Opportunity Snapshot

This position offers you the opportunity to make a significant impact in short order as well as over the long term. Leading a team of about 30, you will drive process improvements to enhance overall efficiency and ensure we are employing optimal controls and processes across Accounting. We take a proactive approach to succession planning and our goal is to find a professional who can, in time, move up into the CFO role. ACCO Engineered Systems offers stability: 2009 is our 75th anniversary, we've always been profitable, and we've seen year-over-year growth even in challenging economic times.

To be a good fit for this opportunity you will have deep experience in accounting and/or finance and significant experience in management roles in companies with revenues greater than $100 million. The ideal candidate will have a broad accounting background, including a CPA or experience in public accounting, and experience in construction industry accounting/finance is preferable, but not mandatory. We're looking for a professional with a track record of success implementing process improvements. You'll also need solid leadership skills, including the ability to motivate teams, and advanced MS Excel skills.

ACCO is one of the largest mechanical contractors in the United States and a leader in the development of the design/construct approach for HVAC, plumbing, process piping, control systems, engineering, construction, building automation, and service. Established in 1934, ACCO is an employee owned company; in fact, we recently implemented an employee stock ownership plan.

What Else You'll Bring to the Table

In addition to the qualifications detailed above, you'll need:

• A bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related business major.
• A minimum of 15 years experience in accounting/finance type positions with at least 7 in supervisory or management roles.
• A strong software applications background.
• The ability to motivate teams to produce quality materials within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects.
• The ability to participate in and facilitate group and strategic initiatives.

Preferred but not required:

• An MBA with a concentration in Accounting, Finance, or similar.
• CPA certification.
• Experience with in-house payroll and union payroll.
• Experience in the construction industry, ideally with a sub-contractor.

What's in It for You

High impact -- right off the bat you'll focus on making sure we are using best practices and tighten up our controls in Payroll and Payables (combined staffs of 20), and behind that will be revamping general ledger reconciliations and upgrading our financial reporting systems and the related reports. Within a short period, you'll be moved on to operational and strategic issues and projects.

Unique challenges -- you'll play a key role in managing the financial affairs of a company that is very large for a subcontractor: we have some 2000 employees in five divisions, facilities in four states covering a total of 18+ acres and a fleet of some 700 vehicles. In addition, we do payroll in house.

Great work environment -- we have an unusually large number of employees throughout ACCO who have been with us 10, 15, 20 years or longer, and for good reason -- we are very successful and enjoy a friendly and supportive atmosphere. At the same time, this best-in-class environment is extremely entrepreneurial, placing creativity and self-motivation in high regard.

Stability and growth -- employee ownership means that our employees are stakeholders, creating a very stable and predictable corporate environment that our employees and customers can depend on over the long term. At the same time, we have aggressive plans for long-term growth across the company.

Excellent compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary and bonus incentive program, we offer comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; flexible spending and dependent care account options; a 401(k) plan with corporate match; an educational reimbursement program; paid vacation and holidays; and more.

More About Your Role

You will report to the CFO and provide leadership to the Managers of Payroll and Payables, and the General Accounting Supervisor. The Reporting, Analysis and Budgets Lead will have a dual reporting relationship with you and the CFO (in the short term).

Your key objectives will include:

• Developing, implementing and maintaining the financial and accounting policies, systems and processes, as well as ensuring that company assets are safeguarded and internal controls serve as intended.
• Overseeing all internal and external reporting and the related preparation of financial analyses of operations.
• Supervising month-end close (including consolidation), year-end audit(s), general accounting, accounts payable, weekly payroll, incentive accounting, and analysis and budgeting.

As you come on board we'll create opportunities for you to become familiar with all areas of accounting, and then you'll use that knowledge to develop and implement efficiencies, process improvements, and controls as necessary. We have some target areas in mind, as discussed above, but we'll also welcome your recommendations.

Your specific activities will include (this list is not exhaustive, but intended to give you a general view of the role):

• Developing, analyzing, and interpreting statistical and accounting information in order to appraise operating results in terms of profitability, performance against budget, and other matters bearing on the fiscal soundness and operating effectiveness of the organization.
• Overseeing the activities of the General Accounting Department to insure balance sheet accounts are properly supported and reconciled. This department also monitors fixed assets, and coordinates with Operations via fleet support.
• Overseeing the activities of the Payroll department where we handle over 40 different unions and their unique reporting requirements. Processes and procedures must constantly be challenged and upgraded to ensure we are timely and accurate in our processing and filings.
• Overseeing the activities of the Payables Department where we aim to maximize the use of document imaging to reduce paperwork and maximize efficiencies. One of your challenges will be improving controls while still delivering the timeliness and accuracy that Project Manager and Department Head customers expect.
• Establishing major economic objectives and policies for the company and preparing reports that outline the company's financial position in the areas of income, expenses, and earnings based on past, present, and future operations.
• And more.

Keys to Success

To excel in this role you will enjoy rolling up your sleeves and taking a hands-on approach to solving challenges. You also will need to leverage your interpersonal skills to get people on board with the changes you drive; you'll hear "that's the way we've always done it" more than once! We'll also look to you to ensure solid lines of communications with internal customers and external stakeholders, including the unions, vendors, and customers.

If this sounds like the right mix of challenge and opportunity for you, and you meet the minimum qualifications, we want to hear from you!

Who We Are

Established in 1934, ACCO has grown to become one of the 10 largest mechanical contractors in the United States and a leader in the development of the design/construct approach for HVAC, plumbing, process piping, and control systems. Calling on our workforce of the highest qualified craftsmen across the nation, our specialties include heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, process piping, plumbing, building controls, engineering, construction, building automation, and service.

Over the years we have combined our capabilities in engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and service to meet the demands for competitive pricing, fast delivery, and high performance systems. Our recent work includes projects at L.A. Live, Dodgers Stadium, Fibrogen, Novartis, Kaiser MOB, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Genentech, and Warner Brothers Studios.

As an employee-owned company, we are strongly committed to our products and customers. As a result, our sales volume is growing steadily and last year topped $600 million. For more information, please visit www.accoes.com. Clicking on this link will open a new browser window, but be sure to come back to submit your resume!