Accountant, Consultant

Blue Shield of CA; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Shield of California is seeking an Accountant Consultant to lead day-to-day accounting and reporting activities, driving accurate financial statements and disclosures. You will translate priorities into execution, partner with the Accounting Manager, and provide guidance to the team on complex technical accounting matters.

The role demands strong U.S. GAAP expertise, durability in navigating audits, and a proactive approach to process improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or related field.
• 8+ years of accounting or public accounting experience.
• Strong U.S. GAAP knowledge and ability to apply judgment to complex accounting matters.
• Ability to research and document accounting standards with clear conclusions.
• Experience preparing financial statements and disclosures and coordinating audit inputs.
• Excellent collaboration and written/oral communication skills to leadership and auditors.
• Strong organizational skills and audit-ready documentation.
• Preference for CPA license or public accounting background.
• Experience with Oracle or Workday ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day accounting and reporting activities for close, reporting, and accounting policy.
• Resolve complex technical accounting matters with sound judgment.
• Provide review, guidance, and oversight to the accounting team.
• Coach team members and support continuous improvement across the function.
• Identify and elevate risks, coordinate deliverables, and ensure high-quality execution.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or related field

CPA license or public accounting experience preferred

Tools

Oracle ERP

Workday ERP

Job description

Your Role

The Corporate Financial Accounting and Reporting team is responsible for the accurate recording, analysis, and reporting of financial information for Blue Shield of California. The Accountant Consultant will report to the Accounting Manager and serve as a trusted extension of the manager, helping translate priorities into execution, lead day-to-day accounting and reporting activities, resolve complex technical accounting matters, and provide review, guidance, and oversight to the team. This role carries expanded responsibilities and requires strong technical accounting expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to operate with greater independence than a Senior Accountant role.

In this role, you will operate with a high degree of ownership and accountability, partnering with the Accounting Manager to manage priorities, identify and elevate risks, coordinate deliverables, and ensure high-quality execution across close, reporting, audit, and accounting policy activities. You will use strong analytical and problem-solving skills to evaluate complex accounting issues, apply accounting standards to facts and circumstances, document conclusions, and communicate recommendations to leadership, auditors, and business partners. You will also help strengthen processes and controls, coach team members, and support continuous improvement across the accounting function.

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow - personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or a related field


• Requires at least 8 years of experience in accounting or public accounting


• Requires comprehensive and current understanding of U.S. GAAP, including the ability to interpret authoritative guidance and apply judgment to complex or non-routine accounting matters


• Demonstrated ability to research and apply accounting standards to specific facts and circumstances and document the analysis, alternatives considered, rationale, and conclusion in a clear, concise, and well-supported accounting memorandum


• Ability to support the preparation of financial statements, including gathering support, coordinating inputs, reviewing schedules, and drafting audited financial statement disclosures that are accurate, complete, and aligned with applicable accounting standard requirements


• Possesses excellent collaboration and oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical accounting matters clearly to leadership, auditors, and cross-functional business partners


• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to prepare and review documentation that is accurate, complete, well-supported, and audit-ready


• Ability to prioritize work to meet internal and external deadlines


• Experience supporting audits, financial statement preparation, disclosure drafting, controls, or accounting policy implementation preferred


• CPA license or public accounting experience preferred


• Oracle or Workday ERP experience preferred

Hybrid

This role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.