Senior Accountant

Job Description

Job Description

For over a century, the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) has been California's trusted, objective provider of actuarially based information and research, advisory pure premium rates and educational services integral to a healthy workers' compensation system. The WCIRB is a California unincorporated, private, nonprofit association comprised of all companies licensed to transact workers' compensation insurance in California. The operations of the WCIRB are funded primarily by membership fees and assessments; no state money is used to fund its operations. The WCIRB is a stable company and a proven leader in the workers’ compensation insurance industry nationwide. 

The WCIRB performs a number of functions to accurately measure the cost of providing workers' compensation benefits and ensure a healthy workers’ compensation system. To learn more about our company, please visit About Us | WCIRB California. The WCIRB employs approximately 175 people with the average tenure of over 10 years. We are committed to fostering a healthy, safe and diverse work environment leading to a dedicated, collaborative and innovative workforce This is a hybrid position where approximately 40% of the work time is spent at the home office in San Francisco, California. 

Summary

The Senior Accountant  is an experienced accounting professional responsible for supporting the WCIRB’s core finance and accounting functions, including monthly financial close, financial reporting, budgeting, projections, capital project and fixed asset accounting, vendor payables, audit support, tax schedules, and financial systems operations. This position helps ensure financial records, reconciliations, reports, schedules, and supporting documentation are accurate, timely, complete, and prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), WCIRB policies, and Finance Department standards.

The Senior Accountant is a key member of the Finance team who provides accounting expertise, financial systems support, budget and projection analysis, capital project reporting, fixed asset accounting, and process documentation. The position works collaboratively with Finance colleagues, department leaders, vendors, internal stakeholders, and external auditors to support effective financial stewardship, reliable reporting, and well-documented accounting processes. The role also provides technical guidance, training, and cross-training support to employees and less experienced accounting staff on assigned Finance processes. 

The Senior Accountant reports to the Accounting Team Leader and works independently on assigned responsibilities, with guidance, review, and oversight from the Accounting Team Leader. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead assigned areas of the monthly financial close process, including preparation and review of journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, financial schedules, management reports, and supporting documentation to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting in accordance with GAAP and Finance Department standards. 
• Analyzeand reconcile assigned balance sheet and income statement accounts, investigate variances and discrepancies, and prepare adjusting or reversing journal entries to maintain accurate and complete accounting records. 
• Prepare and analyze the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages, including Statement of Activities reporting, capital purchase reporting, variance analyses, and supporting schedules for Finance leadership, senior leadership, relevant WCIRB Committees, and external auditors. 
• Prepare and maintain budget templates, overhead expense worksheets, forecasting schedules, variance analyses, and documentation of assumptions and methodologies to facilitate the annual capital and operating budget and quarterly forecast processes.
• Partner with department leaders to gather budget and forecast inputs, evaluate assumptions, analyze variances and provide financial insight to support planning and decision-making. 
• Maintain fixed asset, capital project, and work-in-process accounting records, including additions, disposals, depreciation, amortization, asset lives, roll-forward schedules, and related analysis in accordance with WCIRB capitalization policies and GAAP requirements. 
• Serve as a senior Finance resource for accounting and budgeting systems, including system administration, report development, troubleshooting, testing, process documentation, and user support. Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to evaluate opportunities to enhance processes, reporting capabilities, and system functionality, and support the implementation of Finance technology initiatives and financial process automation efforts. 
• Develop and maintain recurring and ad hoc financial, budget, forecasting, operational, and capital project reports; analyze trends, results, and key drivers to support management review and decision-making. 
• Serve as the secondary contact for vendors, Finance staff, and department leaders on accounts payable, purchasing, invoice coding, expense accruals, and payment-related matters; review invoice coding, approvals, period assignment, and supporting documentation for accuracy and compliance with company policies and accounting standards. 
• Provide primary back-up support for accounts payable activities and other Finance Department responsibilities as needed to ensure continuity of operations. 

• Prepare annual audit schedules, account analyses, reconciliations, tax schedules, cost allocation analyses, and other supporting documentation as required; respond to assigned auditor requests and support successful completion of financial audits and other compliance reviews. 
• Recommend, develop, and maintain Finance policies, procedures, work instructions, training resources, and documentation standards to strengthen internal controls, operational consistency, regulatory compliance, and GAAP adherence. 
• Provide technical guidance, training, and cross-training support to Finance colleagues, business stakeholders, employees, and less experienced accounting staff on assigned accounting, budgeting, purchasing, financial reporting, and financial systems processes. 
• Identify, recommend, and participate in process improvements that enhance efficiency, accuracy, reporting, internal controls, system utilization, documentation standards, and service delivery. 
• Assist the Accounting Team Leader with special projects, system enhancements, organizational reporting requests, training activities, process improvement initiatives, and other departmental priorities. 
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned. 

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and engage as an active team member in a collaborative setting. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education, Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 5-7years o progressively responsible accounting and financial reporting experience.
• Strong working knowledge of GAAP and full-cycle accounting principles, including double-entry accounting, accruals, adjusting entries, reconciliations, fixed and intangible assets, and financial reporting requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with annual budget preparation, quarterly forecasts, and reporting.
• Knowledge of external audit requirements and tax-related support schedules.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Excel; proficiency with MS Word, SharePoint file structures, Adobe Acrobat Pro and Outlook. 
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning systems; Sage Intacct and financial system implementation or upgrade experience preferred. 
• Strong understanding of accounting and reporting systems, including data uploads, reporting, third-party system interfaces, and automated reconciliations.
• Demonstrated personal ownership, sound judgement, discretion, attention to detail, and commitment to quality.
• Strong mathematical, analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to perform accounting computations, troubleshoot issues, and establish appropriate financial reporting methodologies.

Communication Skills

• Advanced verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain financial and accounting matters clearly and concisely to internal and external business partners.
• Excellent written communication skills to effectively prepare presentations, reports, training resources, policies, procedures, and supporting documentation.
• Ability to comprehend, interpret, and take appropriate action on invoices, statements, statements of work, contracts, and other project and accounting documents.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, department leaders, vendors, auditors, and other stakeholders.

Perks & Benefits
Our employees enjoy a state of the art, energy-efficient, open work environment that nurtures collaboration and creativity. At the WCIRB, we go the extra mile to keep our employees happy and healthy.