Products Accounting Manager

Job Description

The Products Accounting Manager, reports to the Assistant Corporate Controller and is responsible for providing leadership to the Products Accounting team and in partnership with the Products Finance team will provide support to the Products business units with an emphasis on exceptional customer experience, process excellence, continuous improvement and innovation and best practice compliance at the core of what we do.  This role is responsible for the strategic evolution of the Products Accounting team, ensuring compliance with US GAAP accounting principles and corporate policies, refining and improving controls over the financial reporting, and ensuring proper segregation of duties are in place.

Effectively managing the perceptions and expectations of senior management and business partners is critical to the success of this role.

Responsibilities

• The focus of the role is to lead and develop the Products Accounting team, standardize, and align processes incorporating industry best practices.
• Administer and review company policies and procedures for US products businesses and collaborate with international counterparts to ensure controls are functioning as intended to protect assets and ensure compliance with US GAAP and JSOX, escalating risks and issues as necessary to leadership.
• Understand internal control design concepts sufficiently to assess the effectiveness of controls in this area and to design new processes and controls for emerging and growing business activities.
• Direct the day-to-day activities to ensure proper revenue recognition, cost accounting and capital asset and projects accounting.
• Ensure copies of customer contracts and modifications are obtained from the business leaders and are centrally stored.
• Complete initial and modification assessments of customer contracts for ASC 606 revenue recognition.
• Ensure proper administration of all financial terms in the customer contracts.
• Provide technical accounting assistance to all AFL products businesses for new, unusual, one-time transactions and as questions arise by researching relevant accounting standards, review and write memos, and work with Corporate Accounting to ensure related transactions are accounted for appropriately.
• Ensure the integrity of the subledgers and general ledger balances by providing oversight and collaborating with finance partners on the analysis processes including general ledger account reconciliations, capital asset inventories and analysis of the data to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Execute judgments to keep accounting processes moving and ensure the right decisions are reached to close the books timely each month.
• Strong sense of ownership of the products businesses' end-to-end accounting processes to support finance and business partners.
• Identify process improvements and automation opportunities to drive positive change across the organization.
• Support the Products Financial Reporting team as needed in providing consolidated monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting to Fujikura Limited.
• Enhance partnerships between accounting, other finance teams, business units and IT.
• Build proactive and collaborative relationships globally with stakeholders and cultivate a culture of teamwork.
• Manage and provide ongoing individual and team training ensuring the development of all personnel. This includes formal development plans with regular employee communications.
• Advocate digitalizing and automating processes globally through agile execution and optimal use of technology, such as Robotics and other machine learning tools.
• Provide monthly reports to VP Corporate Controller and Assistant Controller about metrics involving Products Accounting. These metrics will be developed by the Products Accounting Manager and will become part of the Productivity Goal for Finance.
• Support internal and external audit reviews, providing reports and analysis as needed.
• Support Corporate Tax in the completion of all tax returns, support for governmental audits, and support implementation of processes, whether systemic or otherwise, to ensure both the Company and customers are properly taxed.
• Participate in due diligence and valuation of potential M&A targets and the integration of acquired companies into the Company's financial systems.
• Perform other duties as requested, directed, or assigned
• Adhere to and promote the environmental, health and safety policies of AFL.

Personal Qualities

• Skilled in analyzing and evaluating accounting and internal control methods and financial reports.
• Mental toughness and energy to succeed in a fast-paced, multiple priority projects environment with short deadlines and time constraints.
• A commercially astute, articulate, technically strong, dynamic, insightful and influential leader.
• Strong initiative, leadership and management skills with ability to manage and motivate a diverse professional team.
• Strategic thinker with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement to ensure best practices are implemented and followed.
• Strong drive to meet and exceed goals and be willing to take ownership of problems and make sound decisions.
• Aspire to deliver an exceptional customer experience and process excellence.
• Ability to operate successfully across diverse geographical locations and cultures.
• Excellent communications skills: written, verbal, and presentation; ability to influence across multiple levels and multiple functional teams.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, an inquisitive mind, and the ability to work effectively with multiple, cross-functional stakeholders.
• Change management experience - must be adept at encourage buy-in from stakeholders and continue to champion the process change throughout the organization.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in progressive accounting roles with at least 3 years of management experience
• Bachelor's degree in accounting, MBA or MAcc/MSA a plus
• CPA required, public accounting experience, preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounting and finance skills and knowledge of US GAAP and JSOX controls is required.
• Demonstrated analytical skills and problem-solving ability
• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations relating to financial reporting.
• Multi-national organization experience is required.
• Proven ability to create and lead a continuous improvement and innovation culture is required.
• Proven ability to build credibility and trust with a diverse audience and be perceived as a leader.
• Expert level skills with Microsoft tools (Excel, Outlook, and Word) are required.
• Oracle experience is preferred.