Senior Accounting Analyst

Senior Accounting Associate II – JLL

Location: Hybrid – Chicago or Westmont, Illinois

What this job involves:

Join our dynamic Work Dynamics finance team as a Senior Accounting Associate II, where you'll play a pivotal role in supporting transformative outsourcing partnerships that help clients optimize their real estate portfolio performance. This position offers the opportunity to drive financial excellence within a fast-paced, collaborative environment, serving as a key financial partner to our Work Dynamics group in the Chicago area. You'll own critical financial processes from monthly reporting to annual budgeting, working directly with our Divisional Finance Director to ensure accurate financial management and strategic support for our client relationships. If you're a detail-oriented accounting professional who thrives in a diverse, driven team environment and wants to make a meaningful impact on business operations, this role offers the perfect combination of technical challenge and collaborative engagement.

What your day-to-day will look like:

• Execute comprehensive monthly financial analysis including revenue reconciliation, variance analysis, and financial reporting while ensuring compliance with contract terms and GAAP revenue recognition standards.
• Prepare and distribute financial results to Account Directors and Group Account Executives, communicating key insights and performance metrics.
• Manage the complete monthly billing cycle by preparing PeopleSoft proforma invoices based on client purchase orders, assembling billing packages, finalizing invoices for basic services, additional services, OPEX, and T&E, and ensuring timely completion.
• Oversee accounts receivable objectives by monitoring aging reports, researching past due balances, and taking proactive action to meet collection metrics.
• Maintain strong relationships with clients to resolve payment issues and ensure cash flow targets are achieved.
• Prepare and post monthly management fee accruals based on PeopleSoft data, ensuring proper revenue recognition for current and prior month corrections by established deadlines.
• Review and request posting of all subcontractor and consultant vouchers into the financial system.
• Lead annual budget and mid-year forecast preparation, including CompOne bonus planning, while developing financial models and reports on actual and projected contract spending.
• Monitor client spending against fiscal year purchase orders and provide forecasted spending information to support purchase order requests.
• Manage subcontractor invoice tracking and reconciliation by maintaining detailed logs, coordinating with Cook County payment systems for consultant voucher releases, and conducting quarterly reconciliations of unpaid invoices. Provide contract compliance reporting for W/MBE requirements.
• Monitor and correct labor allocation entries, prepare billable rate increases effective December 1st with corresponding manual management fee adjustments, and support cost-savings and process improvement initiatives across the finance function.
  
  

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance from an accredited institution.
• 4-6 years of progressive accounting experience with demonstrated proficiency in financial reporting and budgeting processes.
• Knowledge of GAAP revenue recognition principles and experience applying them in a corporate accounting environment.
• Exceptional attention to detail with proven ability to manage multiple complex financial tasks simultaneously while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel including financial modeling, pivot tables, VLOOKUP functions, and complex formula development.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret contract language, perform variance analysis, and develop financial models to support business decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively present financial information to business partners and stakeholders at various organizational levels.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with PeopleSoft financial systems for transaction processing, reporting, and invoice generation.
• Familiarity with Tableau for data visualization and financial dashboard creation, or experience with EPBCS (Enterprise Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service) for planning and forecasting.
• Experience working in a professional services, real estate, or client services environment with an understanding of contractual billing arrangements.