Staff Accountant

Position Purpose

Participate in the month‑end closing process. Monitor entries in the General Ledger to ensure appropriate allocation, determine if reclassifications are required, explain variances, and analyze accounts to avoid year‑end audit exposure. Develop and recommend new procedures, processes, and policies for the accounting operations of the assigned function. Serve as an accounting business partner to the assigned function on moderately complex issues.

Analyze, research, and reconcile selected accounts and cost discrepancies. Communicate effectively with field associates, corporate support staff, and management to ensure accounting issues are addressed by the appropriate individuals. Protect Petco’s accounting data received from internal and external sources.

• Interact professionally and effectively through verbal and written communication with all professional contacts, emphasizing company interests.
• Efficiently create complex documents and reports using spreadsheet, database, and accounting software in a timely fashion.
• Independently prioritize and accomplish multiple tasks within established time frames.
• Analyze simple to moderately complex data to determine the appropriate course of action.
• Perform accounting duties and control activities to ensure financial results are reported without error.
• Research and analyze selective data sets and accounts pertaining to the specific functional area of accounting.
• Prepare month‑end journal entries, reconciliations, budgets, forms, reports, and schedules related to the accounts in the specific area of focus.
• Effectively communicate with field partners, corporate support staff, and senior management, ensuring issues related to accounting are communicated to the appropriate impacted partners for action.
• Analyze problems, research root causes, and overcome roadblocks to functional success.

• Perform additional duties as required, including special projects as assigned.
• Rotate through various functional areas of Accounting to learn processes, understand relationships between groups, and the overall impact each team has on Petco.
• Be flexible and available to provide coverage and support for positions in various functional areas of accounting (e.g., General Accounting, Inventory Accounting, Accounts Payable).
• Work productively in the face of ambiguity and accept constructive feedback.
• Protect confidential information and respect others who must protect their confidences.
• Identify process weaknesses, develop proposed improvements, and collaboratively implement solutions to drive efficiency and increased profitability.
• Actively seek development opportunities for hard and soft skills within the organization and seek feedback from senior partners.
• Perform analyses of actual versus budget, reclassify errors, explain variances, and interface with other departments to provide instruction on proper classification of expenses.
• Provide understandable explanations to peers and management that may not possess accounting knowledge or a financial background.

• High‑level account reconciliations related to un‑vouchered, tie‑out receipts to merchandise; conduct research in conjunction with Accounts Payable Dispute Resolution; process all journal entries; review vendor set‑up and maintenance changes to ensure compliance; provide a level of control for Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX).

• Reconcile Accounts – Management Review Controls (MRC) Category 1 and Category 2; publish reports, complete analyses of accounts, aging schedules, and review specialist work (billing, bank deposits, etc.). Maintain and update proprietary departmental databases; assist specialists/analysts with issues; engage senior/lead managers to resolve inter‑departmental issues; complete journal entries; understand the purpose of the account(s) owned and general understanding of offsetting activity.

• Respond to general ledger information requests received on the Profit & Loss (P&L) Hotline from field personnel and other teams outside accounting; prepare accruals and re‑classes and assist the field in understanding P&L account…