Sr Associate Inventory Accounting

The Children's Place; Lahore; On-site; PKR 3,000,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Children's Place is seeking an Inventory Senior Associate to manage inventory accounting and controls across a global footprint. You will ensure accurate valuation, shrink analysis, and SOX compliance, reporting to the Inventory Manager in NJ.

This onsite role partners with Merchandising, Supply Chain, Store Operations, and Accounting to drive standardization, ERP optimization, and KPI monitoring across 500+ stores and fulfillment channels.

Qualifications

• CPA preferred; professional certification desired.
• 6+ years of accounting experience, preferably in retail.
• Strong knowledge of retail inventory accounting and controls.
• Shrink and reserve methodology experience.
• Omnichannel fulfillment flows familiarity.
• Experience in shared services/offshore model.
• Advanced Excel skills and SAP experience required; WMI preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead month-end close activities for inventory, including journal entries, reconciliations, and flux analysis.
• Review subledger to GL reconciliations for accuracy.
• Oversee inventory reserves (shrink, obsolescence, RTV, markdown, returns).
• Ensure compliance with ASC 330 and ASC 606 impacts on returns.
• Monitor KPIs: close timelines, recon aging, shrink trends; manage SLAs.
• Support ERP optimization and reporting automation initiatives.

Skills

CPA

6+ years accounting

Retail inventory accounting

Shrink & reserve methodology

Omnichannel fulfillment

Shared services/offshore

Advanced Excel

SAP experience

WMI preferred

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance

Tools

SAP

WMI

Job description

Note: This is an onsite position and requires working EST hours, from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM.

Position Summary

The Inventory Senior Associate is responsible for performing inventory accounting and controls across a global retail footprint (stores, eCommerce, distribution centers, and international entities). This role ensures accurate inventory valuation, shrink analysis, reserve methodology, and compliance with US GAAP/IFRS and SOX requirements. This position reports to the Inventory Manager located in NJ.

The position operates within a centralized Shared Services model, partnering closely with Merchandising, Supply Chain, Store Operations, and AP, Sales Audit and Accounting

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Accounting & Close

• Leading role in month-end close activities related to inventory (journal entries, reconciliations, flux analysis).
• Review inventory subledger to general ledger reconciliations.
• Oversee inventory reserves (shrink, obsolescence, RTV, markdown, returns).
• Ensure compliance with ASC 330 (Inventory) and ASC 606 impacts on returns.

Retail & Omnichannel Oversight

• Monitor inventory across:
• 500+ retail stores
• Distribution centers
• eCommerce fulfillment channels
• International subsidiaries
• Analyze gross margin impact from shrink, damages, and stock adjustments.
• Active participation in review of cycle counts and physical inventory results.

Controls & Compliance

• Maintain SOX-compliant inventory controls.
• Partner with Internal Audit and external auditors.
• Ensure proper documentation of inventory policies and procedures.
• Support external audit requests and PBC schedules.

Shared Services Leadership

• Assist in developing onshore and offshore team members.
• Drive standardization and automation initiatives.
• Monitor KPIs (close timelines, recon aging, shrink trends).
• Manage service level agreements (SLAs) with business units.

Process Improvement

• Identify ERP optimization opportunities (SAP).
• Improve reporting automation and dashboarding.
• Support systems implementations and inventory integrations.

Qualifications

• CPA preferred.
• 6+ years accounting experience (retail preferred).
• Strong knowledge of:
• Retail inventory accounting
• Shrink and reserve methodology
• Omnichannel fulfillment flows
• Experience in shared services/offshore model.
• Advanced Excel; SAP experience required, WMI preferred.

Key Metrics

• Month-end close accuracy & timeliness
• Inventory recon aging
• Shrink % vs plan
• Reserve accuracy
• Audit findings