Commercial Finance Accountant - Sales and Marketing

Work Setup: Hybrid (2-3 times a month onsite)

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:

Commercial Accounting (50%)

• 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.
  
  

Preparation and posting of Blackline Journal Entries and internal order posting and settlement related to the approved accruals and adjustments.

• 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.
  
  

Responsible for the reconciliation of DME Balance Sheet Accounts and ensure it is reconciled against the related Income Statement line.

Prepare various analysis and reporting for SGA to assess business impact and risk to be reported across the business.

• 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.
  
  

Perform substantiation of supports and proof of works or completion report to ensure timely and accurate accrual of Advertising spends.

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

Accounts Reconciliation and Quarterly Financial Reporting (30%)

• Account Reconciliation. Performs the Balance Sheet Account Reconciliation in Blackline System. Periodic reconciliation with the distributor & marketing, to ensure correctness of the DME account balances including commitment reviews to ensure no aged items on the retained accruals for prior years and current year’s spending.
• Trade Spend Management Review
• Divisional Expenses (SGA) Reporting Tool
• Financial Review for DME PL & BS
  
  

All others (20%)

• 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:

Knowledge

• 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
  
  

Soft Skills

• 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 3 years of experience in end-to-end RTR process involving finance analysis
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) candidates are highly preferred
• Must have Advanced Excel Skill (strong formulas knowledge) and PowerPoint
• Must be knowledgeable in big accounting systems such as Oracle, SAP, etc.
• Someone experienced in doing month end close and variance analysis
• Someone with Reporting Capability and able to communicate effectively with non-finance people
• Someone knowledgeable with Accounting principles
• Someone with S4 Hana and Power Apps experience is a plus
• Someone experienced in SharePoint, Blackline, and Condition Contracts is a plus
• FMCG Experience handling Sales and Marketing Expenses is highly preferred
• Candidates with shared services industry experience is preferred
• Amenable to a flexible schedule with a base shift of morning (8:30 am to 5:30 pm)