Senior Accountant

Purchasing Platform
  • Chicago, Illinois
    8 days ago

    Job Description

    About the Role

    Purchasing Platform is a fast-growing, profitable B2B eCommerce marketplace solutions company seeking a Senior Accountant to play a key role in managing day-to-day accounting operations, leading the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable functions, and strengthening the processes and controls that support our continued growth.

    This is a hands-on accounting leadership role that combines technical accounting expertise, direct team management, and a strong focus on operational efficiency. You will be responsible for executing critical accounting activities, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of financial transactions, and developing a high-performing team while identifying opportunities to streamline and automate existing processes.

    The Senior Accountant will work closely with the Controller and cross-functional partners to improve accounting workflows, strengthen financial controls, and build scalable processes that support the business as it grows.

    You will report to the Controller and play an important role in advancing the Finance function's operational capabilities as Purchasing Platform continues to scale.

    Key Responsibilities

    Key Responsibilities

    Financial Close, Reporting & Reconciliations

    • Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual adjusting and accrual journal entries, bank reconciliations, and supporting schedules, including prepaid expenses and amortization.
    • Analyze, calculate, and record rebate revenue and rebate share expenses, ensuring accuracy and appropriate accounting treatment.
    • Perform and review balance sheet reconciliations, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, customer deposits, sales tax liabilities, accrued expenses, and credit card transactions.
    • Support the Controller in ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting and adherence to established accounting policies and internal controls.
    • Coordinate financial documentation and information requests from external auditors, tax advisors, and CPAs.
    • Collaborate with internal departments and external partners to ensure financial transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled, and reported.

    Accounts Payable Leadership & Oversight

    • Directly manage, coach, and develop Accounts Payable staff, establishing clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability for daily execution.
    • Oversee AP operations to ensure accurate invoice processing, timely vendor payments, appropriate approvals, and adherence to established internal controls.
    • Provide direction on vendor inquiries, payment discrepancies, and collection requests, ensuring timely resolution and effective cross-functional communication.
    • Strengthen vendor relationships through proactive communication, consistent service delivery, and operational accountability.
    • Identify and implement opportunities to automate AP workflows, reduce manual processing, and improve efficiency and accuracy.

    Accounts Receivable Leadership & Oversight

    • Directly manage and develop Accounts Receivable staff, establishing clear expectations, performance metrics, and accountability across invoicing, collections, and reconciliations.
    • Oversee the end-to-end AR process, ensuring accurate customer invoicing, timely collections, appropriate application of payments, and effective reconciliation of outstanding balances.
    • Monitor AR performance, identify collection risks and process gaps, and partner with internal stakeholders to resolve issues.
    • Establish and refine standardized processes that leverage system automation, strengthen internal controls, and support business growth.
    • Drive accountability for timely issue resolution, accurate financial records, and consistent execution of established AR procedures.

    Process Improvement & Automation

    • Evaluate existing accounting processes and workflows to identify opportunities for simplification, standardization, and automation.
    • Lead process improvement initiatives that reduce manual work, eliminate redundancies, improve accuracy, and strengthen operational efficiency across AP, AR, and financial close activities.
    • Partner with Finance, Technology, and other functional teams to implement system enhancements, automation tools, and improved workflows.
    • Develop and maintain clear documentation of accounting procedures, controls, and workflows to support consistency, knowledge sharing, and scalability.
    • Support the Controller in building accounting processes and infrastructure capable of supporting continued business growth without proportional increases in manual effort.

    Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

    • Lead, coach, and develop accounting team members through day-to-day supervision, performance feedback, training, and ongoing development.
    • Foster a high-performance team environment built on ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
    • Establish clear responsibilities, priorities, and performance expectations to ensure consistent execution and timely resolution of accounting issues.
    • Partner with Finance leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to improve operational handoffs, resolve accounting challenges, and support business priorities.
    • Assist the Controller with special projects, financial analysis, and initiatives that strengthen the effectiveness of the Finance function.

    What You'll Own (Key Metrics)

    • Timeliness and accuracy of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close activities.
    • Completion, accuracy, and resolution of balance sheet reconciliations and supporting schedules.
    • Accounts Payable processing accuracy, payment timeliness, and vendor issue resolution.
    • Accounts Receivable aging, collection performance, invoicing accuracy, and reconciliation timeliness.
    • Reduction in manual accounting activities and measurable efficiency gains through automation and process improvements.
    • Adherence to accounting policies, documented procedures, and internal controls.
    • Team performance, productivity, engagement, and development.
    • Cross-functional responsiveness and resolution of accounting-related issues.

    What Success Looks Like Over the Next 12 Months

    Within the first 90 days, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of Purchasing Platform's accounting operations, financial systems, and existing AP/AR workflows. You will establish strong working relationships across Finance and other departments, assume direct oversight of the AP and AR teams, and assess opportunities to strengthen reconciliations, internal controls, and operational efficiency. You will identify and prioritize process improvements and automation opportunities that can deliver meaningful business value.

    By month six, you will have strengthened the consistency and accuracy of financial close activities, established clear accountability and performance expectations across AP and AR operations, and implemented initial process improvements that reduce manual work and improve efficiency. Standardized procedures, stronger controls, and clearer ownership will support more reliable financial operations and improved team performance.

    By the end of year one, you will have helped establish a more scalable, efficient, and well-controlled accounting function. AP and AR processes will operate with greater consistency, accountability, and automation; financial close activities will be timely and accurate; and the team will demonstrate increased independence and operational effectiveness. The Finance function will be better positioned to support continued business growth without proportional increases in manual processes or administrative overhead.

    What We’re Looking For

    Experience & Qualifications

    • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required; CPA certification preferred.
    • 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, including substantial hands-on responsibility for general ledger accounting, financial close, and balance sheet reconciliations.
    • Experience directly supervising, coaching, and developing accounting staff, preferably within Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable functions.
    • Strong understanding of GAAP, accrual accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls.
    • Demonstrated experience managing AP and AR operations, including vendor payments, customer invoicing, collections, and account reconciliations.
    • Proven ability to identify and implement accounting process improvements, workflow automation, and operational efficiencies.
    • Experience working with ERP/accounting systems and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with accounting system integrations or automation tools preferred.
    • Experience in B2B eCommerce, marketplace, technology, or other transaction-intensive business environments preferred.
    • Ability to balance hands-on accounting responsibilities with team leadership, competing priorities, and continuous improvement initiatives.

    Core Competencies

    Financial Accounting | General Ledger Management | Financial Close | Balance Sheet Reconciliations | Accounts Payable | Accounts Receivable | GAAP | Internal Controls | Process Improvement | Workflow Automation | Team Leadership | Problem Solving | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Operational Accountability

    Managerial Scope

    Staffing | Training & Development | Performance Evaluation | Day-to-Day Supervision | Workload Prioritization | Team Performance Management | Process & Policy Development | Internal Controls | Cross-Functional Coordination

    Culture Fit

    This role is best suited to an accounting professional who enjoys being hands-on while also developing people and improving the systems and processes around them. You are equally comfortable preparing a complex reconciliation, resolving an operational accounting issue, coaching a team member, or identifying opportunities to automate a repetitive workflow.

    You bring strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and a commitment to accuracy, but also recognize that effective accounting operations require efficiency, collaboration, and a willingness to challenge how work has traditionally been done.

    You lead with accountability, communicate clearly, and take ownership of both individual deliverables and team results. You are proactive in identifying issues, practical in developing solutions, and motivated by building processes that make the entire Finance function more effective.

    At this stage of growth, the Senior Accountant must be comfortable balancing day-to-day execution with continuous improvement. We need someone who can maintain strong accounting discipline today while helping build the processes, controls, and team capabilities that will support Purchasing Platform's future growth.

    $85,000 - $105,000 a year
    We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

    Numbers & Facts

    LocationChicago, Illinois
    Websitehttp://purchasingplatform.com

    Skills

    • Accountingunmatched
    • Accounting Closeunmatched
    • Accounting Policiesunmatched
    • Accounting Softwareunmatched
    • Accounts Payableunmatched
    • Accounts Receivableunmatched
    • Accounts Receivable Managementunmatched
    • Accounts Receivable Processingunmatched
    • Accrual-Basis Accountingunmatched
    • Analysis Skillsunmatched
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)unmatched
    • Automationunmatched
    • Autoscalingunmatched
    • B2B eCommerceunmatched
    • Balance Sheetunmatched
    • Billingunmatched
    • Business Growthunmatched
    • Business Supportunmatched
    • Card Processingunmatched
    • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)unmatched
    • Coachingunmatched
    • Communication Skillsunmatched
    • Continuous Improvementunmatched
    • Credit and Collectionsunmatched
    • Cross-Functionalunmatched
    • Customer Relationsunmatched
    • Detail Orientedunmatched
    • Documentationunmatched
    • ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)unmatched
    • Establish Prioritiesunmatched
    • Expense Trackingunmatched
    • External Auditunmatched
    • Financeunmatched
    • Financial Accountingunmatched
    • Financial Analysisunmatched
    • Financial Controlunmatched
    • Financial Operationsunmatched
    • Financial Reportingunmatched
    • Financial Systemsunmatched
    • Financial Transactionsunmatched
    • General Ledger Accountingunmatched
    • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)unmatched
    • Identify Issuesunmatched
    • Journal Entriesunmatched
    • Leadershipunmatched
    • Metricsunmatched
    • Microsoft Excelunmatched
    • Operational Improvementunmatched
    • Operational Strategyunmatched
    • Operations Processesunmatched
    • Payment Processingunmatched
    • Performance Analysisunmatched
    • Performance Managementunmatched
    • Performance Metricsunmatched
    • Performance Reviewsunmatched
    • Policy Developmentunmatched
    • Problem Solving Skillsunmatched
    • Procedure Developmentunmatched
    • Process Capabilityunmatched
    • Process Improvementunmatched
    • Project Controlunmatched
    • Purchasing/Procurementunmatched
    • Reconciliationunmatched
    • Record Keepingunmatched
    • Revenue/Sales Reportingunmatched
    • Risk Analysisunmatched
    • Sales Taxunmatched
    • Scalable System Developmentunmatched
    • Service Deliveryunmatched
    • System Integration (SI)unmatched
    • Team Lead/Managerunmatched
    • Technical Accountingunmatched
    • Time Managementunmatched
    • Training/Teachingunmatched
    • User Documentationunmatched
    • Vendor/Supplier Relationsunmatched

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