Accounting Director

Job Description

Job Description

Jackson is looking for a professional accountant to join their accounting team as the Accounting Director. This is a working manager role that deals heavily with cost accounting, job cost billing, and multiple accounting systems. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of these accounting principles and enjoy working with people as well as systems and numbers.

The Accounting Director, Clients (AD) is primarily responsible for working in conjunction with the Account Service Group and the Finance Department. The AD has oversight on all agency billings and payables, and steps in to resolve any client receivable issues, Company issued credit cards, sales tax review and remittance, as well as issues. This position will develop/update and train associates in their respective departments on applicable applications of our agency database software.

The Accounting Director must have a positive, "can do" attitude, high performance work habits and a passion for excellence. He/she will give their best and most responsive effort on be behalf of the Client and Jackson associates on a consistent basis. The position requires occasional time flexibility to work beyond scheduled hours as needed according to the demands of unplanned financial and database matters.

General Purpose: Liaison between Account Service and Finance Departments, Database Training, proactive problem resolution. Maintain and support Finance Department, communicate well with all associates and proactively help problem solve accounting issues, the administration of company policies and procedures, support to the CFO and various accounting functions.

Essential Functions:

• Supervise and monitor monthly execution of billing deadlines
• Assures that subsidiary ledgers are reconciled to the general ledger at month end
• Assists senior management in preparing analysis of job billing, and time management within jobs
• Designs and implements agency accounting system training applications programs for all associates
• Facilitate and monitor sales and use tax procedures for payment submission with the Sales Financial Analyst
• Prepare client/cost accounting reports as directed by the CFO
• Implement and maintain accounting/business procedures manual
• Assists the CFO and Staff Accountants with special projects as directed
• Billing -
  • Monthly review of client jobs, determination of appropriate amounts to be billed and communication with the Accounting team on invoice creation.
  • Interact with Account Executives, Program Managers and Producers to review a job's financial components and determine the appropriate amount to bill and when to bill it based on understanding of advance billing, revenue recognition and internal cash flow
  • Interact with account personnel to answer billing questions
  • Interact with account personnel to answer job status questions
• Accounts Payable processing
  • Supervise the receipt of invoices via hard copy or email and process to the correct job and function in a timely and accurate manner
• Invoice distribution, follow-up and tracking -
  • Manage the distribution of the invoices for all clients
  • Maintain financial tracking spreadsheets as needed for each client
  • Track invoices issued
• Job setup and PO Matching -
  • Ensure that all new jobs have quote and PO, if applicable
  • Bill against appropriate quote and PO
  • Ensure that appropriate internal parties are informed on correct job numbers.
• A/R Aging -Regularly (weekly) monitor aged invoices and communicate with account personnel to keep balances current.
• Supervise and oversee the daily data entries in accounting database, including accounts payable against purchase orders, overhead accounts payable for all companies as needed, expense report creation for seasonal associates and data entries from expense reports, client payments and deposits, media and production billing and accounts receivable verification.
• Supervises Accounting team in completion of weekly check runs, ACH transmissions for vendors, associates, contractors and coordinates/communicates with Accounting team on process
• Supervises accounts payable and accounts receivable for discrepancies or errors, verifies all coding of incoming vendor invoices and expense reports, and escalates issues as needed
• Works with the Sales Financial Analyst to complete POS database entries for sales tax computation for sales tax filings.
• Maintains petty cash and cash advances, dispenses as requested and reconciles monthly
• Manages associate receivables accounts and reconciles monthly, along with Accounting team
• Prepares monthly reports as directed by the CFO for client, vendors, and jobs to be used for analysis by Top Management and Account Service
• Adds new vendors to the accounting database with a consistent pattern by company. Requests vendor validation by W-9 form submission and generates 1099 forms at year-end to all vendors/contractors/LLC companies as required by IRS
• Maintains/oversees/updates all vendor files, electronic and hard-copy versions and ensures compliance with accounting policies
• Assists in training and orientation of new associates in accounting practices and policies and looks for opportunities to share accounting knowledge within the agency
• Manages and maintains all accounting documentation timely, in a neat and well-organized format and is accessible and available to other Accounting team members as needed
• Provides backup support for other members of the Accounting group as needed
• Assists and supports the CFO as needed
• Serves as system guru for accounting software and systems
• Trains associates on use of Company issued credit card expense reports

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance, and/or commiserate experience

• Minimum 5 years of accounting experience, preferably in an agency or professional services environment
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in supervisory, management and mentoring role

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal)
• Strong analytical and computation skills
• Work efficiently under stress
• Ability to multi-task
• Pro-active and open communication skills
• Ability to read and comprehend instructions, correspondence, and memos
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to clients and other Associates of the organization
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Proficiency in accounting software and/or database systems
• Ability to problem solve and think critically- using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Organizational and critical thinking skills
• Strong sense of confidentiality and respect for sensitive information
• Proactive, resourceful, strong team player
• Commitment to Company Values

Preferred:

• Job Cost Accounting experience
• Prior Agency experience

Supervisory Responsibilities

• 1 - 2 Direct Reports, potential positions include: Staff Accountant, Accounting Coordinator

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this position, the Associate is occasionally required to move about the office, use computers, phone, video conferencing and other general office equipment. The Associate must occasionally lift up to 20 pounds.

Work Environment

This position is performed on-site at Jackson in a climate-controlled office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

General sign-off: The Associate is expected to adhere to all company policies.

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.