Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of .
• Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Abbott Park IL location for our IFO International Finance position.

As a Sr Accountant, you will be accountable to deliver accurate and timely financial information from the point of transaction through to financial close and periodic external reporting (monthly, quarterly, and annually). You will support all accounting processes required to transform data into information for reporting purposes, through effective, efficient and compliant (internal controls) finance processes, and in accordance with local and consolidated GAAP. Responsibilities include delivering guidance, insight, and technical expertise as it relates to general accounting, and supporting day to day performance activity and corresponding metrics of the functional team.

You will participate in multiple activities within the regional service center to support divisions and legal entities as assigned to gain a deep understanding of the various Abbott divisions, and the unique attributes of the legal entity, and regulatory requirements associated with the region.

What You’ll Work On

1. Utilize accounting experience to deliver the team and individually assigned workload, support fellow team members, third party service provider, and direct supervisor to perform more complex accounting processes and transactions over the course of the reporting period, including but not limited to:

• Journal entry processing, review and approval

• Account balance reconciliation preparation, review and approval
• Facilitate and perform close activities
• Monitor and correct more complex data and information errors
• Address questions from counterparts within local and US regulatory, SEC reporting teams and compliance (internal controls, internal and external audit)
• Coach and/or support fellow team members (internal Abbott and third party service provider) to handle more complex issues/ exceptions

2. As an individual contributor and team member, develop and deliver process documentation, training content, and super-user support for more complex accounting activities, as requested, including but not limited to:

• General accounting
• Close and consolidations
• Fixed assets, capital project accounting
• Inter-Company transactions and allocations
• Chart of accounts management
• Internal controls and Sox

3. Participate in process improvement initiatives with team (internal and third party service provider) as a part of ongoing exception management and continuous improvement activities:

• Support development of clearly defined, achievable team and individual goals
• Capture and review various metrics and measurement outcomes on a daily, weekly, and period basis
• Evaluate exceptions to process, quality, and service delivery commitments by category
• Participate in the prioritization of targeted exceptions
• Perform root cause analysis for more complex exceptions
• Identify, recommend and support strategies reduce and/or eliminate exceptions over time
• Investigate outstanding reconciliations and associated variances
• Address and eliminate data integrity and quality issues over time through continuous improvement activities and root cause analysis

4. Support data integrity and preparation of financial information to ensure completeness, accuracy, timeliness and accessibility of financial information including:

• Sustain minimum effective controls in compliance with GAAP, CFMs, Sox and any other accounting pronouncements and policies required
• Read, understand and execute on the policies and standards communicated by the Global Process Managers and the Corporate Controller
• Participate in training and professional development activities to continue to develop finance capabilities and professional expertise
• Properly utilize the Abbott standard chart of accounts, sustaining the agreed data definitions and usage

5. Understand, participate, and comply with standard demand management and service management processes:

• Review and sustain service delivery standards required to support the internal Abbott customers, as well as the Service Level Agreements (“SLAs”) with the third party service provider, and deliver to commitments on a period, quarterly and annual basis
• Perform ad hoc and special projects assignments, as required

6. Initial project accountabilities / scope:

• Participate in the design, build, and implementation activities to develop common end-state financial and accounting processes in support of their direct supervisor and/or General Accounting Manager, and the end to end Record-to-Report Global Process Manager (“GPM”)
• Participate in exception management and continuous improvement activities, as a part of his/her day to day work effort in accordance with the global and region specific Record-to-Report (“RTR”) process standards
• Develop and deliver process documentation, training content, and super user support as requested for special projects and continuous improvement work efforts
• Coach and mentor peers, third party service provider, and less experienced team members to perform effectively in their role.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a financial discipline such as accounting or finance
• 2 to 3 years of general accounting experience in a complex global environment
• Demonstrated capability to understand accounting outcomes and explain accounting treatment, utilizing excellent English language skills
• SAP or other enterprise systems experience
• Process excellence experience

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or Chartered Accountant a plus

• Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives: www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.