Accountant I

Job Description

Accountant | A. O. Smith Corporation

The Tone:
This is an early career Accountant I position at A. O. Smith Corporation, located in Appleton, WI, with a hybrid workplace setting. A. O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions, known as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of water heating equipment, boilers, and water treatment products. The company is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and employs approximately 12,000 individuals worldwide. In this role, the Accountant I plays a vital part in maintaining financial integrity by performing various activities involved in the preparation, examination, and interpretation of accounting and financial records, reports, and statements. This position ensures that all financial operations comply with company and GAAP policies, supporting critical functions like general ledger management, budgeting, and month-end closing processes.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – Appleton, WI

• Mission: To accurately prepare, examine, and interpret accounting and financial records, reports, and statements, ensuring financial integrity and compliance.
• Tech Stack: ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Infor, Epicor, NetSuite), Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data analysis)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Financial Analysis and Reporting: You will assemble plant expense analysis and report regular updates to staff. This includes reporting on utility use, expenditures, and providing analysis for senior management review, ensuring clear financial communication across the organization.
• General Accounting Operations: You will be responsible for preparing bank reconciliations for all operating, disbursement, payroll, and investment accounts. This role also involves preparing specific monthly journal entries, sales tax returns, and a detailed warranty expense account analysis.
• Reconciliation and Compliance: Your work will include analyzing and reconciling any discrepancies within the general accounting functions, ensuring accuracy and integrity of financial data. You will observe all procedures and policies in accordance with GAAP, company policy, and federal/state regulations, maintaining financial compliance.
• Cost Accounting and Auditing: You will settle and close production orders, investigating any production variances to understand cost deviations. Additionally, you will provide internal financial audits and conduct cycle count audits, issuing comprehensive reports on findings.
• Operational Support: This position will coordinate the accounts payable function for all plant operations, ensuring timely and accurate processing. You will also provide research assistance as required and respond to inquiries from internal sources, while assisting as backup for payroll, daily invoicing, and sales updating, which includes providing payroll approval.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field; entry-level career stage.
• Experience: Internship, co-op, or 1-2 years of accounting experience preferred.
• Skills: Strong Excel skills (PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data analysis); experience with ERP systems preferred.
• Bonus: Manufacturing or inventory accounting exposure preferred; SAP knowledge a plus.