Associate, Accounting Advisory

Overview:

We don't simply hire employees. We invest in them. When you work at Chatham, we empower you - offering mentorship and professional development opportunities to help you grow in your career, no matter if you've been here for five months or 15 years. Chatham has worked hard to create a distinct work environment that values people, teamwork, integrity, and client service. You will have immediate opportunities to partner with talented subject matter experts, work on complex projects, and contribute to the value Chatham delivers every day.

Chatham's Hedge Accounting Practice is a thought leader in our industry. Chatham provides world-class derivative strategy, structuring and execution advice, coupled with world-class accounting advice to ensure the best capital markets outcomes for our clients. Chatham's ability to provide this combination of advice and suite of services is unique in the marketplace. Our team members advise clients on the design and implementation of hedge accounting strategies on high-profile interest rate, foreign currency and commodity hedging transactions.

We consult on a high volume of transactions annually, each with its own set of facts and circumstances, which provides our team members with tremendous opportunity to learn quickly. Often our consulting engagements lead to direct contact with our clients' auditors and regulators, which adds another nuance to the consulting process. We also engage with accounting standard setters as they work to improve the hedge accounting guidance under US GAAP and IFRS. Chatham is a professional services firm, and as such the needs of our clients influence our schedules and deadlines. However, we seek to work with our team members to provide flexibility when needed to help manage personal and professional lives.

Chatham is looking for an Accounting Advisory Associate who is interested in accounting, economics, and financial risk management. The ideal candidate has a willingness to learn complex areas of accounting and risk management with strong communication and advisory skills. A successful candidate will enjoy a collaborative environment, an apprenticeship development model, and be interested in challenging, client-serving work.

Your impact:

Chatham's purpose is to empower our clients to achieve the best capital markets outcomes. In this role, you will interact with treasurers, CFOs, controllers, audit partners, audit firm derivatives specialists, and standard setters. As an organization dedicated to exceptional client service, we strive to exceed client expectations with our expertise and responsiveness. This role has a major client service/consulting component. Members of the team will have the opportunity to provide answers to client questions around complex topics, conduct research, have discussions with key personnel, and truly add value to our clients' needs. One of our core principles is to win as a team. You will have the opportunity to develop a specialization in this role - work with intelligent colleagues who are as invested in your success as they are in their own, learn about many different industries in an environment that encourages asking questions, and develop in your role.

In this role you will:

• Develop an excellent understanding of hedge accounting and the underlying economics of interest rate, foreign currency and commodities hedging through daily interaction with Chatham's hedging advisors
• Advise clients up to the highest levels of accounting and finance on structuring, implementing and ongoing accounting for various hedging strategies, including preparation of board presentation materials, accounting policy papers and technical accounting memos, pro-forma financial statement impact analysis, hedge designation memos, hedge effectiveness tests and sensitivity analyses
• Manage a portfolio of clients providing advice on hedging strategies, running and analyzing effectiveness tests, drafting hedge designation memos, creating journal entries and financial statement disclosures in accordance with US GAAP and IFRS, and providing management and auditor support
• Serve as a subject matter expert who your clients and colleagues seek for guidance often requiring preparation and presentation of technical accounting education materials to various stakeholders
• Lead projects to help clients design hedge accounting programs that meet their economic and financial reporting objectives
• Contribute to internal initiatives to drive process efficiency, standardization, and technology design by providing technical accounting expertise
• Work together with our Advisory and Accounting Operations team members to prepare and review period-end accounting deliverables that will impact the client's financial reporting
• Work directly with clients and internal teams to onboard client portfolios or new hedging strategies into our technology platform
• Contribute to cutting-edge research in one of the most complex and still-evolving areas of accounting

Contributors to your success:

• A bachelor's or master's degree in accounting; a minor or interest in economics or finance is a plus
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation or a path to obtaining a CPA
• 2-4 years in public accounting audit or accounting advisory (Big Four is a plus)
• A passion for technical accounting, related research, and reading and applying US GAAP and/or IFRS accounting standards
• Experience in technical accounting research and desire to become a subject matter expert on ASC 815/ASC 820 and/or IFRS 9/IFRS 13
• A desire to thrill clients - the client service part of public accounting is fulfilling for you, and you'd like to carry your client-service orientation into this next opportunity
• Strong teamwork mentality with the understanding that a committed and diverse team always outperforms an individual
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to distill complex topics concisely to a diverse range of client audiences
• Quantitative/analytical skills and mathematical proficiency
• Ability to prioritize competing demands to deliver a high level of client service
• Excellent Excel and PowerPoint experience
• An interest in finance will help you in understanding the economics of the derivatives transactions and how to account for these transactions
• A commitment to working in the office in a highly collaborative environment
• Travel of ~10% is possible; our work is not conducted at our clients' locations, but we do travel occasionally for business development and relationship management purposes

About Chatham Financial:

Chatham Financial is the largest independent financial risk management advisory and technology firm. A leader in debt and derivative solutions, Chatham provides clients with access to in-depth knowledge, innovative tools, and an incomparable team of over 750 employees to help mitigate risks associated with interest rate, foreign currency, and commodity exposures. Founded in 1991, Chatham serves more than 3,500 companies across a wide range of industries - handling over $1.5 trillion in transaction volume annually and helping businesses maximize their value in the capital markets, every day. To learn more, visit chathamfinancial.com.

For Colorado based candidates, the compensation range for the position is expected to be between $125,000-150,000.00 annually. Total compensation, including base pay, discretionary individual bonus and company bonus, may be higher than range listed, depending on applicant's skills, qualifications, and experience. Benefits include health insurance, life and disability insurance, 401k, EAP, paid holidays and paid time off.

Chatham Financial is an equal opportunity employer.

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