Accountant Specialty, Senior

Your Role

The Corporate Financial Accounting and Reporting team is responsible for the recording and reporting of financial information for Blue Shield of California and its subsidiaries. The Senior Specialty Accountant will report to the Accounting Manager. The team is responsible for preparing financial statements and regulatory filings and recording investment activity. Regulatory filings include quarterly financial filings to various agencies and the annual medical loss ratios filings. Regulators include the California Department of Managed Health Care, Department of Health Care Services, Department of Health and Human Services and the California Department of Insurance. 

In this role, you will be required to possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills to quickly identify, analyze and resolve complex accounting issues independently; be receptive to ambiguity and grasp new concepts with ease through the implementation of processes and procedures; take initiative and be proactive in matters as it pertains to desk procedures; possesses strong written and verbal communications skills with the ability to articulate to various levels and business departments across the organization; prepare filings, journal entries and account reconciliations independently and without significant intervention from the manager.

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Prepare regulatory financial filings independently, which includes compiling workbooks to support the filing and organizing the information received from various departments 
• Prepare or participate in preparing the annual audited financial statements for the consolidated group and life companies, which includes the drafting of disclosures 
• Perform monthly financial close activities, including preparing consolidated financial statements, journal entries and reconciliations
• Reconcile investment ledgers by verifying balances and resolving variances 
• Perform trend and fluctuation analyses utilizing business and professional judgment, while keeping materiality in mind
• Prepare for and participate in internal and external audits and examinations, which includes interfacing with auditors and federal/state examiners, coordinating audit requests, and responding to inquiries
• Interact with internal and external parties on finance and accounting-related issues, including responding to ad-hoc inquiries
• Maintain current knowledge of pronouncements and updates of statutory accounting principles (SSAP) and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
• Maintain current knowledge of federal regulatory requirements of the Affordable Care Act and applicable regulations that impact financial filings
• Research and analyze the impact of new accounting pronouncements and regulatory reporting requirements across multiple frameworks and make recommendations to adapt current accounting practices
• Continuously improve processes and workbooks utilized to compile financial statements and regulatory filings to improve accuracy, completeness, and clarity/quality of documentation
• Develop and maintain desk level procedures and policies
• Maintain and create reports in the Oracle Fusion accounting system 
• Participate and support special projects and strategic initiatives
• Research and recommend actions to resolve discrepancies and accounting issues

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field
• Requires at least 5 years of experience in Accounting or Financial Analysis required, with exposure to preparation of financial statements and/or regulatory filing preferred
• CPA or public accounting experience preferred
• Proficiency in GAAP required, i.e., must be able to interpret and apply requirements to journalize transactions and align financial statement presentation and disclosures
• Experience or knowledge of regulatory reporting and SSAP strongly preferred
• Ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements and guidelines to financial filings required
• Proactive, organized, strong work ethic, and able to meet tight deadlines
• Possess strong written and verbal communications skills with ability to articulate to various levels and business departments across the organization
• Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills to quickly identify, analyze and resolve complex accounting issues
• Receptive to ambiguity and can grasp new concepts with ease through implementation in processes and procedures
• Intermediate MS Excel skills required
• Oracle ERP and SmartView experience strongly preferred