Technical Accounting Analyst

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The Technical Accounting Analyst is a career professional with knowledge of Technical Accounting policy, Enterprise-wide and business process control, practices and concepts. The incumbent acts as a liaison between key operations and accounting personnel, participates in financial research activities, and interprets and communicates professional pronouncements, opinions or statements of the FASB, FERC or the SEC, as applicable, across all affiliated Cleco companies, and actively participates in the EEI working groups and industry surveys.  Contributes to relationships between Audit Staff, Control and Process Owners, and Management, and supports the Manager of technical accounting to advise management, the Board of Managers’ Audit Committee, and control owners on best practices to strengthen financial governance (often multiple projects concurrently).  Prepares reports on accounting developments to report to EMT and the Board of Managers’ Audit Committee.  Assist with finance-related projects and benefits from exposure to the operational side of the business, while planning and working with key stakeholders to successfully complete important projects. Maintain monitoring processes over corporate initiatives that impact the financial statements and advises project managers regarding process design, including SOX compliance prior to implementation. Assist in advising process owners in resolving issues identified during their testing, helping to facilitate management’s assessments of exceptions and providing final recommendations on severity assessments to be communicated to business process owners. Supports the analysis, understanding, and communication of accounting implications of future transactions or proposed projects. Supports in providing guidance about accounting-related regulatory matters and ensures compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act for related technical accounting department processes. 

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor the activities of all accounting standard setting bodies (e.g., FASB, SEC, FERC, AICPA, EITF, etc.); evaluate research and identify changes in accounting principles or practices and communicate the impact on Cleco and its affiliates
• Ensures the overall effectiveness of corporate controls programs and acts as a liaison for the organization for compliance with Cleco policies, procedures, standards of business conduct and applicable state and federal regulations, as well as identify, evaluate, debate, and document complex Technical and Operational Accounting issues.
• Participate in the planning and implementation of detailed accounting policies surrounding US GAAP and other accounting standards as relevant; prepare and organize accounting documents in line with Cleco’s accounting policies; work closely with business leaders and other corporate control teams to prepare, determine, and maintain these policies
• Draft white papers and position papers on Cleco’s position around technical accounting topics and monitor and update corporate accounting policies; assist with various special projects and support other Finance functions as necessary
• Assist the preparation of SEC filings by providing updates to Financial Reporting on the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Policies disclosures in the 10-Q’s and 10-K’s
• Plan, direct and coordinate research of technical accounting issues related to Cleco, and share findings with external auditors regarding Cleco’s evaluation of technically complex transactions
• Assist with the review of external reporting to ensure public disclosure is complete and accurate; consult with independent auditors on accounting matters and disclosure requirements as required
• Develop solid business relationships, becoming a trusted advisor, with key functional leaders and stakeholders to proactively support business objectives for Technical Accounting and Controls, and be recognized as a technical expert within the organization; providing technical accounting support to Cleco’s business units in their assessment of technical accounting issues, and coordinate the technical accounting staff an resources to effectively prioritize technical needs and timely resolution of matters relative to urgency and importance factors
• Stay up to date on industry leading practices and contribute innovative ideas to drive continuous improvement of Technical Accounting and Controls service delivery and processes; drive automation and the integration of current systems (e.g.