Our retail client is seeking temporary coverage on their accounting team. At this time of year (November through January) the invoice volume will be high and you will play an integral part in closing out their year end.
This accounting role plays a crucial part in ensuring smooth operations related to invoice standardization and reconciliation, working in close partnership with FP&A on forecasting, reporting and financial planning. This role requires a skilled, detail-oriented person who has an understanding of marketing and retail operations (store development/construction) and the nuances associated with their financial processes.
The successful candidate will understand the involvement needed to manage interactions between the marketing and retail teams and various financial platforms. You will support the marketing and store development teams in finance operations.
Responsibilities:
- Be the accounting partner for marketing and store development and the point of contact for shared services department, providing support across all aspects of invoicing cycle through strong partnership.
- Ensure accurate coding and timely payment for all vendors, providing reporting to business partners.
- Work closely with FP&A, supporting with budgeting and forecasting related tasks (such as data loads and reconciliations).
- Collaborate with partners to support new vendor setup, accounting workflow and approval chains.
- Identify and address issues related to invoice rejection, providing training on correct invoice information to ensure compliance with financial guidelines.
- Facilitate onboarding processes related to invoices and payments, ensuring new team members are well-versed in relevant financial procedures.
- Provide reporting on all capital projects throughout the construction process to track costs against budget.
- Provide comprehensive training on the parent company's payment platforms to enhance efficiency and accuracy in financial transactions.
- Conduct thorough monthly forecasting reviews and provide insightful overviews to assist in decision-making within the marketing department.
- Manage updates to Investment Orders (IO) and cost centers, ensuring accurate allocation and tracking of marketing expenses.
- Respond promptly to requests for Investment Order and General Ledger numbers, maintaining clear and transparent communication.
- Regularly communicate with stakeholders prior to month-end, quarterly close, and year-end, ensuring all necessary financial activities are completed on time.
- Monitor and maintain accrual accuracy, while setting clear expectations for the marketing team regarding financial processes.
- Generate and present quarterly reports on the number of invoices processed, trends, insights and highlighting areas of concern
- Collaborate in evolving the budget tool dashboards to increase efficiency, visibility, and accuracy.
- Support the standardization of tracking formats, methods, and approaches across the department.
- Partnering on team training (platform onboarding, process understanding) for new team members who have budget related responsibilities.
- A key contributor to future-focused budget plans, working well ahead of fiscal close dates across the team to assess, consolidated and report on challenges, opportunities and changes needed in the next year's invoicing, forecasting reporting and training systems.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration or accounting (accounting accreditation is an asset).
- Minimum 3+ years of progressive accounting (retail/brand marketing experience is an asset).
- Knowledge of ERP systems and financial reporting platforms (SAP/ Oracle EPM is an asset).
