Senior Accountant at American Tower Corporation in Woburn, Massachusetts

Job Description:

SUMMARY:

 

The Senior Accountant is an organized and highly motivated team player with strong initiative and communication skills, a strong understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), and the ability to independently apply GAAP to standard and moderately-complex business transactions.  American Tower is a Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registrant required to comply with SEC rules and regulations, which creates complexity in the financial reporting area.  The Company is also a Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”) for income tax purposes in the United States, which requires that transactions be reported in the proper legal entity to ensure compliance with REIT tax requirements.  The Company also has secured debt arrangements that require separate reporting for the entities subject to the securitization.  Land Expense is the company’s largest single expense and in relation to this expense the Senior Accountant conducts financial activities, including month-, quarter- and year-end closes, journal entry preparation, reconciliations, variance analyses, analyses and reconciliations to support financial statement preparation and notes / disclosures, management reporting, financial reporting, supporting the land lord relations team and other special projects.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Perform monthly financial close activities for units with over $3 billion in annual revenue (land expense is approximately $500 million, including the following:


• Originate in Oracle financial software journal entries that provide the basis for accurate financial statements that must be provided to the SEC.


• Analyze income statement accounts in team-based approach for U.S. operations


• Perform balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring transactions are reported properly to support REIT and securitization reporting


• Analyze balance fluctuations for different accounts and financial elements over multiple periods


• Maintain internal control documentation and checklists to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; support audits of compliance.


• Coordinate with other departments to gain an understanding of unusual financial transactions to determine proper accounting treatment in preparation of financial statements for inclusion in the consolidation


• Lead multiple accounting and reporting projects by collaborating with team members, other departments, and business leaders


• Provide accounting support for moderately complex new business initiatives from a GAAP prospective


• Resolve accounting discrepancies to prevent control deficiencies and material weaknesses in internal controls


• Provide data to support SEC reporting requirements


• Provide accounting support to business partners


• Perform monthly operations reporting


• Identify, recommend and initiate process improvements and enhancements


• Identify and recommend systems optimization opportunities geared toward leveraging the efforts of the team; implement approved changes to support improvements


• Ensure financial records are maintained in compliance with GAAP and internal policies and procedures


• Obtain and maintain a thorough understanding of the financial reporting and general ledger structure


• Identify and recommend process improvements, including automation to reduce cycle times; implement approved recommendations.


• Review budget and forecast analyses and trends

 

OTHER:

 Other duties as assigned

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

 None

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong familiarity with GAAP principles


• Ability to work with functional groups and different level of employees throughout the organization to effectively and professionally achieve results


• Strong follow-up skills; ability to organize applicable department timelines and follow up with internal and external customer needs


• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present ideas and suggestions clearly and effectively


• Strong organizational skills; ability to accomplish multiple tasks within agreed upon timeframes through effective prioritization of duties and functions in a fast paced environment


• Strong track record of building and maintaining solid relationships with internal and external customers and vendors.


• Self-motivated; able to work independently to complete tasks and respond to department requests and to collaborate with others to utilize their resources and knowledge to identify high quality solutions

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; CPA and/or Master degree in Accounting or Finance preferred


• Two years of experience in accounting or finance required; 3 or more years in a high volume leasing environment preferred


• Familiarity with the GAAP concepts associated with lease accounting strongly preferred


• Experience working and coordinating with others in different geographic locations strongly preferred


• Experience with Oracle Financials strongly preferred


• Mastery of the MS Office Professional suite, particularly Excel, required; experience with Microsoft Access preferred


• “Big Four” and/or close environment experience preferred

 

ENVIRONMENT:

100% performed in climate-controlled internal office environment working under normal office conditions.  Up to approximately 5% travel will be required in support of the position’s responsibilities.

 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands and fingers to feel and handle, reach with arms and hands, talk and hear.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently is required to stoop, kneel and crouch, lift weight or exert a force up to a maximum of 25 pounds.

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