Commercial Finance Accountant

Location: Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

Summary:

The Commercial Finance Accountant is responsible to support the end-to-end Commercial Accounting Process of the International Markets: Cluster 1: Asia Pacific & India Cluster 4: Europe, Middle East & Africa & World Travel Retail (WTR).

The core task of Commercial Finance Accountant includes timely and accurate preparation of monthly accruals and analysis primarily for Direct Marketing Expenses (DME) in accordance with Hershey Financial Policy and U.S. GAAP and variance analysis for Divisional Expenses (SGA) actual vs outlook/plan analysis.

The role will be responsible for account reconciliation and reporting to ensure that the balance per subsidiary ledger agrees with the balance per books and will perform commitment reviews with Finance and Marketing. This position will be the Commercial Accounting Control partner in execution & implementation of controls to support the business.

On an ongoing basis, the Commercial Finance Accountant is expected to perform based on the key result area of the process, meet/exceed metrics set based on the Key Performance Indicator, identify improvements, and execute related controls in-scope.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Month End Close Activity

Responsible for the Month End Closing Activities related Direct Marketing Expenses in accordance with Hershey Financial Policy and U.S. GAAP. Core function include calculation of routine accruals, deferrals, analysis for accounting transactions, and proposal of adjustment, as needed.

• Month End Reports

Responsible for the preparation of DME consolidated reports, i.e. GL and subsidiary reconciliation, month end close packages accrual advise forms and balance reviews of key accounts assigned.

• DME Management, Substantiation and DME Tool Reconciliation

Responsible for monthly reconciliation discussion for DME in partnership with controllers and marketing to ensure monthly accrual is according to expectation and FY budget is intact to aligned investment for marketing spends.

• Divisional Expenses (SGA) Actual vs Outlook/Plan Reporting and Analysis. This includes variance analysis and reporting for Division Expenses across business function.

• Account Reconciliation. Performs the Balance Sheet Account Reconciliation in Blackline System.

• Trade Spend Management Review
• Divisional Expenses (SGA) Reporting Tool
• Financial Review for DME PL & BS

• Continuous Process Improvement: Responsible for continuous process improvement which includes but not limited to process documentation, identifying quick wins, and projects that will make the process more robust.
• KPI Tracking and Reporting: Responsible for defining relevant KPIs for the processes. Apart from defining measures, the accountant is responsible for timely updates, reporting to customers, and identifying and resolving issues that will lead to the improvement of KPIs.
• SOX Compliance & Testing, Internal and External Audit Supports: This role is responsible for the preparation and submission of documents required for internal or external audit of the Hershey books and work processes.
• Other Tasks: Others related ad hoc roles that may be assigned to the Commercial Finance Accountant with alignment with Commercial Accounting Lead for DME, SGA Int’l.

Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities:

• BS Accountancy, or its equivalent, preferably CPA
• 2+ years exposure in Financial Accounting, US GAAP
• Knowledgeable in S4 SAP
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office (Excel, Powerpoint, Sharepoint)
• Power BI & Power App is a plus

• Strong Accounting Judgement Skills
• Strong Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
• Strong Reporting Abilities
• Process discipline, Attention to Details and Organization Skills
• Process Improvement Mindset
• Strong Oral and Written Communication Skills
• Project Management Skills is a plus

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s Degree required, in Accountancy or its equivalent

Experience:

• Must have at least 2-3 years of experience in end-to-end RTR process
• Advanced Excel Skill - strong formulas knowledge
• Certified Public Accountant candidates are highly preferred
• FMCG Experience handling Sales and Marketing Expenses is highly preferred
• Someone with strong end-to-end General Accounting experience (P&L analysis, etc.)
• Someone with Audit experience of at least a year is preferred
• Someone from a shared services company is preferred
• Knowledgeable in big accounting systems such as Oracle, SAP, S4HANA (preferred)
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Sharepoint, etc.)
• Someone who has strong Oral and Written Communication Skills
• Someone who has good Interpersonal Communication Skills and Collaboration Skills
• Someone with keen attention to details and has strong Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
• Amenable to a flexible schedule with a based shift of morning shift (8:30 am to 5:30 pm)