Sr Director Finance & Special Projects

BJ's Wholesale Club•Marlborough, MA

3d•$184,000 - $268,250•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Director, Finance & Special Projects is a senior leadership role within BJ's Accounting organization, responsible for, among other things, the Company's SEC reporting and disclosure process, technical accounting research and policy, review of non-inventory contracts for accounting implications, and oversight of the Company's accounting relationship with its captive insurance entity (once established). This role is a key point of contact with the Company's external auditors, the primary liaison between the Finance/Accounting organization and Internal Audit on SOX 404 compliance and tracking, and the primary financial reporting contact for Investor Relations. The role also leads strategic special projects for Finance leadership and will help to shape the function's approach to the evaluation, adoption, and governance of AI-enabled tools, partnering with Finance COE on the agenda for Finance systems and technology and a potential ERP transition, and supporting projects related to the Company's treasury function, capital structure, and risk and insurance programs. The role requires sound judgment, executive presence, and the ability to operate independently on complex, judgmental accounting matters with visibility to senior Finance leadership and the Company's external auditors.

Requirements

Exhibit the highest ethical standards while demonstrating accountability and ownership.
Minimum of 12 years of progressive accounting experience, including “Big 4” public accounting and/or public company technical accounting and SEC reporting experience; prior people-leadership experience preferred.
Deep, hands-on working expertise of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, and PCAOB requirements.
Demonstrated experience managing relationships with external auditors, including leading audit and review cycles.
Experience with SOX 404 and internal control over financial reporting, including direct coordination with Internal Audit.
Experience evaluating contracts and complex or non-standard transactions for accounting and disclosure implications.
Strong executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership.
Strong project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives independently and manage ambiguity.
Certified Public Accountant and Bachelor's degree required (accounting preferred); Master's degree a plus.
Experience with SEC reporting tools and XBRL.

Nice To Haves

Experience with insurance, actuarial, or captive accounting concepts is a plus.
Exposure to treasury, capital structure, or risk/insurance program matters is a plus.
Experience with, or exposure to, ERP evaluation or systems transformation projects is a plus.
Familiarity with, or strong interest in, AI-enabled accounting/reporting tools and the governance and internal control considerations — including SOX 404 — they raise.

Responsibilities

Reports to the VP, Financial Accounting.
Serve as a key member of the accounting leadership team, partnering closely with, and serving as a backup to, the VP, Financial Accounting on select matters.
Serve as a senior leader within the accounting organization, exercising independent judgment on complex and highly judgmental accounting matters, and representing the accounting team in cross-functional and executive settings.
Lead the Company's SEC reporting function and work cross-functionally on SEC reporting and related disclosure matters.
Lead the equity accounting function related to share-based compensation, EPS, and related forecasting.
Serve as a key, day-to-day point of contact for the Company's external auditors, managing the annual audit and quarterly review process, the PBC (prepared-by-client) request process, and resolution of technical accounting questions raised during fieldwork; partner with the VP, Financial Accounting on management of external audit fees and scope.
Serve as the primary liaison between the Finance/Accounting organization and Internal Audit for SOX 404 compliance and tracking, including coordination of control documentation, testing schedules, deficiency evaluation, and remediation status reporting.
Serve as the primary financial reporting contact for Investor Relations, ensuring accurate and timely financial information supports earnings releases, investor communications, and other external-facing materials.
Own the Company's technical accounting agenda, including leading the evaluation, adoption, and implementation of new and proposed accounting standards and SEC reporting rules — such as the FASB's Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (DISE) standard and updated software capitalization guidance — and formal documentation of the Company's conclusions. [Excludes Leases]
Have a firm grasp of the Company's key and critical accounting policies and complex transactions and their impact, accounting, and related disclosure for US GAAP and SEC reporting purposes.
Understand the Company's products, services, and the required regulatory reporting requirements and disclosures.
Lead the planning, coordination, and preparation of the Company's SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, etc.) across all functions and affected teams including but not limited to legal, finance, investor relations, etc.
Plan and help drive the quarterly and annual drafting and review cycle, including quarterly meetings with the appropriate business leaders.
Collaborate with business leaders on the SEC reporting process and regulate the flow of information and supporting documentation required for accurate and timely reporting of required filings and disclosures.
Review all non-inventory contracts entered into by the Company (e.g., vendor, technology/SaaS, professional services, licensing, and other non-merchandise agreements) to evaluate accounting implications — including lease classification, embedded leases and derivatives, revenue recognition, variable consideration, and commitments and contingencies — partnering with Legal and Procurement to identify issues prior to execution.
Oversee the Company's accounting relationship with its captive insurance entity (once established) and the third-party Captive Management Company that will perform day-to-day accounting and administration — including helping set accounting policy, reviewing monthly and quarterly results, and coordinating statutory/regulatory reporting — in partnership with Risk Management, Treasury, and Tax.
Lead the accounting and administration of the Company’s equity awards, including technical accounting analysis and documentation, monthly share-based compensation expense accounting and forecasting, and quarterly EPS calculations.
Further leverage the software platform provided by the stock plan administrator and explore additional automated solutions to streamline and drive efficiency in the equity process.
Partner with Investor Relations as the primary financial reporting contact, supporting the review, drafting and tie out of investor-facing materials, and providing financial reporting support for other IR needs as they arise.
Support legal and outside counsel in the preparation and review of the annual proxy and other SEC filings as applicable.
Provide the finance and accounting team with timely and insightful research, documentation, and guidance on technical accounting matters, including complex and non-standard transactions such as revenue recognition, equity and debt matters, adoption of new standards, and general corporate accounting matters.
Oversee compliance with the SOX 404 internal control framework, serving as the escalation point for control matters identified by Internal Audit or the external auditors.
Lead the development of financial policies regarding operational changes, internal control requirements, and technical accounting requirements.
Help shape the financial reporting and accounting agenda around the evaluation, adoption, and integration of AI-enabled tools and processes, partnering with Finance COE, IT, Internal Audit, and external auditors on appropriate AI governance, controls, and SOX considerations as AI is introduced into financial processes.
Partner with Finance COE and IT leadership to help set the agenda for Finance systems and technology, and play a lead role as the Company explores options for ERP adoption.
Lead special projects for Finance leadership, including but not limited to ERP evaluation and adoption, projects related to the Company's treasury function and capital structure, projects related to the Company's risk and insurance programs, potential support for M&A and purchase accounting and other ad hoc leadership assignments.
Coach, develop, and manage a team of two direct reports, supporting SEC reporting, technical accounting, and special projects.
Represent the Company in industry technical accounting forums and, where appropriate, in comment-letter processes on proposed FASB and SEC rules.