Sr General Ledger Accountant - North America

Sr General Ledger - North America

The Sr. General Ledger Accountant supports the Operational Finance function for the region, working closely with business units, Corporate Accounting, and cross-functional teams to ensure the accurate and timely completion of period-end close, general ledger accounting, account reconciliations, and reporting. This role combines strong technical accounting expertise with a proactive, collaborative approach to support business unit needs and drive process improvements, including system migrations and special projects.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

General Accounting & Month-End Close:

• Record and oversee accounting transactions within the General Ledger, including journal entries, accruals, provisions, and adjustments.
• Actively participate in the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process, ensuring deadlines and reporting calendars are met.
• Prepare preliminary financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement).
• Review operating expenses and trial balances, summarize findings, and advise management accordingly.
• Ensure proper account classification in accordance with internal accounting policies.

Reconciliations & Internal Controls:

• Perform balance sheet account reconciliations, complete clean-up activities, and follow up on outstanding or reconciling items.
• Maintain and strengthen internal controls over the accounting process.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve inconsistencies or discrepancies in accounting records.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure accounting records comply with IFRS, as applicable.
• Stay current on changes in accounting and tax regulations, assessing their impact on reporting processes.

Business Unit Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Proactively correspond and follow up with other departments regarding requests for financial information, procedures, and support.
• Support finance staff across business units with group reporting requirements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Treasury, Tax, FP&A, and Audit teams, and work effectively across multiple locations, business units, and personalities.

Internal & Management Reporting:

• Complete internal reporting needs, including budget vs. actual reports, scorecards, management comments, and presentations for internal management meetings.
• Analyze variances and trends in account balances to identify risks and opportunities, providing insights to Finance leadership.

Audit Support:

• Support coordination with external and internal auditors throughout the audit cycle.
• Prepare documentation, work papers, and evidence required during audit processes.

Systems, Process Improvement & Special Projects:

• Use and maintain accounting/ERP systems to ensure data integrity and accuracy.
• Support special projects such as data cleanup and system migrations (e.g., SAP).
• Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce close cycle time.

Collaboration:

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Treasury, Tax, FP&A, and Audit teams.

Key Skills and Competencies:

Technical and Professional Skills:

• Strong understanding of accounting principles (GAAP/IFRS) and the financial close process.
• Skill in analyzing and interpreting financial data, applying accounting and finance concepts across diverse project types.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP, OneStream/OneStream SmartView, or similar).
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access); advanced Excel skills required. Experience with BI tools is a plus.

Personal Attributes:

• High level of integrity and professional ethics.
• Outgoing with solid communication skills; comfortable working with diverse departments and personalities.
• Proactive work style with a positive attitude.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy; assumes responsibility for the timeliness and quality of work product.
• Comfortable with changing priorities and unstructured work assignments in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field, required.
• Advanced English proficiency, required to support US-based operations and stakeholders.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of progressive accounting experience, with specific hands-on experience in General Ledger.
• Prior experience with multi-location/multi-business-unit organizations, multinational companies, or close processes under international accounting standards is a plus.