Position Summary:
The Lead Accountant/PMO will serve as the cross functional liaison for project work initiated externally (outside the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team) and internally. The individual selected for this position must: (1) be able to work proficiently on multiple projects at one time; (2) act as a key Mobility Inventory Accounting liaison with IT; (3) demonstrate a solid understanding of complex inventory accounting and fulfillment systems; (4) be able to create and evaluate complicated process flows; (5) be effective at reviewing project documentation to determine potential impacts; (6) effectively communicate with high level management; (7) possess excellent written and verbal communications skills (oral, written and presentation); (8) have strong leadership, organizing and planning skills; (9) have an advanced level knowledge of various applications; and (10) possess strong interpersonal and negotiation skills.
The Lead Accountant/PMO must develop an understanding of how various projects impact current inventory accounting processes and systems and then develop business requirements to accommodate these impacts without jeopardizing the success of these projects. There are multiple front end systems that have to be considered for any project that directly impacts Mobility Inventory Accounting. Examples include OPUS (retail stores), Oracle AR (equipment tracking), Compass, EOD, Phoenix and Premier (business and government ordering). These applications all interface with the Mobility Inventory Accounting systems to provide an accurate reporting of equipment transactions. A thorough understanding of billing and reporting systems is also required. The candidate selected for this position will be responsible for managing and coordinating the validation of results during testing and implementation of assigned projects. It is very important to follow-through and validate that each project is providing the results and expectations identified during the development of the project requirements. Every project impacts the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team differently, so understanding the process flows for each project is important to building the appropriate business requirements, mapping, and reporting requirements needed by the team. Determining how each project requirement impacts Mobility Inventory Accounting is important so the appropriate posting and processing of equipment transactions (revenue, cost of goods sold, freight, liabilities to third-party vendors, etc.) can be made on the books of the company. As noted above, Mobility Inventory Accounting is responsible for posting approximately $1.5 billion in gross sales transactions every year on Mobility's and AT&T's General Ledger. Feeds to the Mobility Inventory Accounting systems originate from many sources, so being able to determine the impact of changes to all related systems enables the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team to plan appropriately.
The Lead Accountant/PMO will be responsible for reviewing architecture and process flows for current systems to help the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team identify and define potential process improvements to ensure all equipment transactions are captured and posted accurately on the company's books. The person selected to fill this position will work closely with individual SMEs within the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team to develop specific business requirements and IT to implement the necessary solutions to achieve such improvements.
The Lead Accountant/PMO will also be the backup person for coverage when the other Lead Accountant/PMO cannot attend project calls/meetings due to conflicting meetings or when he/she is out of the office. The selected individual must positively and effectively represent the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team on all of its processes, systems and responsibilities.
Principal Responsibilities:
· Liaison between business and IT for projects with impacts to Mobility Inventory Accounting
· Coordination within Mobility Inventory Accounting Team to ensure continuous project engagement, coverage and consistent proactive support
· Evaluate and streamline current processes and maintain process documentation
In summary, the Lead Accountant/PMO shall provide overall end-to-end project management throughout the lifecycle of each project to include, but not be limited to, (1) working cross-functionally within the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team to define and consolidate technical and functional business requirements, (2) identifying potential risks/gaps, (3) ensuring efficient alignment and allocation of departmental resources, (4) developing task schedules and timelines to ensure significant milestones are met, (5) negotiating resolution of issues, conflicts, and escalations which may be required, (6) designing and coordinating appropriate participation in user acceptance testing by engaging personnel who may be impacted by deployment of the project, (7) serving as a departmental representative for project readiness determinations, (8) monitoring deliverables to ensure proper functionality is achieved, (9) communicating progress status (impacts and timelines) to the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team, senior management, and other teams, as appropriate, (10) ensuring documentation, including user manuals, SOX narratives and process flows, is completed in a timely manner, and (11) coordinating and managing pre and post implementation activities.
Currently, there are approximately thirty (30) projects affecting Mobility Inventory Accounting processes and systems. Some of the larger projects include: Mercury Inventory Reporting Cube (Ph 3), ABS DF Conversion, AppleCare for COR Stores, Asset Management and Usage-based Insurance Platform, Cellular Digital Signage, EOD Enhancements to Support Large Scale Mobility Solution Deployments, SmartSynch - Advanced Metering Infrastructure, and MedApps Remote Patient Monitoring. Additional details are provided below:
Mercury Inventory Reporting Cube (Ph 3): This internal project is owned by the Mobility Inventory Accounting Team. When this phase is deployed, all inventory accounting data not currently included in the file feeds sent to the Mercury Inventory Cube, such as the overlays for adjustments, and allocations to balance the Mercury Inventory Cube to the associated Mobility Inventory Accounting G/L accounts, will be included in the cube. Project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
ABS Direct Fulfillment Conversion from Compass to YODA/Oracle: This project will move Mobility's entire fulfillment inventory and order management functions for all transactions into Oracle from Compass. This is a very large and complex project that will streamline returns and partnership accounting, as well as eliminate manual allocations, entries and reconciliation issues. Project is scheduled to deploy at the end of November 2011.
