Job Summary The overall purpose of this position is to establish, monitor, and maintain accounting controls to safeguard the $1B+ assets of IEEE, IEEE Inc., Global IEEE, IEEE International LLC, and IEEE Asia Pacific Limited in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This position is responsible for ensuring proper recognition of IEEE's $500M+ annual revenue and associated expenses in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This includes annual consolidation of 800+ conferences, 600 geographical units, standards developing groups and subsidiary organizations. The role also facilitates strategic management decisions by providing thoughtful analysis on an ad hoc and ongoing basis, generating financial statements, and monitoring accounting practices to ensure IEEE, IEEE Inc., and IEEE International LLC receive an unmodified ("clean') opinion on their annual consolidated financial audit. This is achieved by leading and working with the general accounting staff in keeping current with, understanding and following generally accepted accounting principles, working with organization-wide financial staff and volunteers to ensure compliance, monitoring and maintaining internal controls in multiple financial systems and throughout all processes, and staying informed of changes throughout the organization, providing input and guidance on anything with a financial impact..
The role typically reports to the Director of Corporate Accounting and manages 2+ accounting staff.
The position requires an individual with a conceptual and technical understanding and experience in U.S. GAAP, Accounting ERP systems application of GAAP
Key Responsibilities- GAAP Compliance & Financial Reporting
- Prepare and review all financial statements, ensuring full compliance with U.S. GAAP.
- Lead technical accounting research and memorandum preparation for complex areas, including revenue recognition (ASC 606), Lease accounting (ASC 842), equity transactions, business combinations, and other non routine matters.
- Serve as a subject matter expert on accounting policy interpretation and application.
- Financial Operations & Close Management
- Oversee day to day accounting operations, including general ledger, payroll, and fixed assets.
- Lead month end and year end close processes, emphasizing accuracy, strong controls, and accelerated timelines through process automation and optimization.
- Continuously evaluate and improve accounting processes to enhance efficiency and scalability.
- Grant Management, Compliance & Financial Reporting
- Set up new grant awards in the accounting system, including budget structures and reporting calendars.
- Monitor grant spending to ensure all costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable under donor guidelines.
- Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports and reimbursement requests to government and private funders.
- Manage the drawdown of funds and ensure the timely collection of grant receivables.
- Execute month-end and year-end closing entries, including revenue recognition and expense accruals specific to grant cycles.
- Lead the preparation for the annual Single Audit (A-133) and any funder-specific site visits or desk audits.
- Reconcile grant-related sub-ledgers to the general ledger monthly.
- Audit, Controls & Compliance
- Coordinate and manage annual financial statement audits, including pension audits, in collaboration with internal and external auditors.
- Address audit findings and implement corrective actions, as needed, to strengthen the control environment.
- AI Enablement & Process Innovation
- Demonstrate familiarity with emerging AI and automation technologies, including Generative AI and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and an understanding of their potential applications within finance and accounting.
- Partner with finance leadership, IT, and cross functional teams to evaluate, understand, and support the implementation of AI enabled and automated solutions within accounting workflows.
- Interpret AI driven insights and predictive analytics outputs and translate them into practical, actionable information that supports effective, data driven decision making.
- Other Responsibilities
- Leads and/or participate in finance and accounting projects as needed.
- Recommends, develop, documents procedures, and implements those approved.
- Manages, develops, and mentors accounting staff. Sets annual incentive goals and completes annual performance reviews.
- Provides ongoing analysis to facilitate strategic management decisions for items, including, but not limited to: Financial & Discussion Analysis (FD&A) tables, charts, and graphs.
- Create and deliver high-quality presentations and agendas for executive meetings.
Travel Information- 5-10 Domestic and International
Education- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance; CPA or CMA certification strongly preferred. Pref
Work Experience- 4-7 years Progressive accounting experience, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or leadership role. Req
- 2-4 years Supervisory or Leadership role Req
Licenses and Certifications- CPA or CMA certification strongly preferred Pref
Skills and Requirements - Skills
- Technical Mastery: Deep, demonstrable expertise in GAAP standards and financial reporting requirements.
- AI Proficiency: Experience with AI-powered accounting tools or advanced automation features within ERP systems like Oracle, SAP, preferred.
- Data Skills: Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (vLookups, Pivot Tables, Power Query) and familiarity with BI tools like Power BI.
- Desired Attributes
- Growth Mindset: A proactive "early adopter" approach to emerging finance technologies.
- Analytical Thinking: Ability to interpret AI-generated data to identify anomalies and strategic opportunities.
- Communication: Skilled at translating complex technical accounting and AI workflows for non-financial stakeholders.
Other Requirements:
As defined in IEEE Policies, individuals currently serving on an IEEE board or committee are not eligible to apply.
PLEASE NOTE: This position is not budgeted for employer-sponsored immigration support, this includes all persons in F (both CPT and OPT), J, H, L, or O status.
For information on work demands and conditions required for this position, please consult the reference document,
ADA Requirements. This position is classified under Category I - Office Positions.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
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Disclaimer: This job description is proprietary to IEEE. It outlines the general nature and key features performed by various positions that share the same job classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications required of all employees assigned to the job. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or re-assign duties to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other business reasons.