Cost Accounting Manager

Position Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Seattle City Light’s Accounting Division has an opportunity for a highly skilled and strategic Cost Accounting Manager. This is a key financial leadership role in the utility. We are looking for a visionary who can lead the Cost Accounting team to implement a robust, user-friendly project costing system to deliver accurate cost insights to drive decisions. We are looking for a leader with a continuous improvement mindset who will implement best practices for the utility’s project costing system. The Cost Accounting team performs detailed project costing for annual expenditures of $400 million through a work order system, accounts for utility plant assets of approximately $6 billion through an asset management system and performs various overhead cost allocations. You will collaborate across Finance, Engineering, Field Operations and Accounting. This position reports to the Controller and interacts directly with internal customers at all levels.

Job Responsibilities

Here Is More About What You’ll Be Doing

- Design and maintain cost tracking infrastructure

- Interpret cost data and improve SCL’s comprehensive labor and non-labor cost tracking system in the City of Seattle’s ERP (PeopleSoft).

- Drive continuous improvement for SCL’s cost tracking methodology, balancing both usability (user-oriented for both field and office teams) and accuracy (delivering information to support billing and ratemaking).

- Drive construction billing process improvements

- Regulatory Compliance & Reporting

- Develop, communicate and ensure compliance with key policies, processes, procedures and financial controls related to project costing, fixed assets, inventory and overhead allocations.

- Ensure conformance with applicable accounting standards including GASB, GAAP, and FERC regulatory requirements and integrity of financial reporting.

- Fixed Asset Accounting & Strategy

- Manage asset capitalization, depreciation, retirements and fixed asset tracking.

- Ensure proper classification and accurate recording of asset-related transactions.

- Operational Oversight & Monitoring

- Oversee monitoring of work-in-progress and ensure classifications are timely and accurate.

- Provide regular variance analysis to inform ratemaking and budgeting.

- Cross-functional coordination

- Partner with Finance, Engineering, Field Operations and Accounting to align cost tracking with reporting and business needs.

- Serve as key liaison to translate operational needs into the accounting system.

- Process Improvement & System Integration

- Lead enhancements to Cost Accounting workflows, champion technology upgrades (ERP, Asset Management system), and facilitate automation.

- Monitor effectiveness of cost allocation formulas and recommend adjustments.

- Leadership & Staff Development

- Manage the Cost Accounting team: hire, coach, develop and conduct performance evaluations.

- Ensure high team performance, including efficiency, responsiveness and meeting of deliverables and customer needs.

Qualifications

In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has: Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, or Business, with an accounting, economics or finance emphasis

Experience

- Eight or more years of relevant accounting-related job experience, preferably in a utility or similarly regulated organization.

- A minimum of two years in a management or supervisory capacity

- Process improvement experience

- Experience managing project costing, fixed assets and other large-scale expenditures.

- Demonstrated understanding of accounting standards, including GASB, GAAP, and compliance with regulatory requirements including FERC.

- Demonstrated experience with ERP and financial system implementations or upgrades

- Proficiency in ERP systems, asset management tools, and advanced Excel/BI tools

Desired Qualifications

- MBA, CPA or CMA preferred

- Strong leadership and team management capability, ideally demonstrated in a large organization.

- Excellent analytical skills

- Exceptional communication: ability to translate technical accounting data into actionable insights to drive decision-making

- Highly detailed and with a drive for continuous improvement

- Collaborative mindset to support cross-functional initiatives

- Demonstrated ability to manage with a focus on customer service.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or

contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice

.

Additional Information

The full salary range for this position is $54.60 to $81.93 per hour ($114,004.80 - $171,069.84 annually).

Application Process Please Submit The Following With Your Online Application

- A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement

- A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Incomplete applications may not be accepted.

Who May Apply : This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020.Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans.

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.