Accountant, Consultant

Blue Shield of California • Long Beach, CA

2d • $111,540 - $188,728 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Corporate Financial Accounting and Reporting team is responsible for accurate recording, analysis, and reporting of Blue Shield of California’s financial information. Reporting to the Accounting Manager, the Accountant Consultant acts as a trusted extension of the manager by translating priorities into execution, leading day-to-day accounting and reporting activities, resolving complex technical accounting matters, and providing review, guidance, and oversight to the team. The role requires strong technical accounting expertise, sound judgment, and greater independence than a Senior Accountant role.

The position has a high degree of ownership and accountability. It partners with the Accounting Manager to manage priorities, identify and elevate risks, coordinate deliverables, and ensure high-quality execution across close, reporting, audit, and accounting policy activities. It evaluates complex accounting issues, applies accounting standards to specific facts and circumstances, documents conclusions, and communicates recommendations to leadership, auditors, and business partners. It also strengthens processes and controls, coaches team members, and supports continuous improvement across the accounting function.

The role is hybrid. For most teams, this means working in the office two days each week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need. The work is performed in an office and home-office/deskwork environment, with a sedentary activity level for most of the workday.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience in accounting or public accounting.
• Comprehensive and current understanding of U.S. GAAP, including the ability to interpret authoritative guidance and apply judgment to complex or non-routine accounting matters.
• Ability to research and apply accounting standards to specific facts and circumstances and document the analysis, alternatives considered, rationale, and conclusion in a clear, concise, well-supported accounting memorandum.
• Ability to support financial statement preparation, including gathering support, coordinating inputs, reviewing schedules, and drafting accurate and complete audited financial statement disclosures aligned with applicable accounting standards.
• Excellent collaboration, oral communication, and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical accounting matters clearly to leadership, auditors, and cross-functional business partners.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to prepare and review accurate, complete, well-supported, audit-ready documentation.
• Ability to prioritize work to meet internal and external deadlines.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting audits, financial statement preparation, disclosure drafting, controls, or accounting policy implementation.
• CPA license or public accounting experience.
• Oracle or Workday ERP experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate monthly financial close activities as the Accounting Manager’s trusted extension, including maintaining the general ledger, analyzing account variances, monitoring close progress, resolving issues, and communicating results, risks, and escalations to management.
• Review journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, and supporting documentation; coach and provide feedback to Senior Accountants; and help ensure work is accurate, complete, supported, audit-ready, policy-compliant, and timely.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting, including financial statement preparation, drafting audited financial statement disclosures, coordinating inputs, reviewing schedules, resolving issues, and completing deliverables on time.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and first escalation point for complex accounting matters, financial reporting, financial reporting control systems, and GAAP; research authoritative guidance, evaluate alternatives, apply standards to specific facts, and document conclusions in accounting memoranda.
• Research and analyze new accounting pronouncements and assess their effects on policies, processes, controls, financial reporting, and disclosures.
• Lead or participate in developing and implementing accounting policies, procedures, and controls related to new accounting standards, process changes, and reporting requirements; serve as project lead for implementation when needed.
• Support internal and external audits and examinations by coordinating requests, preparing and reviewing support, responding to inquiries, interfacing with auditors and state examiners, and escalating complex or judgmental matters.
• Represent the team in interactions with internal and external partners on accounting, finance, reporting, audit, and control matters; address ad hoc inquiries, align stakeholders, and resolve issues before manager intervention is required.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, enhance controls, increase consistency, and support scalable, audit-ready execution across the accounting function.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior