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Job of the Day: Toyota Financial Services Needs a Senior Analyst

Toyota Financial Services is looking for an experienced professional to fill a Senior Analyst of Accounting Commercial Finance role in its Los Angeles location.

Responsibilities include designing, developing and executing all daily and monthly analysis, maintaining SOX narratives and process flows and periodic testing of key controls.

Candidates should have three to five years experience with at least two in public accounting, a CPA or experience and education to obtain a CPA is required.


Company: Toyota Financial Services

Title: Senior Analyst – Accounting Commercial Finance

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Responsibilities: Design, develop and execute all daily and monthly analysis; Review analysis with Product Accounting management monthly or more frequently if necessary; Assist in the preparation and review of account reconciliations; Assist other areas of the organization with product related questions; Fully cross train on monthly close procedures and maintain ability to effectively execute process if needed; Maintain SOX narratives and process flows; Perform periodic testing of key controls and review results with Product Accounting management; Maintain group desk top procedures.

Qualifications/Skills: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; C.P.A. or experience and education required to receive license required; A minimum of three to five years of accounting experience; At least two years of public accounting experience; Evidence of increasing levels of responsibility; Strong knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint; PeopleSoft accounting software preferred or similar general ledger software experience; Familiarity/capacity to learn database/query tools/techniques; Knowledge of SAP and/or Hyperion a plus.

See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.

Is a FASB Internship the Path to Prosperity?

Ed. note: If you’re desperate for career advice from a couple of Big 4 refugees or someone who won’t bother sitting for the CPA Exam, shoot us an email at advice@goingconcern.com. Thanks for your support of Going Concern.

A reader asks on behalf of a “friend”… right:

GC,
A friend of mine was accepted as one of the FASB interns right out of his master’s program, and was wondering what he can expect regarding salary/perks when he is done with the internship. They choose 12 total people per year. His email would give away his name, so I had to send it.

We are not looking for specific numbers, rather, with your past experience, would you expect firms to offer higher salary and perks osed “elite” position? He merely wants a 2nd year salary and to get his CPA bonus and materials paid for (since he lost these benefits by declining his current offer from one of the Big 4.

Thanks again,
Young and Naive.

First off, Y&N, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out here that we don’t make a habit of publishing email addresses under any circumstances, so in the future, your “friend” is welcome to get in touch directly and we will not blab to everyone about “his” business. Then again, with 12 folks entering this “elite” position, it’s not that hard to narrow down the choices and figure out who is who. But who cares?

You mentioned that your “friend” turned down a Big 4 offer (presumably to take this FASB internship) so what are you, er, he thinking is going to happen when the internship is over? All Big 4 firms pay for CPA review, most of the larger firms offer some sort of CPA bonus so he’d be wise to get as much done as he can during the internship so he can knock out that last part just after the ink has dried on his offer letter and get the larger bonus offered.

That said, not sure if you’ve heard but FASB isn’t exactly the elite accounting standard setting body it once was back in the days before mark-to-market. It’s hard to tell you – er, your “friend” – how valuable this internship will be without knowing more about what it entails. If it’s some legitimately elite program that only a handful of accounting students qualify for every year that will teach your “friend” the ins and outs of accounting standard setting under the watchful guise of seasoned pros, perhaps your “friend” will have a little leverage when it comes to negotiating a better payout in public accounting after leaving FASB but I wouldn’t expect to be pulling 6 figures or anything. In fact, I wouldn’t expect much at all beyond the usual salary bump one gets for being a high performing MAcc student with skills beyond binge drinking.

Could this be the Postgraduate Technical Assistant Program, by chance? You don’t have to tell us, lest your “friend” get put on blast, just asking.

Obviously this valuable experience will put your “friend” a step above slackers, and will teach your “friend” all sorts of marketable skills such as time management, prioritization and critical thinking in the scope of accounting, not to mention offer all sorts of networking opportunities should your “friend” decide to stay or return to the realm of policy over public drudge work. In the long run, these skills will probably be worth more (figuratively, not literally in the sense of buckets of cash delivered to this person’s front door just for being such a talented human being) than any imagined huge salary perk your “friend” is expecting for coming into public with this experience.

This experience will get your “friend” into the Big 4 if that is the route “he” wants to take, and “he” may even be able to play “make the firms fight over who gets to have me” but “he” will likely have to put in blood, sweat, tears and – most importantly – time just like the rest of the grunts to make the big money.

Will “he” have a competitive advantage? Yes. Is that worth more money in the big picture of things? Yes. Is your “friend” going to be offered $30k more than his “average” MAcc classmate just because he went through this program? Doubtful. Is his lifetime earning potential slightly more due to the experience, knowledge and connections he will gain through this program? Totally.

Why did you write us to ask this? Just to have people congratulate you – er, your “friend” – for nailing such a “supposed ‘elite’ position?”