Job Description

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

This position will be responsible for coordination, preparation, review and distribution of various accounting, reporting and analytical data to management.  Responsible for maintenance of the Company’s general ledger master data and to ensure period end close and general ledger accounting for the Company is done in accordance with US GAAP. 

This position will also oversee technical and analytical support in the areas of developing, maintaining and leveraging the Company’s planning, forecasting, reporting, data integrity and analysis.  Participation in systems implementation for ERP, Planning, and Reporting applications including master data structure and maintenance, transaction data flows, technical development and support and special projects as needed to support business requirements.

This position will oversee and work as a member of Finance and Accounting group and will need to have a firm grasp of this group’s business needs and deliverables as well as the needs of the customers of the Finance and accounting group.  This position will work with subject matter experts, users, and management in Finance and Accounting group to design, develop, and leverage SAP ECC, BW, COGNOS and other financial systems and reporting solutions to maximum benefit for the company.  This position will work closely with the IT Support Organization, having daily contact with team members.  This position will act as a liaison between the IT Support Organization and the Finance and Accounting Group by providing both a detailed comprehension of business needs and fundamental understanding of technical capabilities. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Period end close – Support & supervise the corporate accounting staff.  Manage daily, weekly and period activities for corporate accounting. Analyze period P&L actual to forecast results, identify drivers of variances, and communicate results to management.  Review Balance Sheet Accounts and approve assigned AAWs. Provide support for period close reconciliation of FI/CO/COPA

Manage the reporting,  preparation and distribution of internal financial statements and reports, maintaining high quality, reliability and accuracy.  Review actual and forecasted balance sheet & cash flow, RONA and other reporting to include in period distribution.  Assess reasonableness of forecasts and fluctuations and investigate to ensure changes are appropriate and supported. Analyze competitor data for comparison purposes.

Lead the tasks necessary to prepare financial statements and bank covenant calculations required for quarterly bank reporting. Individual will need sound understanding of consolidating financial statements, including eliminations. Gain an understanding of the covenant calculations in order to ensure changes to projections and accounting methods are appropriately accounted for in the calculations. This task requires frequent communication with treasury group.

External Audit – Support activities for annual audit. This includes planning the activities and timelines, preparing P&L schedules, balance sheet roll forwards and other support documentation requested by external auditors.

Develop and maintain the integrity of the financial reporting process and financial controls and update written policies and procedures over the corporate accounting and general accounting processes.

Forecast – Assist in aggregating data for rolling SG&A forecast. Assist in the review of actual to forecast to budgeted SG&A variances on a period basis, including providing meaningful explanations for variances.

Work with Director of Financial Reporting to research and resolve technical accounting issues including evaluation and implementation of new accounting pronouncements to ensure US GAAP compliance as needed.

Oversee the design, specification development, and testing of integrated finance-related business solution implementations based on the requirements and priorities set forth by the Finance and Accounting Function.  Proactively work with the IT support group to implement solutions for and solve technical/functional FI/CO/BW/COGNOS issues and requirements.

Troubleshoot and/or design and implement system solutions for complex accounting requirements, and to correct unexpected or erroneous results (SAP FI, COPA, BW) with the goal of maintaining continuous data integrity, comparability and analytical effectiveness.  Assist finance/accounting users to identify and correct financial errors.

Ownership of COPA Operating Concern design, functionality, configuration, integration, and BW and COGNOS reporting.

Facilitation of continued deployment and upgrades of SAP-ERP Solutions

Facilitate continuous discussion in potential areas of automation in Finance and Accounting groups and serve as Finance Project Manager for new system solutions as determined by finance leadership

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree with strong emphasis on Accounting/Finance/Information Technology, CPA preferred (or in progress)  and 5+ years of accounting experience strongly preferred

Excellent understanding of Company financial statements, financial systems and reporting/analysis requirements, independent research / data mining capability, and user support / training / development skills

Experience producing Company weekly, periodic, quarterly and annual financial reporting and experience managing the annual external audit

Excellent technical skills (i.e. SAP, BW, SQL, Cognos, MS Office suite, MS Project, Winshuttle, etc.)

SAP ECC experience – FI/CO/COPA/PCA/MM/SD/Logistics – configuration, integration, dataflows, transaction execution, report writing, results analysis, master data structures, results analysis

SAP BW experience -  design, configuration, datasource development, transfer rules, update rules, data extraction/uploads, security roles, query /  report writing

Cognos Planning experience – design, modeling, implementation, maintenance, training, reporting

Deep understanding of data storage, structures and reporting tools for best match to reporting/analysis requirements

Highly motivated, service oriented, self-starter and have the ability to multi-task and work to an aggressive schedule

Ability and willingness to learn new computer software and systems.

Must be able to communicate effectively with varying levels of management and team members, both written and verbal

Must have strong problem-solving skills, sound judgment and decision-making ability

Must be able to describe the business benefits of implementing a particular solution

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Foster Farms is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities, Females, Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Foster Farms participates in E-Verify during the hire process at all locations for all new employees.