Senior Manager- R&D Accounting

Sherwin-Williams - Cleveland, OH

Full-time - Manager

Cleveland, OH

Chemical Manufacturing

About the position

This is a key management position within the Enterprise R&C Global Controllership team, responsible for leading the centralized global accounting close and consolidation process in compliance with US GAAP, Sarbanes-Oxley 404, and company policies. The Senior Manager of R&D Accounting will coordinate and manage all R&D accounting processes and procedures to ensure accurate and timely financial close and reporting at the project level, supporting government grant initiatives and other aspects of the R&D function. This role will also support certain corporate and consolidation matters within the controllership function. The position requires interaction with numerous functional areas, including R&D, Tax, Treasury, Legal, Enterprise FP&A, SBS, and the Group & Division commercial finance teams, providing exposure to various areas and senior executives of the global Sherwin-Williams business. Specific responsibilities include partnering with the R&D function to design and implement processes to support government R&D grants, maintaining proper segregation of direct and indirect expenditures, and performing reconciliations of all expenditures at the project level to the general ledger. Additionally, the Senior Manager will prepare month-end close journal entries, communicate and review monthly financial results with senior leadership, and provide accounting support during government audits of grant programs. The role also includes accounting ownership for the Sherwin-Williams captive insurance entity and various components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI). The successful candidate will contribute to company success through participation in projects, company initiatives, system implementations, and non-routine transactions as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead the centralized global accounting close and consolidation process in compliance with US GAAP and Sarbanes-Oxley 404.
• Coordinate and manage all R&D accounting processes and procedures for accurate and timely financial close and reporting.
• Partner with the R&D function to design and implement processes for government R&D grants.
• Document and maintain written accounting policies in line with government requirements.
• Utilize existing accounting systems to track expenditures on a project-by-project basis.
• Maintain proper segregation of direct and indirect expenditures, including separation of unallowable costs per government policy.
• Perform reconciliations of all expenditures at the project level to the general ledger.
• Partner with third-party consultants to manage outsourced services such as timekeeping on a project-by-project basis.
• Determine reasonable and supportable allocation methodologies for overhead expenditures.
• Design reporting functionality from existing accounting systems to facilitate management of projects backed by government grants.
• Provide accounting support during government audits of grant programs.
• Participate in month-end close calls to review monthly R&D results.
• Prepare month-end close journal entries for sales/use tax and various reclasses based on monthly R&D results.
• Communicate and review monthly financial results with SVPs and Sr. Directors.
• Prepare failure dollars reporting to share and review with Sr. Directors.
• Partner with the tax department to provide support for the R&D income tax credit.
• Act as a liaison coordinating between Corporate Controllership/Enterprise Finance and business partners in Tax, Treasury, Legal, EHS, and Benefits/Compensation on Finance and Accounting topics.
• Execute and maintain documentary and verifiable evidence to support the operating effectiveness of various key internal controls.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting or finance.
• Certified Public Accountant license.
• 8+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Ability to learn new systems.
• Ability to professionally handle confidential information.
• Detail-oriented and well-organized.
• Ability to work independently to research issues and recommend and implement solutions.
• Strong analytical, conceptual, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to coordinate efforts of others and work well with individuals at various levels.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Sense of urgency, with ability to change priorities quickly as needed.
• Strong desire to learn and continuously improve.
• Excellent customer service orientation.
• Proven assertive project leadership skills.

Nice-to-haves

• MBA
• Experience in the application of and management of grants, whether from government or private sources.
• Previous experience with Oracle and/or OneStream.