Sr. Director, Accounting - MBS Governance

Marriott International•Bethesda, MD

45d

About The Position

The Senior Director, Accounting is responsible for managing the accounting functions and activities of the Corporate & Lodging towers within the Marriott Business Services (MBS) organization. MBS is Marriott's finance shared service organization that provides various services and functions to Marriott hotels and Marriott Headquarters, such as Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Accounting, Payroll and is located in Knoxville, TN. The Senior Director, Accounting provides strong technical accounting and analytical business support, financial reporting leadership and provides governance oversight of the Service Provider organization. The Service Provider is Accenture and known as Accenture Hospitality Services. The Senior Director will focus primarily on payroll accounting activities including financial reporting, accounting control, system control, customer service and liaison activities. In addition, the Senior Director may become involved in other Corporate & Lodging accounting activities such as Fixed Assets, Owner & Franchise Billing, MI General Accounting and AP Accounting. The Senior Director will also collaborate with other Marriott finance and business stakeholders on critical business activities and key initiatives. The Senior Director, Accounting, who reports to the Managing Vice President, MBS Governance, is a key member of the MBS Governance team and is expected to meaningfully contribute to the team's overall leadership, management, and development.

Requirements

Minimum of 12 years accounting/finance experience, with strong analytical orientation.
Demonstrated success leading and developing a strong team in a complex, service-intensive, deadline-driven environment.
Experience in a multi-currency and international environment required.
Self-starter and strong tendency toward proactive process improvement.
Ability to develop and execute against a work-plan, work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Exhibits strong functional leadership and finance knowledge; ability to leverage this strength to influence business team strategies and decisions.
Develops and maintains effective relationships with a broad group of stakeholders in order to foster trust and influence key decisions.
Skillful negotiator in tough situations; sells ideas persuasively; settles differences and wins concessions without damaging relationships; can be both direct and forceful while remaining diplomatic.
Knowledge of generally accepted finance and accounting policies, principles and controls, as well as Marriott-specific accounting and finance processes and systems (ideally with experience in FR&A). PeopleSoft / Hyperion experience preferred.
Strong leader of people - able to create a compelling vision, demonstrate flexibility in approach, and motivate others (who may, oftentimes, not be direct reports) to achieve desired results.
Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills; ability to take large volumes of complex information and present it in a clear and concise manner to senior management and business partners.
Strong problem solving and analytical skills - ability to develop alternatives and solutions.
Baccalaureate degree in Accounting, Finance or related discipline required
CPA and/or MBA required.

Nice To Haves

Big 4 accounting experience a plus.

Responsibilities

Contribute to achievement of the broad MBS Governance team objectives and outcomes.
Champion excellence in business ethics and integrity, social responsibility, cross-cultural effectiveness, and associate engagement.
Ensure that all financial reports are completed accurately, on a timely basis, and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Develop reporting tools and provide continued support to meet continent reporting requirements, and external reporting needs.
Identify opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of any and all business processes especially with respect to the implementation of new processes and procedures for managing compliance processes.
Participate in the review and enhancement of key metrics for performance in partnership with the corporate finance teams and the MBS Contract management team
Establish and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with Global Finance partners, executive management, and other internal stakeholder groups as well as our external provider (MBS) to understand the business and ensure timely and accurate exchange of information
Provide training and technical guidance to the Service Provider team and others, where appropriate, and serving as point-of-contact for problem resolution
Provide varying levels of accounting governance oversight for corporate disciplines, working directly with those discipline's Finance Business Partners.
Participate in the administration and review functions related to the company's compliance with MIP-66.
Evaluate technical accounting and financial impact of key business initiatives.
Ensure that an adequate and effective system of internal controls is maintained for financial reporting and analysis. Build and implement SOX control systems and lead SOX efforts related to financial reporting.
Partner with the Governance Team, MBS, and other stakeholder groups to proactively assess business risk, develop actionable recommendations to address identified business challenges and opportunities, and mitigate financial exposure to the company.
Work on special projects as necessary
Partner with Service Provider to monitor key payroll accounting processes including balance sheet account reconciliations, quarter end gross up journal entries, timely and accurate billing, suspense correction, etc.
Partner with Service Provider to maintain the Fixed Asset subledger with regular reviews and provide recommendations for disposals on a periodic basis.
Partner with Service Provider to review Accounts Receivable related reconciliations and reporting deliverables including Bad Debt Reserves, Bad Debt Roll Forward, Application Fees, etc.
Assist with any special projects related to General Accounting activities.