Principal Accountant Job Description
Principal accountant
provides analysis reports of Balance sheet, Income statement, including variance explanation of GAAP difference between US and PRC;.
Principal Accountant Duties & Responsibilities
To write an effective principal accountant job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included principal accountant job description templates that you can modify and use.
Sample responsibilities for this position include:
Provide subject matter expertise in both SAP and service spend reporting to help partner with our Service team to implement a new cloud based OH and HC reporting tool in the US and EU regions
If required, support the AMS SAP integration project and related process updates as required
Provide complex financial statement analysis including various general ledger account reconciliations
Interact with Controller functions globally
Will be a key team member working with CSC to evaluate and implement automated tax provision reporting (we’re on CorpTax but evaluating other systems)
Develop, plan, and manage technology initiatives for the tax function, including all current and future technology changes, working with the IT department to design, develop, test, and implement new tax technology as needed
Motivate, engage, and provide support to the outsourced service provider team as needed
Supports a Controls culturand discipline to accounting ensuring important judgments, risks and errors are identified and properly addressed and accounted
Provides support for the monthly and yearly closing process
Partners proactively with other areas of finance including the business units providing guidance over accounting matters enabling the organization to perform at a higher level
Principal Accountant Qualifications
Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.
Licensing or Certifications for Principal Accountant
List any licenses or certifications required by the position: CPA, CIA, MBA
Education for Principal Accountant
Typically a job would require a certain level of education.
Employers hiring for the principal accountant job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Education, Business, Business/Administration, MBA, Economics, Professional Accounting, Graduate, Auditing
Skills for Principal Accountant
Desired skills for principal accountant include:
US GAAP
Business processes
Experience with federal government financial standards
Highly complex systems
Project costing systems
SAP
Balance sheet reconciliations
Financial statement analysis
GAAP principles to unique situations
Multiple overhead rates experience
Desired experience for principal accountant includes:
Supports current accounting practices and policies and drives continuous improvement
Oversees the allocation of costs in such areas as disbursements, expenses, tax payments and income to ensure costs are allocated in accordance with proper accounting treatment
Supports the account reconciliation process to ensure transactions and sub-ledgers are reconciled to the general ledger and in accordance with corporate policy
Liaison with external audit to ensure the annual audit and quarterly reviews are completed timely in a smooth and business-like manner
Responsible to ensure our controls framework and SOX controls over processes are functioning in an effective and efficient manner
Support audits of SOX by Internal and External auditors
Principal Accountant Examples
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Principal Accountant Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is hiring for a principal accountant. To join our growing team, please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications.
Responsibilities for principal accountant
- Prepare and review tax and audit schedules
- Support General Accounting Projects and Implementations
- Finance Lead for the Repair Ops and Inventory valuation project, involving establishing standard costs for repaired & refurbished inventory, setting up process for month end variance reporting and assessing and documenting Service Inventory valuation and reporting methods
- Create, recommend and develop a new standardized budget and forecast tool / package for the Service Business
- Partner with the Service Finance Team in developing the new Global Service P&L Actual v Plan Reporting tool
- Partner with the Service Accountant as finance team members on the Global Service Management System implementation project
- Document an end to end processes to help improve global service inventory management and reporting
- Identify, recommend, and implement further process improvement projects as required
- Support the Finance Director with other initiatives as and when required
- Assists and performs internal audits and may interact with external auditors
Qualifications for principal accountant
- 5-8 years of experience as a Finance or Business Analyst position
- Self-motivated, organized, resourceful, and customer focused
- Attention to detail and data accuracy is a must
- Work effectively and collaboratively on project teams to ensure success of the team
- Ability to challenge status quo and recommend continuous improvement ideas
- Ability to learn new technical capabilities using state of the art industry reporting tools
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Principal Accountant Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is looking to fill the role of principal accountant. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for principal accountant
- Utilize computer databases (PeopleSoft FMS, Excel, Access) to obtain and analyze varied and complex financial information
- Preparing weekly/monthly internal key performance metrics and program review packages for senior management
- Preparing financial analysis including Estimate at completion, variance, risk and profit/loss analyses
- Developing budgets to meet contractual/project financial requirements on a program
- Monitoring contract/program status and ensure compliance with government and customer requirements
- Ensuring compliance with internal procedures (SOX)
- Preparing program material and subcontractor financial analysis and report findings to management
- Acting as a liaison between operations and other administrative support organizations on financial issues
- Reconcile departmental accounts on a monthly basis in UAccess Financials
- Monitor and approve grant account PCard transactions for compliance
Qualifications for principal accountant
- Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Business with Accounting major or equivalent
- Requires three years of general accounting experience
- Must possess strong communication skills, initiative and ability to maintain working relationships with a broad range of process owners and managers
- Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Business with Accounting major or equivalent and at least 3 years general accounting experience
- 7+ years of Federal income tax experience with a Bachelor's Degree
- Experience in Federal tax compliance
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Principal Accountant Job Description
Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking for a principal accountant. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for principal accountant
- Assist the Department Administrator in preparing the All Funds Budget and prepare roll over documents for the fiscal year end
- Serve as the Time Coordinator for payroll functions within the department
- Coordinate human resources functions such as preparing personnel forms for payroll, classification, new hire actions, title changes, job postings, and visas
- Provide complex financial statement reporting, including non-standard and/or ad hoc, for both internal and external audiences
- Provide technical guidance in the formulation and execution of financial objectives
- Preparation of complex federal, state, and local income tax returns and supporting workpapers, and preparation of complex div con and top con consolidation process utilizing company’s tax preparation software
- Review of tax accountant prepared federal, state, and local income tax returns, ensuring proper documentation and process is followed
- Oversee various compliance processes, division and top level consolidations, quarterly estimate process, and provision process
- Supports calculation of annual tax provisions in accordance with ASC740 through preparation and review of book/tax adjustments and preparing deferred tax rollup
- Leads quarterly and annual estimated tax liabilities process and ensures timely filing
Qualifications for principal accountant
- BS in Accounting, CPA is desirable
- Month-end close experience and advanced excel skills
- Outstanding oral communication, analytical, written and documentation skills
- Ability to meet tight deadlines, work independently and a strong team player
- Attention to detail, organized and thorough with the desire for continuous
- Working knowledge of Oracle 11i, R12, Essbase, Business Object (BO) is desirable
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Principal Accountant Job Description
Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is hiring for a principal accountant. To join our growing team, please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications.
Responsibilities for principal accountant
- Assists with tax authority audits (federal, state and local) by researching issues, preparing documentation, and gathering data
- Coordinates special projects, utilizing strong analytical skills and an ability to coordinate large quantities of data while working with internal resources and/or outside consultants
- Trains, supports, provides guidance, and maintains tax technology resources used in tax reporting, is proficient, and is go-to person on compliance team for a variety of areas of Tax Technology
- Assists in the research and documentation of technical tax issues as related to the tax reporting function
- Looks for opportunities to improve process and efficiency of overall compliance process and promote new ideas along with business solutions
- Develops policies and procedures for improved efficiency and documentation
- Acts as a resource to Tax Accountants and Senior Tax Accountants
- Preparation and analysis of key financial calculations
- Prepare and review disclosures for filing documents such as the 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Prepare and review EDGAR and XBRL formatting of Form 10-Q/K
Qualifications for principal accountant
- Strong aptitude for reviewing, interpreting and analyzing financial statements and other books and records
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and/or Masters In Taxation
- Strong governmental accounting and financial reporting experience and knowledge
- Experience dealing with State agencies and external auditors
- Experience with SFS
- Experience with the design and maintenance of integrated system reconciliations
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Principal Accountant Job Description
Job Description Example
Our growing company is looking to fill the role of principal accountant. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for principal accountant
- Help monitor completeness and accuracy of Form 10-Q/K in filing software
- Analyze and incorporate 10-Q/K comments from various groups into the current draft while maintaining version control
- Coordinate and collaborate with corporate and operational teams to ensure results are reasonable and fluctuations are researched and explained in the MD&A section of the 10-Q/K
- Work cross-functionally with other groups to ensure compliance with SEC reporting requirements and to support the business needs
- Lead earnings process including review of executives’ prepared remarks and investor presentations
- Research relevant U.S. GAAP literature and SEC rules as needed
- Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements
- Assist with the external auditors’ requirements
- Lead special projects, data gathering, benchmarking and process improvements
- Help identify transactions or items requiring disclosure in the SEC filings
Qualifications for principal accountant
- Flexibility and determination to drive results in complex transactions
- Thorough knowledge of accounting that includes high level spreadsheets and relational data bases program for data processing techniques
- Knowledge of Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
- Ability to organize and prioritize multiple high level work assignments, work with no supervision, and work well under pressure
- Six (6) or more years’ experience in general accounting
- Four (4) years in government contract accounting experience preferred