Assistant - Accounting

Company Description

“We’re not in the shipping business; we’re in the information business” -Peter Rose, Expeditors Founder

As a Fortune 500 company, Expeditors employs more than 15,000 trained professionals in a worldwide network of over 300 locations across six continents. Expeditors satisfies the increasingly sophisticated needs of international trade through customized solutions and seamless, integrated information systems. Our services include the consolidation and forwarding of air or ocean freight, customs brokerage, vendor consolidation, cargo insurance, time-definite transportation, order management, warehousing, distribution and customized logistics solutions. Expeditors is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Job Description

Accounting Job-Specific Tasks and Duties

• Accounting Exception Management:

Proactively monitors exception reports to identify problems on accounts, analyze exceptions and to effectively resolve issues with internal and external stakeholders, and by building partnership with operational teams. 

• Timely and Accurate Accounting Processing:

Depending on the role, one or both of the below may apply to the accounting clerk.

Payables:

Manages the accounts payables processes, including setting-up service provider accounts, receive, review, approve and records payables accurately and timely, as per Expeditors’ accounting policies. Manages the disbursement process to ensure service providers are paid accurately and timely.

Receivables:

Manages the accounts receivables process, including receiving, safeguarding, and recording customers’ receipts, as per Expeditors’ accounting policies. Assists in the credit management process to ensure customers remain within agreed credit and payment terms.

• Record receipts in exp.o Accounting system and allocate per the remittance advice, ensuring no receipts are left unallocated at month end and provide support to the Banking/Treasury team for unidentified receipts.
• Generate and deliver timely Statements and perform timely reconciliations.
• Provide up to date detailed collection notes listing actions on every past-due invoice in the ARCM system (Accounts Receivable Collection Management).
• Maintain a filing system in accordance to internal and local document retention policies (i.e. upload the remittance advice to the deposit in exp.o Accounting).
• Proactively identify problem accounts and follow up queries via email/telephone to effectively resolve issues through building key relationships with Customers and Internal Staff.
• Produce Exception Reports for the Weekly AR Meeting per company AR Goals (Aging Analysis, No Bad Debt, 100% Collection within Terms, No OCL (Over Credit Limit)) and maintain meeting minutes.
• Prepare the bad debt calculation (Trade AR Allowance) and the bad debt roll forward schedule for the monthly P&L.
• Assist Controller with Credit tasks in line with the Global Credit Policy (maintain Customer payment terms, company rating & risk rating; evidence in e.doc Global Lookup the establishment and approval of credit in the BCR system (Branch Credit Request) and performance of annual credit reviews).
• Setup and maintain Service Provider account in exp.o GCI.
• Record payable header in exp.o Accounting system upon receipt and distribute to Internal Staff for allocation details.
• Review and submit payable detail in exp.o Accounting system, ensuring overhead expenses are allocated to the correct cost center, operational costs are matched against the appropriate provision, and Tax is accounted for.
• Perform Service Provider payable audits on a regular basis to check rates to agreed rates and services are accounted for in the correct product and cost GL.
• Review and approve Employee Expense Reimbursements in Concur system providing valid supporting documentation is attached, record journal in exp.o Accounting per Concur extract and perform monthly GL reconciliation.
• Verify Service Provider payables by reconciling to Service Provider Statements, ensure invoices are approved in time to meet established payment cycle.
• Schedule and prepare payments in exp.o Accounting system and the Banking system.
• Maintain a filing system in accordance to internal and local document retention policies (i.e. upload the invoice to the payable and the vendor statement to the payment in exp.o Accounting).
• Proactively identify problem accounts and follow up exceptions prior to submitting the payable via email/telephone to effectively resolve issues through building key relationships with Service Providers and Internal Staff.
• Assist Controller with payable Tax reporting requirements.
• Assist in Internal Control Evaluations and Internal/External Audits by preparing required information/documentation.
• Support Accounting Department with miscellaneous projects and assignments.
• Promote compliance in diligently following all company policies and regulations and performing the task at hand with outstanding integrity and pride. 

Qualifications

• Good computer skills (e.g., MS Excel, MS Word)
• 1-year related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience

Additional Information

Expeditors offers excellent benefits:

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan 
• Training and Personnel Development Program

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.