Accountant / Entity Accounting Lead
Cisco
Meet the Team
Join a dynamic and high-impact Finance team at the core of Cisco's global operations. As the Global Accounting and Reporting (GAR) function, we are the trusted custodians of Cisco's financial statements and the guardians of worldwide financial compliance. We ensure the accuracy, integrity, and transparency of all financial reporting, meticulously adhering to global standards like US GAAP and IFRS, alongside critical local GAAP requirements. Our deep expertise in accounting principles, robust internal controls (including SOX), and unwavering commitment to regulatory adherence ensure Cisco consistently meets all statutory obligations and upholds the highest standards of financial governance. We don't just report numbers; we translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights, empowering informed decision-making and steering the organization towards sustainable, compliant growth.
Your Impact
As a Senior Accountant, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the financial health and integrity of Cisco's legal entities. You will take full ownership and accountability for the Record-to-Report (R2R) figures, directly contributing to our global financial accuracy and compliance. Your work will have a direct and measurable impact on Cisco's financial reporting and strategic decisions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Drive Statutory & Tax Compliance: Spearhead all statutory and tax compliance efforts, expertly managing outsourced service providers, ensuring impeccable General Ledger accuracy (US to local GAAP), and serving as a vital liaison with local authorities.
- Lead Audit Engagements: Take charge of all compliance-related activities for both critical internal and external audits, ensuring seamless processes and successful outcomes.
- Master Financial Reporting & Close: Collaborate strategically with Process Leads and the P&L Manager to guarantee precise end-to-end entity figures, playing a crucial role in the efficient month-end close and global consolidation.
- Champion Issue Resolution & Insights: Act as a primary escalation point, adeptly resolving complex financial issues, and conducting insightful periodic balance sheet and business unit reviews to drive clarity and improvement.
- Cultivate Strategic Partnerships: Build and nurture robust relationships with key internal stakeholders, ensuring the accurate, timely, and impactful delivery of financial information that empowers business decisions.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Proven Experience: A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in accounting operations.
- Accounting Mastery: Strong foundational knowledge of accounting principles, with a solid understanding of US GAAP being a significant advantage.
- Academic Foundation: A Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting.
- Tech Savvy: Advanced proficiency in MS Office Suite, particularly Excel, for data analysis and reporting.
- Exceptional Communicator: Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, enabling clear and effective collaboration.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Global Acumen: Experience navigating diverse geographic and cultural landscapes, managing cross-regional delivery.
- Adaptability: A knack for quickly interpreting and applying local and GAAP-specific accounting requirements.
- Collaborative Spirit: Demonstrated ability to build strong partnerships and collaborate effectively across diverse teams.
- System Proficiency: Familiarity with Hyperion and Oracle systems.
- Project Leadership: Experience in program and project management.
- Empathetic Communication: The ability to communicate effectively, actively listen, and deeply understand stakeholder concerns.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset: A proactive drive to identify and implement best practices and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strategic Business Partner: Strong business understanding and acumen, enabling you to act as a true financial partner.
- Process Orientation: Comfort and effectiveness in working within formal processes for issue resolution.
- Flexibility: Willingness to undertake occasional travel to ensure regional compliance.
- Professional Certification: An achieved or part-achieved professional accounting certification (e.g., ACCA, CPA).
Why Cisco?
At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Simply put - we power the future.
Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.
We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.
When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.
Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.