Senior Accountant

Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Chicago, IL, GATX Corporation (NYSE: GATX) is an industry leader with 125+ years of success-success that is powered by our people. We are proud of our high-performance culture, hard-working and enthusiastic management team, and beautiful office space in the Willis Tower.

This position will support the Manager & Director, Accounting in accounting and reporting for the Trifleet business segment including but not limited to recording monthly results in SAP, completing monthly/quarterly reporting packages, developing accounting policies and procedures, and developing reporting/key metrics used by GATX senior leadership. This position will also support Accounting Special Projects, including the accounting and reporting for newly formed joint venture and accounting improvement projects/initiatives identified by the Controller.

Scope of Work:

Perform US GAAP accounting and reporting for Trifleet
• Provide accounting guidance to Trifleet as needed and act as the liaison between the Controller's Department and Trifleet
• Support the facilitation of the integration/alignment of Trifleet into GATX accounting environment (controls, systems, and policies)
• Support 10-Q and 10-K schedule and disclosure requirements for Trifleet
• Support special projects as assigned by the Manager/Director or Controller

Trifleet accounting and reporting:

• Work closely with the local team to ensure timely, accurate and complete submission of monthly results.
• Prepare journal entries and account reconciliations to ensure monthly results are in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
• Prepare and issue monthly Trifleet reporting packages including income statement and balance sheet variance analysis, key performance metrics, and statement of cash flows.
• Prepare and review schedules to assist financial reporting team with 10-Q and 10-K disclosure requirements.
• Reconcile assigned balance sheet accounts and review of income statement for reasonableness and accuracy.
• Understand the full end to end process for recording transactions; develop and propose process improvements.
• Perform analysis to enable others to understand the nature of transactions and key drivers of activity
• Execute accounting policies and procedures in accordance with US GAAP.
• Provide support to the local accounting team with technical accounting research, accounting memo authorship, and various ad hoc inquiries.
• Work closely with local accounting team and corporate departments to develop processes and controls, and integrate accounting results into GATX systems.
• Assist with internal and external audit requests.
• Assist in maintaining an effective control environment by executing controls to ensure compliance with established accounting policies
• Partner with the local team to establish a collaborative working relationship.

Special Assignments/Projects:

• Support accounting and integration of newly formed joint venture during acquisition / transition period.
• Perform ongoing accounting and reporting for component(s) of newly formed joint venture.
• Support special projects as assigned by the Manager/Director of Accounting and/or Controller. Examples may include various process improvement initiatives, accounting policies, systems projects, internal reporting, and other analysis as deemed appropriate.
• Assist with administration of Blackline and Accounting group reconciliations.
• Other ad-hoc analyses and reports as required by GATX senior management.

Interaction:

• The position interacts with all levels of the organization, especially with the local Trifleet accounting team and Controllers Group. This position will interact with senior management, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis, Tax, IT, International Entities and Internal Audit. Additionally, close collaboration with Accounting Policy and Financial Reporting.
• External Auditors

Education and/or Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting / finance. CPA desired (MBA or Masters in Accounting, a plus).
• Minimum 3-5 years of relevant experience. Ideally a combination of Big 4 public accounting firm and multinational public company experience.
• Experienced in Microsoft Excel
• Proficient in Word, Power-point and SAP

Key Competencies:

• Detail oriented - high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Project /Time management - uses time effectively and efficiently, can prioritize several activities and meet deadlines.
• Critical Thinking / Problem Solving - uses effective logic and methods to solve difficult problems, can see hidden problems, looks beyond the obvious and does not stop at the first answers.
• Excellent oral communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Strong writing skills - documentation of accounting opinions; policies/procedures
• Action Oriented - enjoys working hard, energized by things seen as challenging.

Other:

• Some extended hours (weekend hours) during accounting close cycles; also, as needed to meet project deadlines.
• Minimal travel.

NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.