Senior Accountant

This is an international accounting and financial reporting position. Responsible for the preparation and completion of the Firm's financial statement audits on a global basis. This position requires a hands-on technical accountant who is multi-talented, team-oriented, analytical, and organized, with excellent documentation skills and the ability to provide accurate results. This position is ideal for a candidate who enjoys preparing for financial statement audits similar to what's done in public accounting. There's essentially no travel necessary.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Financial Statement Audits
  • Coordinate and support the completion of the Firm's annual financial statement audits on a global basis working closely with other team members and the external auditors. The Firm currently has eight financial statement audits on a global basis.
  • Prepare the Firm's annual consolidated and statutory financial statements utilizing the modified cash basis, accrual basis, or tax basis of accounting, as necessary, in accordance with applicable country-specific accounting principles.
  • Prepare workpapers and obtain documentation to support journal entries, general ledger balances, financial statement balances, and financial statement disclosures.
  • Prepare workpapers and obtain documentation as requested by the Firm's global external audit teams.
  • Apply analytical skills to identify, research, and document significant changes in balances.
  • Maintain electronic files for external audit engagement letters, compare external auditor invoices with agreed fees prior to approval, track audit-related disbursements vs agreed fees.
• Intercompany invoices
• Prepare the Firm's intercompany invoices and track cash settlements.
• Other responsibilities
  • Identify areas for process improvements or develop new procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and effectiveness of processes.
  • Apply expertise, knowledge, and skills to a wide range of standard and less typical accounting issues; identify and recommend solutions for complex problems. This would include researching and applying US and other country-specific accounting principles, and analyzing value added tax accounts.
  • Maintain shareable lists to organize and track completion of tasks.
  • Maintain efficient and logical shareable filing systems.
  • Prepare workpapers and obtain documentation as requested by others across the Firm, including the Tax team.
  • Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS / KSAs:

• Bachelor's degree with a focus in Accounting or equivalent.
• 3+ years of relevant audit and accounting experience.
• Public accounting audit experience.
• Law firm or professional services accounting experience.
• International and multi-currency experience
• Excellent customer service and a team player mentality.
• Leadership skills including promoting teamwork, establishing consensus, coaching and guiding others.
• Diligence and self-discipline to produce high-quality work with minimal errors.
• Solid documentation skills to provide information necessary for internal and external review.
• Solid analytical skills to resolve increasingly difficult accounting challenges.
• Ability to research and document complex accounting processes.
• Ability to explain difficult issues clearly and concisely.
• Computer Skills - Expertise in MS Excel including pivot tables and advanced formulas; ability to become an expert in Aderant accounting inquiry and reporting functions; proficiency in Word.
• Ability to work overtime and during non-routine hours to communicate with global contacts.
• Strong desire to improve accounting skills and knowledge and to progress in responsibilities.

Additional Job Description

PHYSICAL EFFORT / WORK CONDITIONS

For Other Exempt Staff

• This position operates in a professional office environment which is generally free of hazards and exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

• This position requires regular attendance on-site at a Dechert location with some travel to different sites using various modes of private and commercial transportation. Incumbents may be required to work extended hours including evenings and weekends.

• This position routinely operates standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopy machines, fax machines and filing cabinets, and requires frequent communication with the firm's employees and partners as well as third parties.

• This position is mainly sedentary. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to read, sit and type for sustained periods of time; to walk, stand, reach, and bend; to open and close filing cabinets and access and retrieve materials in file rooms; to lift, carry and move files or other items of light to moderate weight; to operate equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

• This position requires a normal audio range, with or without correction. It also requires the normal visual range, with or without correction. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Location(s)

Philadelphia

Time Type

Full time

Dechert LLP is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination. The Firm prohibits unlawful discrimination in any term or condition of employment against any employee or applicant for employment because of the individual's race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, membership or service in the armed forces, or any other characteristic protected by law.