Sr. Accountant, Financial Accounting

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's leading packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and foodservice establishments. The company employs more than 40,000 people and has annual revenues of $15 billion. ConAgra Foods offers dozens of famous brands such as: Healthy Choice, Van Camp's, Butterball, Armour, Parkay, Banquet, Hunt's, Peter Pan, Wesson, Marie Callender's, Slim Jim and Orville Redenbacher's.The ConAgra Foods culture supports strong, self-reliant leadership capable of working in an evolving and matrixed team environment. The down-to-earth, pragmatic environment is focused on results, and employees are passionate about making a difference.As the Senior professional on the team, the primary purpose of this position is to oversee and provide guidance for the general accounting activities for the Financial Accounting functional teams. This includes assistance with the preparation of all period financial statements and reports in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), general ledger controls, preparation and review of balance sheet reconciliations, assistance with period-end close, preparation of recurring requests from Corporate Accounting, assistance with internal and external audits, and analysis of financial results for assigned areas. This position will communicate frequently with personnel at all levels within the Financial Service Center (FSC) and the various operating groups. The consistency, accuracy, and timeliness of this communication are vital and must clearly convey all outstanding issues.Accountabilities
Assist in preparation of internal and external financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
Participate in period-end close activities to ensure timely completion of tasks for assigned pooled resource teams.
Complete consolidated financial reporting in a timely manner.
Assist in internal and external audits.
Complete requests from supported groups in timely and accurate manner.
Train financial accounting staff by providing the necessary guidance to properly develop their general accounting skills.
Review and/or prepare balance sheet account reconciliations and continuously perform an aggressive review of the balance sheet for assigned area.
Serve as the central point of contact for all accounting issues for assigned area of balance sheet.
Ensure all accounting transactions are properly recorded in accordance with GAAP as well as in accordance with policies and common business language as defined by Corporate Accounting.
Assist with the implementation of corporate initiatives and maintain sound financial policies and procedures.
Evaluate effectiveness of processes and procedures and help develop improvements as needed.
Participate in special projects involving general accounting, such as mergers/acquisitions, FASB updates, and business systems conversions.Principal Challenges/Complexity
Assist with the closing of numerous financial systems and identify and resolve unusual items and issues in a timely and accurate manner.
Serve as primary contact for assigned section of the pooled resource teams between operations, operating groups, Retail, Corporate and FSC.
Exercise judgment in financial, operational, or transactional analysis to identify and help resolve issues.
Handle multiple activities simultaneously and complete or delegate work to staff to ensure accurate and timely completion of tasks.
Functional involvement in change management is frequent and eminent.
Provide guidance to financial accounting staff to assist in professional development.
Communicate to all impacted parties and maintain a constant flow of critical information with all levels with the organization.
Alert management of situations that may adversely affect the company's overall financial condition.Bachelors degree in accounting required
CPA, CMA certification and/or advanced degree preferred
3+ years of business experience in public accounting, corporate accounting, manufacturing, etc.
2+ years of supervisory experience
Strong communication, organization, and planning skills
Ability to research and reconcile multiple accounts with minimal supervision
Proficient PC skills
ConAgra Foods offers a competitive benefits package, including comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans; life insurance for yourself and your dependents; short-term and long-term disability plans; flexible spending accounts; 401(k) retirement savings plan and company paid pension plan. Additional benefits we offer include, but are not limited to, a stock purchase program; tuition reimbursement and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).ConAgra Foods, Inc. is committed to the provision of equal employment for all qualified persons in all job classifications in recruitment, selection and promotion without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, veteran status or disability or any other protected characteristics.
REQUIREMENTS
Please see Job Description