Senior Accountant
Reporting to the Senior Manager, Controllership, the Senior Accountants help support Grainger's strategy by assuring end-to-end processes, controls, and accurate financials. Through review, analysis, interpretation of financial metrics and benchmarking, you will provide valuable insights. This position is Hybrid requiring 50% of time onsite at the Lake Forest, IL headquarters or Merchandise Mart Chicago, IL office.
You Will
- Apply GAAP while performing all Controllership activities.
- Ensure assigned GL accounts are reported and substantiated.
- Use Blackline to automate the closing process.
- Prepare month end reporting and present analysis to Senior Management.
- Ensure all important controls over financial reporting are designed and operating.
- Support the quarterly reviews and annual financial statement audit performed by external auditors.
- Complete balance sheet and income statement analytics and explain reasons for large variances.
- Calculate essential metrics and explain deviations to historical periods.
- Perform benchmarking to assess performance against competition.
- Improve processes and deliverables by automating and refining within Controllership and other areas outside of Finance.
- Address internal/external auditor questions on designated controls.
- Assess risks and opportunities and identify essential operational and financial issues to be addressed.
- Overseeing Company Financial Policy Manual, policy updates, status reporting and administration in Workiva system.
- Coordinating international statutory reporting, including supporting standalone audits of international holding companies.
- Accounting, analysis and reporting for employee benefit and postretirement plans.
- Gather census, investment information and other inputs to support assumption development for actuarial valuations.
- Prepare information for the annual proxy filing with the SEC.
- Accounting and analysis of various balance sheet and income statement accounts aligned to Corporate Functions.
- Driving CI projects aligned with Controllership strategy.
You Have
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
- CPA and/or MBA preferred.
- Experience identifying risks to assess whether controls are operating correctly.
- 3+ years' experience in accounting, finance, and/or audit.
- Financial statement knowledge including connectivity between Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statements in addition to disclosure requirements.
- Working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with research and implementation of new accounting standards.
- Experience with Excel (can perform complex functions).
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one's employment.