Lead Accountant

Location: 4224 Ridge Lea Road, Amherst New York Job Summary The Lead Accountant within Corporate Controllership is responsible for leading and executing complex accounting activities that support accurate, timely, and well-controlled financial results. This role serves as an individual contributor and subject matter resource within the Consumer Controllership organization, with responsibility for owning assigned accounting processes, preparing journal entries, reconciliations, analyzing financial results, resolving complex issues, supporting internal controls, and ensuring compliance with GAAP and company policies. The Lead Accountant partners closely with Financial Operations, Servicing Operations, Technology, Risk, Audit, and business stakeholders to improve accounting quality, strengthen controls, support projects, and drive sustainable process improvements. Essential Functions - Lead assigned accounting processes, including preparation and review of journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, amortizations, supporting schedules, and financial analysis. - Support monthly, quarterly, and annual close activities by ensuring assigned deliverables are completed accurately, timely, and in accordance with established controls and deadlines. - Review balance sheet and income statement activity, investigate significant variances, identify root causes, and recommend appropriate accounting or process actions. - Analyze general ledger activity, subsystem feeds, manual entries, operational data, and supporting documentation to ensure financial results are complete, accurate, and properly supported. - Serve as a subject matter resource for assigned accounting areas by providing guidance, answering stakeholder questions, and supporting resolution of complex or non-routine issues. - Support internal control execution, monitoring, and documentation, including quality reviews, GRC testing, control evidence, issue tracking, and remediation activities. - Prepare and coordinate responses to internal and external audit requests by providing complete, accurate, and well-organized support. - Partner with Financial Operations, Servicing Operations, business line partners, Risk, Technology, and Audit to resolve accounting issues, improve handoffs, and strengthen end-to-end processes. - Lead or support departmental and corporate projects by documenting current-state processes, defining requirements, supporting testing, identifying risks or defects, and implementing sustainable solutions. - Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, reduce manual effort, standardize procedures, strengthen controls, and improve financial transparency. - Develop and maintain desktop procedures, process maps, control documentation, accounting support, and other materials that support repeatable execution and audit readiness. - Use Excel, reporting tools, automation, and data analysis techniques to improve financial review, reconciliation, exception reporting, and management visibility. - Proactively identify and implement areas of improvement in all aspects of current functions. - Other duties as assigned by management. - Perform other duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities and/or activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice. - Comply with all KeyBank policies and procedures, including without limitation, always acting professionally, conducting business ethically, avoiding conflicts of interest, and acting in the best interests of Key's clients and Key. Education - Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent experience required. Work Experience 3+ years of progressive experience in Accounting, Finance, Audit, Controllership, Fina