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Job description
Senior Staff Accountant
CogneSense is looking for a Senior Staff Accountant to join our accounting team. You'll play a key part in month-end close, financial reporting, and account reconciliations, and you'll oversee accounts payable and sales tax compliance across our multi-entity platform (L&J Technologies, Varec, PSG, Sonitus Systems, and GPE Controls). This role suits someone who is detail-oriented, likes owning a process from start to finish, and wants to help improve how we work. The accounting function here is still being built out, so this job description is a starting point, not a fixed list. You'll be expected to be a team player, a problem solver, and a process improver - someone who's genuinely into the details, comfortable rolling up their sleeves on legacy reconciliations and messy balances, and willing to pick up what needs doing rather than saying "that's not my job." Responsibilities will shift as the team and systems mature.
Key Responsibilities
Month-End Close and Financial Reporting
Assist with the month-end close process, including preparing and posting journal entries, accruals, prepaids, and reclasses
Prepare budget vs. actual (BvA) analysis and explain significant variances to management
Help prepare monthly financial statements and management reporting packages
Support the close calendar and help drive a timely, accurate close
Maintain and reconcile prepaid and fixed asset schedules, including monthly depreciation and amortization entries
Support flux/variance analysis at the account level for board and lender reporting
Reconciliations
Perform monthly bank reconciliations and resolve reconciling items promptly
Prepare and review balance sheet account reconciliations, and investigate and clear aged or unexplained balances
Keep supporting documentation organized and audit-ready
Identify and clean up legacy or aged reconciling items, escalating unusual balances to the Controller with a clear explanation and resolution plan
Accounts Payable Oversight
Oversee the full-cycle A/P process, including invoice intake, coding, approvals, and payment runs
Review A/P aging, vendor statements, and the accuracy of accrued liabilities
Maintain vendor master data and support W-9/1099 compliance
Identify and implement process improvements and internal controls within A/P
Partner with Operations and Procurement to resolve invoice discrepancies and purchase order mismatches
Provide backup coverage and training for A/P staff and processes as needed
Sales Tax
Monitor sales tax filings across applicable jurisdictions to make sure they're accurate and on time
Reconcile sales tax payable accounts and research taxability questions as they come up
Respond to notices and support any sales tax audits
Support exemption certificate management and nexus tracking as the business expands into new states
Other
Support year-end close and external audit requests
Assist with intercompany transactions and reconciliations
Take part in system improvements and ERP projects
Support the ongoing Business Central ERP migration, including data validation and testing
Handle ad hoc analysis and special projects as needed
Cross-train on other accounting functions to provide backup coverage across the team
Document and improve close procedures as processes are standardized across entities
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
4+ years of progressive accounting experience; public accounting or manufacturing/engineering industry experience a plus
Strong working knowledge of GAAP and the month-end close process
Hands-on experience with journal entries, account reconciliations, and variance analysis
Experience overseeing or managing accounts payable
Familiarity with multi-state sales tax compliance
Advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUPs/XLOOKUPs, pivot tables, working with large data sets)
Experience working in an ERP system
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a plus
Highly organized, deadline-driven, and comfortable managing several priorities during close
Clear communicator who can work with operations, vendors, and leadership
Comfort working through messy, legacy, or under-documented financial records
Genuine interest in the technical craft of accounting, not just the credential
CPA or progress toward a CPA preferred, not required
What We Offer
Competitive salary: $70,000-$85,000
Health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
PTO and 10 paid holidays
Opportunity to grow with a team that's modernizing its systems and processes - genuine room to grow toward a Senior Accountant, Assistant Controller, or Controller-track role as the finance function scales
CogneSense is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Worksite address
bellwood, IL, 60104, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.