Senior Accountant, Financial Reporting

(Job ID: 1927)

Westlake Village, California

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Fin Serv - Investment

$120,000 – $130,000 base

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Overview

Join a dynamic and innovative organization as a Senior Accountant, Financial Reporting, where you will play a pivotal role in ensuring compliance with external reporting obligations for a publicly traded company. This position offers the opportunity for professional growth and development within a collaborative and flexible work environment, emphasizing teamwork and integrity. You will contribute to impactful financial reporting processes while working alongside cross-functional teams, enhancing your skills in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

Prepare and ensure timely completion of SEC filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K, while maintaining compliance with U.S. GAAP and SEC regulations.
Consolidate financial statements and perform detailed footnote disclosures, ensuring accuracy and adherence to disclosure checklists.
Review subsidiary and divisional reporting packages to facilitate the consolidation process, enhancing overall reporting efficiency.
Support external auditors during quarterly reviews and annual audits by preparing necessary documentation and audit requests.
Assist in the preparation of earnings releases and related financial schedules, ensuring data accuracy through thorough tie-out processes.
Research and implement new accounting standards, contributing to the organization's compliance and operational excellence.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including FP&A, Legal, and Tax, to validate financial information and support external reporting requirements.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
3+ years of relevant experience in public accounting (Big 4 or mid-tier) and financial reporting within a public company.
Strong technical knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting requirements, and internal controls.
Hands-on experience with SOX 404 compliance, including management testing documentation.
Proficiency in XBRL/iXBRL tagging and related SEC filing requirements.
Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite) and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams.
Nice-to-Have:
Big 4 public accounting experience.
Experience in a diversified, multi-segment organization with exposure to foreign currency translation and international reporting.
CPA license preferred.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do companies mis-hire at the Senior Accountant level?
Because they hire based on task lists instead of ownership. Two candidates may both mention reconciliations, journal entries, and close support, but only one has truly owned balance sheet areas, resolved issues independently, worked directly with auditors, and operated with minimal supervision. Titles vary widely in the market. Ownership is the more reliable signal.
When is a Senior Accountant actually ready for promotion?
Usually when they stop simply executing assigned work and start identifying issues before they surface. Promotion to Accounting Manager or a broader leadership track is less about how many close tasks someone can perform and more about whether they have become a source of reliability, judgment, and escalation control.
Why does ERP experience matter so much in roles like this?
Because many accounting and finance roles are really process-and-systems roles disguised as job titles. A candidate may know the accounting, but if they cannot operate effectively inside the company's environment, ramp time becomes risk. Exact system match is not always mandatory, but comparable complexity often is.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.
Why is direct SOX or SEC reporting experience still so valuable?
Because it usually reflects exposure to real deadlines, real scrutiny, and repeatable compliance discipline. It is difficult to simulate that background without having lived it, and the learning curve can be expensive in roles where reporting accuracy and controls matter immediately.

Senior Accountant, Financial Reporting — Westlake Village, California | Pacific Executive Search