Senior Accountant, Technical Accounting

Cushman & Wakefield•Chicago, IL

1d•$82,875 - $97,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Accountant in Global Technical Accounting is a key contributor on the Global Technical Accounting team, whose purpose is to prepare or review the accounting for complex topics such as: M&A, goodwill, revenue recognition, and leases. The Senior Accountant also implements new US GAAP accounting standards, prepares accounting policies, provides trainings, and serves as an advisor to coworkers who operate in a variety of functions and international subsidiaries. The ideal candidate brings strong technical accounting fundamentals, a proactive mindset, and a forward-looking approach to leveraging agentic AI tools to modernize and streamline accounting operations and research. The Senior Accountant prepares analyses, journal entries, memos and, occasionally, disclosures for the interim and annual financials.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and/or Finance
3+ years of accounting experience for a publicly traded company and/or public accounting experience.
CPA required
Strong working knowledge of US GAAP and SEC requirements (IFRS experience a plus)
Working knowledge of and experience using agentic AI platforms highly preferred
Technical accounting research experience
Working knowledge of recently issued accounting guidance highly preferred
Project collaboration experience required
Sarbanes-Oxley compliance experience
Self-starter with a focus on process improvement
Ability to deliver under pressure while balancing multiple (and sometimes competing) priorities
Effective business writing, strong analytical skills, ability to review and analyze contracts and attention to detail

Nice To Haves

Experience with a global company and/or foreign operations preferred, as is Big Four or regional public accounting experience
IFRS experience a plus
Experience with OneStream, Workday, CoStar or HFM is a plus

Responsibilities

Research complex accounting issues, identify the appropriate treatment of complex transactions according to U.S. GAAP, and prepare technical accounting memos for management and auditors.
Actively use agentic AI tools – including Claude (Anthropic), Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT or OpenAI Codex to automate recurring accounting tasks, accelerate research, and generate technical accounting materials, memos or policies.
Lead/participate in assigned special projects within technical accounting (i.e., goodwill impairment analysis, leases, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, share-based compensation and debt transactions).
Quarterly, lead the preparation of the statement of unadjusted differences, including keeping management apprised of the aggregate impact.
Assist with development and maintenance of critical global accounting policies and help define ongoing processes for technical accounting research and global policy setting.
Subject matter expert on ASC 842 (Leases), including lease modifications, classification analysis and footnote disclosure support.
Prepare quarterly impairment analyses of goodwill and intangibles; annually, manage the goodwill impairment test, in coordination with third party specialists.
Support business combinations, including purchase price allocation, contingent consideration, and post-acquisition adjustments.
Monitor, understand and identify potential impact(s) of new accounting on financial statements and disclosures, and support project managers for certain projects, which includes optimization of business processes.
Assist with the preparation of the 10-K, 10-Q and various other reporting requirements as required
Prepare and review journal entries, account reconciliations and supporting schedules for complex accounting areas.
Assist in developing processes to maintain and ensure compliance with internal controls related to global accounting policies and new accounting and reporting guidance issued by the FASB and SEC.
Support development of AI-assisted workflows for accounting processes and continuously evaluate emerging AI capabilities and applicability to technical accounting and financial reporting functions.
Work closely with external auditors on technical issues and new guidance implementation
Respond to ad hoc accounting inquiries related to complex accounting topics such as leases, equity method investments, revenue recognition, purchase accounting, acquisitions, debt transactions, share-based compensation and other matters
Develop content and facilitate training sessions for relevant accounting topics
Support key “customers,” including External Reporting, Treasury, Legal, Tax, Investor Relations, FP&A and operational teams as needed.
Participate in assigned ad hoc requests and special projects as necessary