Senior Staff Accountant

About Estes Industries 

Estes Industries has built, and our customers have flown, over 500 million small solid-propellant rocket motors over the past sixty years. Estes serves a broad range of customers in the education, hobby, industrial, defense, and government markets. Located in Penrose, Colorado, with approximately 80 employees and growing, Estes offers great employee benefits and competitive wages. We currently have an opening for a Senior Staff Accountant. 

The Senior Staff Accountant independently performs assigned general ledger accounting, account reconciliations, month-end close activities, and financial reporting in a manufacturing environment. This position investigates accounting discrepancies, prepares supported recommendations for Controller review, and provides technical guidance and support to other accounting team members. This position reports to theController.      

Essential Functions 

General Ledger 

• Prepare monthly journal entries for revenue, expenses, accruals, prepaid expenses, and other assigned accounts in accordance with GAAP and company policies. 

• Complete assigned subledger-to-general-ledger and balance sheet account reconciliations within established close deadlines. 

• Investigate reconciling differences, prepare documented corrections for appropriate approval, and follow outstanding items through resolution. 

Reporting 

• Analyze revenue, expenses, and gross margin against budget, forecast, and prior periods. Prepare explanations of significant variances by customer, product line, or department, as appropriate, for Controller review and management reporting.

• Prepare financial statements and supporting schedules for Controller review, including balance sheets, income statements, statements of equity, and cash flow statements. Verify agreement to underlying accounting records and prepare workpapers and information requested by external auditors and tax accountants.  

General 

• Use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and related accounting systems to process transactions, research ledger activity, and prepare reports. 

• Develop and maintain recurring Excel reconciliations, schedules, and reports with clear supporting documentation and validation checks for completeness and accuracy. 

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and support to other accounting team members, review assigned work, and help resolve coding, payment application, reconciliation, and processing questions. Escalate significant issues to the Controller with supporting information and a recommended resolution. 

• Support accounts receivable activities, including monitoring customer portals, preparing monthly accruals, researching invoice discrepancies, disputing customer chargebacks, and preparing supported customer account adjustments. 

• Review accounts receivable aging reports, support collection follow-up, and identify overdue or higher-risk accounts under established credit and collection policies. Prepare recommended reserve adjustments or account corrections for Controller review. 

• Supports customer service personnel in obtaining and entering proper documentation for customer sales tax exemptions.  Assists in reviewing, verifying, and correcting transactions within sales tax reporting system.  Assists in reconciling and monitoring sales tax registration and reporting in numerous states.    

• Assists with accounts payable processes as required, including updating vendor contacts and master records in accounting system. 

• Reconcile bank accounts and review assigned credit card and payment processor reconciliations. Research missing, duplicate, unapplied, or incorrectly posted transactions; prepare supported corrections; and verify that reconciling differences are resolved. 

• Complete assigned month-end and year-end closing responsibilities within the established close calendar. Obtain necessary information from other departments, maintain complete supporting workpapers, and communicate unresolved issues or potential delays to the Controller promptly. 

• Oversees tracking of capital assets, including updating capital asset database, ensuring physical descriptions match records, compiling supporting documentation, and verifying monthly depreciation calculations using appropriate book and tax methods. 

• Support the annual budget process by organizing departmental submissions, validating data and formulas, and consolidating inputs. Prepare quarterly budget-to-actual reports and investigate significant variances for Controller and departmental review. 

• Research assigned accounting questions and prepare recommended treatment, proposed journal entries, and supporting documentation for Controller review. 

• Review financial records and transactions for accuracy and compliance with established procedures. Investigate discrepancies and recommend corrective action. 

• Perform assigned accounting responsibilities in accordance with GAAP, company policies, and applicable regulatory requirements. Identify and communicate potential compliance issues to the Controller.  

• Work with internal and external stakeholders to answer accounting questions, explain transactions, and resolve discrepancies. Communicate findings clearly to support decision-making.  

• Evaluate assigned accounting processes, identify control weaknesses, and recommend improvements. Draft and maintain accounting procedures and implement changes approved by the Controller.  

• Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Competencies 

Financial and Mathematical Acumen 

Decision Making  

Interpersonal Skills 

Mathematical Reasoning 

Ethical Conduct 

Attention to Detail and Accuracy 

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work 

This is a full-time position based in Penrose, Colorado, with a regular schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some flexibility in scheduling and remote work may be available with manager approval, based on business needs, job responsibilities, and demonstrated ability to work independently. Regular on-site attendance is required, particularly during onboarding, training, and activities requiring in-person coordination. The employee must be available during core work hours of 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., whether working on-site or remotely. 

Required Education and Experience 

• Three to five years of progressively responsible accounting experience, including independent preparation of account reconciliations and month-end close work. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance. CPA preferred but not required. 

• Strong organizational and analytical skills. 

• Experience with enterprise-level accounting systems, databases, and reporting tools. 

• Excellent technical accounting skills. 

• Comfortable managing multiple priorities.  

• Experience in preparing financial reports in accordance with GAAP. 

• Demonstrated ability to investigate accounting issues, develop supported recommendations, and complete assigned work with limited supervision. 

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills. Proficiency with Word and PowerPoint. 

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central experience strongly preferred. Power Query and Power BI experience preferred. 

AAP/EEO Statement 

Estes Industries, LLC provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.