Sr Staff Accountant

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The General Accounting department is seeking an experienced Senior Staff Accountant to support the company’s general ledger accounting, financial close, planning processes, and financial accounting systems. This role will perform key period-end accounting activities, including journal entries, account reconciliations, variance analysis, internal controls, and support for forecasts and budgets. The Senior Staff Accountant will also support the administration and maintenance of accounting-related functionality within SAP S/4HANA, BlackLine, and other financial systems. Responsibilities will include assisting with general ledger master data, legal-entity and ledger configurations, financial-system enhancements, and issue resolution. This position will collaborate with Accounting, Finance, IT, and other business partners to maintain accurate financial information, strengthen internal controls, improve processes, and support the company’s evolving financial-system and reporting needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and CPA required.
4 - 7 years of progressive accounting experience.
Experience performing general ledger accounting, financial close, account reconciliations, journal entries, and variance analysis.
Experience with financial accounting systems, system implementations, master-data maintenance, or related process improvements.
SAP experience strongly preferred; SAP S/4HANA experience is a plus.
BlackLine or similar financial-close-management system experience preferred.
Public accounting or retail industry experience preferred.
Experience supporting international entities and foreign-currency accounting is a plus.
Solid analytical skills and technical accounting knowledge
Strong understanding of financial processes and SOX internal controls
Ability to meet deadlines and work in a fast-paced environment
Good communication, written and interpersonal skills
Demonstrates leadership ability/potential
Able to work independently, as well as cross-functionally
Dedicated and detail oriented
Self-starter with willingness to work hands-on
Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 Suite
International experience/FX accounting

Nice To Haves

SAP S/4HANA experience is a plus.
BlackLine or similar financial-close-management system experience preferred.
Public accounting or retail industry experience preferred.
Experience supporting international entities and foreign-currency accounting is a plus.

Responsibilities

Prepare and review journal entries, account reconciliations, supporting schedules, and other accounting workpapers during accounting close processes.
Partner with business and finance teams to obtain information supporting accruals, estimates, reclassifications, and other accounting adjustments.
Analyze financial results, investigate period-over-period and forecast-to-actual variances, document findings, and communicate significant items to management.
Monitor assigned close activities and ensure journal entries, reconciliations, variance analyses, and other deliverables are completed accurately and on schedule.
Support the preparation of forecasts, annual budgets, and related financial analyses.
Assist with internal and external financial reporting requirements.
Develop subject-matter expertise and serve as a resource for assigned accounting areas.
Support accounting for domestic and international entities, including foreign-currency transactions and translation, as applicable.
Partner across General Accounting to identify and implement opportunities to streamline period-close activities, reduce manual effort, and improve the efficiency of journal-entry and reconciliation processes.
Support the administration, maintenance, and continued improvement of BlackLine, SAP S/4HANA, and related financial accounting systems.
Support the creation, maintenance, and governance of general ledger master data, including the chart of accounts, cost centers, profit centers, company codes, ledgers, and other accounting structures.
Support the financial-system setup and integration of new legal entities, business units, and accounting requirements.
Assist with the maintenance of the chart of accounts and related governance processes.
Support BlackLine configurations and processes, including automated journal entries (AJDs), matching, account reconciliations, close tasks, variance analysis, and other enabled functionality.
Partner with Accounting, Finance, Technology, and system owners to define and document business requirements for system enhancements and process changes.
Participate in system implementations, upgrades, testing, and deployment activities, including the development and execution of test scripts.
Investigate accounting-system issues, coordinate resolution with appropriate partners, and validate that solutions meet business and control requirements.
Maintain process documentation, configuration records, desktop procedures, and training materials for assigned accounting and system activities.
Identify and implement opportunities to automate, standardize, and improve accounting processes through Blackline, Alteryx, SAP S/4HANA, and other available tools.
Perform assigned SOX controls and help ensure compliance with accounting policies, internal-control requirements, and established procedures.
Evaluate the control implications of new accounts, entities, configurations, system changes, and process enhancements.
Assist with internal and external audits by preparing documentation, responding to inquiries, and resolving audit requests.
Help ensure the completeness, accuracy, and appropriate authorization of financial-system master data and configurations.
Support remediation activities related to accounting, systems, or internal-control findings.