Principal Accountant

Are you ready for the next step in your career?

HCM Staffing and Consulting Group is here to support you along your journey. We are actively seeking talented individuals to fill the following opportunity. If this sounds like you (or someone you know), we d love to connect!

About the Job

• Title: Principal Accountant
• Term: The current duration is for a 6-month contract upfront. There is an option to convert this role to permanent status later, dependent upon performance, budget considerations, and other factors
• Location: Newark NJ (on-site)
• Pay Rate: Up to $43/hour
• Referral Bonus: $500

Summary

• The specifications outlined are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in this position.
• The specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.
• Provides support for Payroll Tax and Accounting including employee tax setup, Imputed income taxability, Month/Quarter/Year end reporting, Payroll Payments, Account Reconciliations, and maintains Payroll sub-ledger.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Create and process G/L Journal Entries to ensure timely and accurate reporting of Payroll data.
• Prepare G/L Account Reconciliations (balance sheet/income statement) to ensure proper and accurate account activity.
• Perform and review analyses of Payroll G/L accounts; identify and resolve reconciling items and accounting issues on a timely basis.
• Responsible for the reconciliation, payment, and filing of Payroll Tax withholdings, including Railroad Retirement (RRB) Taxes.
• Establish/verify accurate RRB/Federal/State/Local Tax setup of employee records; based on W4 forms, work state, residence state, Rail vs. Non-Rail status, including employee transfers and new hires.
• Research tax issues using various payroll publications and government websites, summarize findings, and apply to all levels of management.
• Assist and coordinate information requests for internal and external audits.
• Assist with year-end balancing and reconciliation for accuracy of Payroll and W2 reporting.
• Maintain monthly posting of creditable months for RRB reporting.
• Process weekly direct deposit and ACH bank transmissions, positive pay (check) files, and related reconciliations.
• Run queries, manage downloads, and prepare detailed spreadsheets and reports for all levels of management to facilitate the flow of Payroll information and resolve issues.
• Work on system testing and troubleshooting issues, implementing new processes, and periodic vendor upgrades.
• Provide oversight and direction to Payroll union staff in performing tasks.
• Miscellaneous projects as requested by all levels of management
• Provide excellent Customer Service to all internal/external customers
• Complete projects as assigned by all levels of management.

Education, Experience and Qualifications / KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related area, and five (5) years of Payroll experience.
• One year of closely related work experience can be substituted for each year of education required.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Required proficiency in (MS) Excel, spreadsheets, macros, Access databases, and other MS applications.
• Payroll HCM (Oracle) experience a plus.
• Experience with Payroll Journal Entries, Account Reconciliation, Payroll Tax and Deduction
• regulations.
• Critical thinking self-starter, experience with RRB Tax and Discoverer or Orbit Report Writer a plus.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Ready to take the next step? Click "Interested" to kickstart your journey toward a rewarding career!