Agency Accountant/Engagement Specialist

Agency Accountant/Engagement Specialist gyro is the Global Ideas Shop. We are 600 creative minds strong, united by a single mission: to produce ideas that are humanly relevant. We bring together a myriad of talents, including visionaries, artists, strategists and experts across a range of disciplines, to fulfill this mission for our clients. We are bound by our core beliefs in open thinking, the desire to embrace change and the belief that great ideas can come from anyone and anywhere. We call this unconventional culture UNO. It celebrates inspiration, collaboration and mutual respect and it is what defines us. Supporting the Strategy & Planning team across all on‑going client work and new business development. Support strategic initiatives through intelligence gathering, research design–analysis and strategic support materials (e.g. research findings, briefing materials). We are looking for an independent thinker with a creative edge, who is curious and passionate about people, brands, marketing, social and digital. Job Description We are seeking an experienced Accountant to perform day‑to‑day operations accounting and analysis work, monthly reconciliations and close, analytical and general accounting support, and assisting/training account staff with proper billing and vendor set‑up needs. The Accountant will be involved in all aspects of monthly accounting for an advertising agency, which will include client billing, revenue recognition, monthly reconciliations and month‑end financial statement preparation. Meet with account staff on a weekly basis to discuss status of jobs, review weekly office reporting and analyze ongoing trends. Prepare monthly/ongoing client billing invoices for the Chicago agency. Recognize revenue on monthly billings using the percentage of completion revenue recognition methodology. Reconcile deferred revenue monthly. Conduct mid‑month review of job status with account staff to determine monthly revenue. Complete month‑end review of open jobs with account staff to assess the validity of the forecast. Support Chicago account teams with preparation and review of vendor provider agreements and other related documents. Support Chicago account teams with review of client statements of work and terms & conditions. Act as the liaison between Account teams and Accounts Payable. Ensure accuracy and timeliness in execution of all assigned tasks. Anticipate needs and facilitate work, building a cooperative relationship with the internal team and maintaining a customer‑service mentality. Serve as the key point of contact for account executives for related billing questions. Communicate effectively with a variety of people, flexible enough to deal with multiple projects and different types of clients simultaneously. Use Microsoft Excel on a daily basis to ‘dump’ and analyze data, multi‑task, and seek perfection, ensuring work is done right the first time. Interact with all levels of personnel. Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance. 3–5 years of related accounting work experience. Agency experience is helpful. Ability to read and comprehend instructions, correspondence and common business and legal documents. Ability to write business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one‑on‑one and small‑group situations to employees. Ability to apply common sense understanding in order to carry out detailed written or oral instructions. Ability to calculate percentage of completion revenue and to calculate deferred revenue. High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Reconciliation and analytical experience a must. Billing experience a must. Ability to analyze financial data, prepare financial reports, statements and projections. General journal and ledger accounting experience. Strong communication skills to create relationships and trust with account staff. Excellent written and oral communication at all levels of the organization. Strong attention to detail, timelines, deliverables and accuracy. Desire to work in an ever‑evolving organization with a high level of urgency. Drive to exceed expectations and become a trusted precision and performance team member. Additional Information What you will get from us in return is: Experience working in a culture of inspiration, education, collaboration and celebration; an environment where you will grow as an individual within the advertising and marketing communications profession; the opportunity for advancement in the strategy and account planning discipline, or in other agency disciplines that may pique your interest along the way; and the bragging rights that come with working for the B2B Agency of the Year. Job Location Chicago, IL #J-18808-Ljbffr Gyro