Staff Accountant (10-Month Contract)
Motion Recruitment · Chicago, IL · 1 mo ago
HybridAccountingContract
About The Role
We're looking for a Temporary Staff Accountant to provide critical accounting support during planned employee leaves of absence. This role will initially focus on Project Accounting responsibilities and transition into Fixed Asset Accounting support as business needs evolve. The position will be heavily involved in month-end close activities, including preparing journal entries, performing account reconciliations, analyzing variances, and supporting accounting projects.
Who Will Thrive Here?
- An accountant who enjoys a mix of operational accounting and project-based work.
- This individual thrives on ensuring financial accuracy, partnering with cross-functional teams, and managing multiple priorities.
- The ideal candidate is adaptable, detail-oriented, and comfortable shifting priorities while maintaining accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
What is Needed
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
- Minimum 2-4 years of professional accounting experience
- Experience supporting month-end close activities, including:
- Journal entries
- Account reconciliations
- Variance analysis
- Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP and accounting internal controls
- Experience with SAP S/4HANA or other large ERP systems; SAP experience strongly preferred
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including:
- Pivot tables
- Lookups
- Data analysis functions
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to manage deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Project Accounting Responsibilities
- Review project invoices and supporting documentation to validate capitalization eligibility
- Create and maintain project master data within ERP systems
- Cook up and coordinate with business partners to gather project setup requirements
- Track project funding approvals, transfers, and authorization documentation
- Support procurement and workflow processes by troubleshooting system-related issues
- Research and resolve project accounting inquiries while identifying root causes
Fixed Asset Accounting Responsibilities
- Process Construction-in-Progress (CIP) settlements and place completed projects into service
- Cook up and coordinate with business partners regarding rollout schedules and in-service dates
- Calculate and process asset disposals, retirements, and write-offs
- Review maintenance and asset management activity to validate additions and disposals
- Support depreciation processes and reporting requirements
- Conduct ongoing reviews of CIP activity to ensure compliance with capitalization policies
- Prepare and communicate monthly expense project reporting to business partners
Preferred Experience
- Project accounting software capitalization
- Fixed asset accounting
- Construction-in-Progress (CIP) accounting
- Procurement or workflow systems such as Ariba
- Large-scale ERP environments
- Cross-functional business partnership and stakeholder management