Vice President of Accounting

We recently completed a strategic acquisition expanding the company’s footprint across Europe and are in the process of creating a Retail joint venture in North America in anticipation of an initial public offering. To lead the accounting organization through IPO readiness and beyond, we are hiring a VP of Accounting, reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer. This role carries ultimate responsibility for the integrity of BIG’s financial statements — the accuracy and timeliness of the close, the design and operation of internal controls, the day-to-day accounting operations including accounts payable and accounts receivable, and the company’s accounting, reporting, and regulatory compliance across its North American and European operations.

Two senior leaders report to the VP of Accounting: the Corporate Controller, who runs the general ledger, consolidation, close, and operational accounting functions, and the Senior Director, Technical Accounting & SEC Reporting, who personally drafts the financial sections of the S-1, writes the technical accounting memos, and scopes the SOX program. This is a role for a proven public-company accounting executive who combines deep technical command with operational discipline and the ability to build, develop, and scale high-performing teams through an IPO.

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close calendar; drive a disciplined, repeatable close with continuously improving cycle time and quality.
• Ensure the accuracy and completeness of the general ledger, account reconciliations, and consolidated financial statements across multi-entity, multi-currency operations in North America and Europe.
• Set and enforce balance sheet integrity standards, including reconciliation discipline, intercompany accounting, inventory and derivative positions, and journal entry controls.
• Establish accounting policies and ensure the consistent, correct application of U.S. GAAP across all entities and business units.

• Ultimate accountability for all external financial reporting delivered through the Senior Director, Technical Accounting & SEC Reporting, including the financial statement, MD&A, selected financial data, and accounting disclosure sections of the S-1, the SEC reporting calendar, and the first 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and earnings release deliverables.
• Oversee the SEC comment and response process, coordinating with the CFO, legal counsel, underwriters, and the external auditor.
• Approve the company’s non-GAAP framework, KPI definitions, and segment reporting positions before they are finalized.
• Review and approve significant accounting judgments, estimates, and technical positions, including revenue recognition, business combinations and purchase accounting, inventory and precious metals accounting, derivatives and hedging, and consolidation.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for the external auditor and ensure timely, well-supported resolution of audit matters.
• Present accounting results, significant judgments, SOX status, and control matters to the CFO, executive team, and Audit Committee.

• Own the design and operating effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, partnering with the Risk and IT organizations on process, entity-level, and automated controls.
• Ultimate accountability for the SOX 404 program scoped by the Senior Director, Technical Accounting & SEC Reporting — ensuring control gaps across North America and Europe are identified, remediated, and audit-ready ahead of the first integrated audit.
• Drive remediation of control gaps and continuously strengthen the control environment as the business grows in scale and…