Summary of position:The Senior Accountant is responsible for all areas relating to shared accounting functions at Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative (SMBSC) and Spreckels Sugar Company. This position will be responsible for managing the close process at Renville and Brawley, supervising accounting activities relating to payroll, employee benefit/insurance programs, accounts payable, inventory management, cash management, and leasing. The Senior Accountant supervises staff members and is responsible for managing the team to ensure that work is properly allocated and completed in a timely and accurate manner. This position addresses tight deadlines and a multitude of accounting activities including general ledger preparation, financial reporting, year-end audit preparation, and supports budget and forecast activities. The Senior Accountant will have contact with Executive Management, the Controller, Assistant Controllers, and senior external consultants which requires strong interpersonal communication skills, both written and verbal, and is integral in helping SMBSC reach its mission to be the preeminent, integrated sugar producer in the world.Essential Functions:Accounting and Finance Operations
- Manage Renville month-end closing activities to ensure an accurate and timely financial close (six days)
- Manage the combined payroll process.
- Manage corporate responsibilities including:
- General ledger accounting
- Leases
- Accounts payable
- Banking
- Insurance
- Inter-company transactions
- Help to monitor, review, and update internal controls within their purview.
- Manage accounting transactions and reconciliations for marketing partner financial information including sales, expenses, and other associated accounts.
- Oversee daily banking processes, including ensuring the monthly bank reconciliation activities are performed in a timely and accurate manner.
- Responsible for equity accounting.
- Responsible for journal entries, account reconciliations, analyses, memos, and regulatory and disclosure schedules.
- Collaborate with the other department leaders to support overall business goals and objectives along with responding to inquiries across the business regarding financial results or reporting.
- Obtain and maintain a thorough understanding of the financial reporting and general ledger structure.
- Assist in developing and implementing new procedures and features to enhance the workflow of the department and operations including special projects.
- Advise staff regarding the handling of non-routine reporting transactions. Ensure a clean and timely year end audit. Respond to audit requests and support control activity around accounting transactions and valuation.
- Commit to professional development by regularly attending conferences and workshops to enhance skills of the individual and team members.
Employee Management
- Effectively support and manage accountants to encourage teamwork, motivate them to meet expectations to ensure work is completed timely and accurately, and promote professional growth.
- Coach, develop, and mentor employee progression: providing resources to increase individual knowledge, conducting regular reviews evaluating employee performance, and working with employees to identify opportunities for improvement, and setting employment expectations through accountability.
- Provide training to new and existing staff as needed.
Leadership
- Offers leadership by strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the Company; creates and promotes a positive and supportive work environment that promotes housekeeping and safety.
- Maintain memberships and affiliations with trade and/or professional organizations related to the company.
Core Competencies and Skill Requirements:
- Broad understanding of accounting and economic practices
- Knowledge of applicable accounts payable/general ledger systems and procedures, financial chart of accounts, regulatory standards, and compliance as well as corporate procedures; payroll practices and standard labor laws, including familiarity with payroll deductions and withholdings
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Ability to perform mathematical computations such as percentages, fractions, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Ability to provide guidance and expert advice to executive management and other groups based on technical, system-related, or process-related topics in accounting and finance.
- Superior critical thinking skills
- Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Ability to identify complex problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Ability to read and understand information and ideas presented through written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Ability to analyze and evaluate systems by determining how a system should work and how changes in input data through production, inventory, economic data, and government regulations will affect outcomes as well as identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance.
- Strong conflict management and resolution skills
- Ability to handle complaints, settle disputes and resolve conflicts; negotiate with internal and external audiences.
- Ability to maintain a high level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office
- Ability to operate computerized accounting and spreadsheet programs.
- Ability to create formulas, pivot tables, and graphs using Microsoft Excel
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with internal and external audiences and maintain these relationships over time to advance the overall public image of SMBSC.
- Ability to pay high attention to detail.
- Ability to communicate with employees, prospective employees, partners, and others to answer questions and distribute information.
- Commitment to safety
- Ability to work in a responsible, safe manner by adhering to SMBSC's safety protocol.
Required Education and Experience:Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance; Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and/or master's in business administration preferred.
- Five or more years of experience working in accounting.