Staff Accountant, Accounts Payable

Want to help pets live their best lives?

We’re proud to be where the pets go and where the pet people go. If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you.

Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what’s right for pets and people.

• Pet First – Protect & Empower. All pets should Live their Best Life. We put the needs of pets and pet parents at the center of everything we do.

• Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond. Our Passion for pets brings us together! We celebrate the journey of pet parenthood through distinct experiences, products, and services.

• Let’s Go! Own & Commit. We are stronger as One Petco team. We bring our unique superpowers and champion authenticity in everyone to drive success.

About Petco:

We’re proud to be "where the pets go" to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we’re here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way. We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love. Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

Participate in the month-end closing process. Monitor entries in the General Ledger (GL) to ensure appropriate allocation, determine if reclassifications are required, explain variances, and analyze various accounts to mitigate year-end audit exposure. Develop and recommend new procedures, processes, and policies for the accounting operations of the assigned function. Serve as an accounting business partner to the assigned function on moderately complex issues. Analyze, research, and reconcile selected accounts and cost discrepancies. Effectively communicate with field associates, corporate support staff, and management to ensure accounting-related issues are brought to the attention of the appropriate individuals for action. This function performs both statistical and financial analysis and requires independent judgment and decision-making.

This position must protect Petco’s accounting data received from both internal and external sources.

This role is based out of our Satellite Support Center in San Antonio, TX.

Essential Job Functions:

• Efficiently create complex documents and reports using spreadsheets, databases, and accounting software in a timely fashion.
• Independently prioritize and accomplish multiple tasks within established timeframes.
• Analyze simple to moderately complex data to determine the appropriate course of action.
• Perform accounting duties and control activities to ensure financial results are reported without error.
• Research and analyze selective data sets and accounts pertaining to the duties of the specific functional area of accounting.
• Prepare month-end journal entries, reconciliations, forecasts, budgets, forms, reports, and schedules relating to accounts in the specific area of focus.
• Effectively communicate with field partners, corporate support staff, and senior management, ensuring accounting issues are directed to the appropriate impacted partners for action.
• Analyze problems, research root causes, and overcome roadblocks to functional success.
• Maintain compliance with internal controls related to Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), including preparing documentation and assisting with internal and external audit requests.
• Interact professionally and effectively through verbal and written communication with all professional contacts, with a strong emphasis on company interests.

Other Duties and Responsibilities 

• Protect confidential information and respect the confidentiality of others.
• Identify process weaknesses, develop proposed improvements, and collaboratively implement solutions to drive efficiency and increase profitability.
• Perform analyses of actual versus budget, reclassify errors, explain variances, and interface with other departments to provide guidance on the proper classification of expenses.

Functional Area Assignments

The accounting department encompasses several functional areas. As a partner, you will be assigned to one specific functional area and will be responsible for the designated duties outlined below:

Accounts Payable

• Perform high-level account reconciliations related to merchandise receipts, invoices, and purchase orders.
• Prepare month-end accrual and reclassification journal entries.
• Review and oversee supplier record creation and maintenance.
• Research and resolve vendor disputes regarding payment and receipt matching variances.

Accounts Receivable

• Reconcile designated accounts in alignment with Management Review Controls (MRC) guidelines.
• Publish accounts receivable reports, age schedules, and perform comprehensive account analyses.
• Review transactional work completed by specialists (including billing and bank deposits).
• Maintain and update proprietary departmental databases.
• Assist departmental specialists and analysts with escalated issues or concerns.
• Partner with other internal accounting departments to resolve cross-functional issues.
• Prepare and post journal entries while maintaining a thorough understanding of offsetting account activity.

General Accounting

• Respond to general ledger information requests received on the Profit & Loss (P&L) Hotline from field personnel and other departments, including preparing accruals/reclassifications and providing variance guidance.
• Prepare recurring monthly accruals and conduct budget-to-actual variance analyses.
• Collaborate with cross-functional corporate partners to explain variances and guide proper expense classification.
• Perform comprehensive bank account reconciliations.

Inventory Accounting

• Facilitate the interface of the stock ledger to the general ledger and perform associated controls to validate integrity and accuracy.
• Conduct weighted average cost reviews.
• Complete the Inventory Accounting portion of the Borrowing Base Certificate.
• Review and resolve Retail Management System (RMS) to GL mapping concerns, submitting monthly updates.
• Evaluate wholesale inventory and sales activity for accuracy, post accruals, and follow up on aged items.
• Complete and submit Census Bureau surveys.
• Research and respond to P&L hotline inquiries regarding stock ledger activity.
• Support accruals and research for extended business areas, including Supply Chain, Marketing, Marketplace, Loyalty, Royalties, and Rebates.

Lease Accounting

• Review, update, and disburse all monthly recurring payments (including rents, leases, subleases, Common Area Maintenance (CAM), and taxes) in accordance with lease documents.
• Prepare property-related month-end journal entries and CAM accruals using lease research and historical estimates.
• Prepare and monitor monthly schedules for prepaid rent and security deposit accounts, keeping lease administrators updated.
• Assist in preparing the annual budget and various year-end audit schedules.
• Review check runs to verify the authenticity of rent payments.

Fixed Asset Accounting

• Record fixed asset acquisitions and dispositions in the accounting system in a timely and accurate manner.
• Track and compile project costs into Construction in Progress (CIP) accounts; review and close CIP accounts to fixed assets upon project completion.
• Reconcile fixed asset subsidiary ledger balances to summary-level general ledger accounts on a monthly basis.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls and assist in updating capital expenditure and fixed asset accounting policies.
• Prepare audit schedules for fixed assets and assist internal and external auditors with quarterly and annual inquiries.
• Partner with business teams to ensure capital purchases are accurately tracked and documented.

Payroll Accounting

• Prepare and process journal entries for payroll and payroll-related taxes.
• Review accounts for necessary reclassifications and accruals.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of payroll-related balance sheet accounts to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Support ongoing compliance initiatives, including escheatment processes and SOX controls.
• Assist with month-end and year-end close processes, preparing reporting and analysis for senior management.
• Partner with HR, Legal, and internal finance teams to resolve payroll discrepancies and improve payroll accounting processes.

Sales Audit

• Review and close stores within the Retail Sales Audit (ReSA) system.
• Resolve issues causing store holds, review bank statements, and contact retail stores directly to resolve banking variances.
• Utilize banking reconciliation tools (T-Recs) to track and resolve deposit discrepancies and store bank account reconciliations.
• Maintain the sales audit database and address issues such as counterfeit bills and cash drawer discrepancies.
• Process journal entries for open account stores and review third-party gift card requests.
• Manage ReSA system maintenance in partnership with IT, including overriding system control errors.
• Handle high-dollar chargebacks, chargebacks related to Dr. Foster & Smith (DFS), and review Vetco transactions.
• Perform monthly close functions and post final journal entries within T-Recs.

Tax, Corporate

• Apply basic corporate income tax law to Petco's accounting.
• Analyze differences between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and IRS rules, applying adjustments to financial records.
• Assist with the calculation of Federal tax provisions at quarter-end and year-end close.
• Prepare support schedules for disclosures included in Petco's audited financial statements.

Tax, Sales & Use

• Collect monthly sales and use tax data to file monthly returns.
• Process and document personal property tax bills.
• Support Sales & Use tax audits and identify refund opportunities to drive revenue benefits.
• Manage Puerto Rico sales tax (PICO) releases for inventory clearance.
• Perform close functions for tax accounts and file state-required environmental and local fees.
• Certified Member of the Institute of Professionals in Taxation (CMI) for Sales Tax preferred.

Education and Experience:

• A 4-year degree in Accounting, Finance, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience is required.
•  A solid understanding of accounting principles equivalent to a college-level Intermediate Accounting course.
• 0–2 years of relevant accounting or financial experience.
• Solid interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to interact with partners at all levels of the corporation.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Excel, Word, and Access).
• Exceptional accuracy and detail orientation; ability to quickly learn and adapt to proprietary company systems.
• Ability to critically analyze business decisions and engage in constructive, professional dialogue regarding alternative solutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the fundamentals associated with multiple functional areas of accounting.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and priorities.
• Previous working experience with Oracle financial software.

Additional Requirements:

• Occasional travel for training purposes may be required.
• This position may periodically require weekend work (Saturdays and/or Sundays) to support close deadlines.

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification.

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