mission unlike any other. Their explicit goal is to help address 80% of all cancer cases through the products they develop and produce. This is a company where the work on the plant floor is directly connected to patient outcomes, and the people who join them understand that the stakes are real. With revenues projected to double over the next five years, Curium is building the financial infrastructure needed to scale — and they need the right people to build it with them.
The Role
Curium is seeking a Principal Cost Accountant — a pivotal hire and one of the most consequential roles open in the company right now. This is not a role for someone who wants to maintain a system that already works. Curium recently went through an Infor XA ERP implementation that did not go as planned. The data is messy, the floor procedures need to be redesigned, and the cost accounting foundation has to be rebuilt. The day-to-day is substantive and immediate. Standard cost rolls are the critical priority — getting those right is the foundation everything else is built on. From there, the role expands into weekly variance analysis (PPV and MMV), inventory reconciliations, fixed assets, and a full redesign of inventory transaction workflows that currently do not function as they should. Responsibilities include: • Own standard costing and standard cost rolls end-to-end; establishing accurate product costs is the first and most critical priority. • Redesign inventory transaction workflows and plant floor procedures that are not functioning correctly in the current ERP environment (Infor XA). • Perform weekly variance analysis including Purchase Price Variance (PPV) and Manufacturing Material Variance (MMV); investigate root causes and communicate findings to the VP of Finance. • Manage inventory reconciliations and ensure accuracy of inventory balances across manufacturing and financial systems. • Drive month-end close for all manufacturing cost accounting activity. • Own the fixed assets system and ensure proper recording and tracking of capital expenditures. • Define what should hit which accounts and why; build the documentation and training the broader finance team needs to work effectively within the cost accounting framework. • Identify gaps in the Infor XA implementation and lead corrections; serve as the internal subject matter expert on cost accounting modules within the ERP. • Partner cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, and production to align financial processes with plant-floor realities. • Build the reconciliation schedules, cost reports, and process documentation needed to support a rapidly scaling manufacturing operation. Required qualifications: • 5–8+ years of cost accounting experience in a manufacturing environment. • Deep hands-on expertise in standard costing: standard cost rolls, BOM maintenance, and variance analysis (PPV, MMV, manufacturing material variances). • Experience working through and correcting unclean or incomplete ERP data; comfortable building structure in an environment that does not yet have it. • Proven ability to redesign cost accounting processes, not just maintain established ones. • Strong analytical skills with the ability to communicate findings clearly to operations and non-finance stakeholders. • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. • Natural problem-solver with intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for complex, ambiguous environments. Desired qualifications: • CPA or CMA certification. • Experience with Infor XA or a comparable discrete manufacturing ERP system. • Prior experience supporting or leading an ERP implementation or re-implementation. • Track record of growing into a Cost Accounting Manager or similar leadership role. For a candidate who has the technical depth to clean up a messy cost environment and the ambition to grow into a Cost Accounting Manager role as the organization scales, this is the kind of opportunity that defines the next chapter of a career.
The Hiring Manager
Jeff, the VP of Finance, joined Curium in October and is actively rebuilding his team from the ground up. He is not looking to hire someone who will simply report to him. He is looking for a peer: someone he can think through hard problems with, debate approaches with, and ultimately trust to own the manufacturing cost function as the team continues to grow. Jeff will be a sounding board and collaborator throughout, but this person needs to be capable of leading the work independently and communicating findings clearly across the organization.
Your Team
The broader finance organization includes four professionals in FP&A and eight in general accounting — but none with deep cost accounting depth. This hire fills a critical gap and is positioned to define and lead the cost accounting function as the team continues to scale.
Systems & ERP
Curium recently completed an Infor XA ERP implementation that did not go as planned. The data is messy, workflows need to be redesigned, and the cost accounting modules require significant correction. The right candidate will serve as the internal subject matter expert on Infor XA and lead the effort to get it functioning as it should. Experience with Infor XA or a comparable discrete manufacturing ERP is preferred; prior ERP implementation or re-implementation experience is a plus.
Travel & Remote
The position is fully onsite at the plant, with roughly 25% of time spent at the main corporate office. There is no significant travel otherwise.
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