Ralph Lauren Senior Accountant, Inventory

Company Description

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:

RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through:
Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

The successful candidate is joining the inventory accounting team - responsible for all the accounting aspects of Sales, Cost of Sales and Inventory for EMEA. Further to this, the team is responsible for forecasting inventory valuation adjustments in the Balance Sheet and P/L and oversees the standard cost setting process. The candidate's primary responsibilities will be to perform accounting functions and analyses for certain areas/divisions of the Company's Inventory Accounting.

Additionally, the candidate will be responsible for providing accounting assistance in support of all facets of the closing, forecasting and reporting process, as well as providing support and all required documentation for internal and external audits with respect to Inventory Accounting to ensure compliance with SOX and statutory reporting requirements. The candidate will contribute to the development of continuous process improvement initiatives and best practices through leverage of technology and effective collaboration & communication.

• Analyze and prepare journal entries and accruals related to Inventory Accounting as part of the day-to-day closing.
• Prepare monthly detailed reconciliations and account analysis.
• Analyze sales reconciliation and investigate discrepancies.
• Review sales and margin and analyze manual postings.
• Understand actual trends and use them for monthly forecasting.
• Implement control checkpoints prior to the close to proactively flag major system-driven discrepancies and ensure correction within the period.
• Maintain and review documented procedures to ensure compliance with SOX requirements.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Identify process improvement and efficiency enhancement opportunities and support implementation.
• Assist with ad‑hoc assignments and special projects as required by management.
• Perform ad‑hoc analysis in support of new businesses and initiatives such as new store openings, e‑commerce country openings, sourcing initiatives, and inventory liquidation.

• Results oriented, flexible, resourceful, and self‑motivated with the ability to manage multiple deliverables.
• Advanced analytical skills and “out of the box” thinking to logically question and proactively flag potential issues.
• Can‑do and problem‑solving attitude.
• Strong time‑management skills and ability to adhere to tight deadlines.
• Strong customer service to the business and senior management.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to work independently and deliver under pressure in a complex/matrix‑type environment.
• High system proficiency (multiple systems handling).
• Excel and SAP proficiency.
• Experience in audit, finance and/or accounting.
• University degree in accounting, finance, business or economics, or equivalent work experience.
• Experience with in the retail or multi‑unit industries is a plus.