Principal Accountant in Milan, Illinois at Zeeco
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Job Description
For our Italian headquarters based in Cinisello Balsamo (MI) we are seeking a Principal Accountant to join our Finance team and act as a key accounting reference point in a fast growing, international, project driven organization.
This role is designed for an experienced accounting professional who combines strong technical expertise with a pragmatic, solution oriented and adaptable mindset, and who is motivated to actively contribute to building structured and scalable accounting processes in an evolving environment.
The Principal Accountant plays a central role in ensuring high quality financial data, robust accounting practices, and consistency of financial information across the organization. In addition to core accounting responsibilities, the role progressively contributes to project accounting and long term contract revenue recognition.
The position reports directly to the Head of Finance Italy and works in close collaboration with Project Execution, HR/payroll providers, IT, and external advisors.
General Accounting & Financial Close
- Act as an accounting reference point for general ledger activities, including journal entries, accruals, provisions, and balance sheet reconciliations.
- Coordinate and continuously improve monthend, quarterend, and yearend closing processes, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of financial data.
- Prepare, review, and analyse statutory and internal financial reporting, with a focus on overall coherence and data integrity rather than purely transactional checks.
Process Structuring & Data Validation
- Actively contribute to the design, documentation, and continuous improvement of accounting processes, ensuring they are robust, scalable, and fit for a growing organization.
- Perform highlevel data validation by analysing endtoend financial flows across systems, identifying inconsistencies or weaknesses, and proposing corrective and preventive actions.
- Ensure compliance with internal controls, accounting policies, and applicable accounting standards.
Project Accounting
- Progressively support and take ownership of project accounting activities, including:
- cost tracking and allocation,
- monitoring project margins and financial performance,
- Percentage of Completion (POC) calculations,
- appropriate revenue recognition for longterm and complex contracts.
- Maintain a close and continuous exchange with Project Execution to ensure a shared, reliable understanding of project financial results.
Payroll, Tax & Audit Support (Light Scope)
- Maintain a solid operational understanding and knowledge of payroll and tax processes, currently managed outside the core accounting team.
- Support payroll and taxrelated reconciliation activities and ensure correct accounting treatment of related costs and balances.
- Support internal and external audits, providing accounting documentation and explanations as required.
Adaptability & Problem Solving
- Operate effectively in a changing environment, demonstrating adaptability, flexibility, and resilience as systems, processes, and organizational structures evolve.
- Proactively identify issues, inefficiencies, or risks and address them with a solutionoriented mindset, proposing pragmatic and sustainable solutions.
- Bachelor’s degree in Economics, or a related field.
- >10 years of professional experience in general accounting, audit, or similar roles, preferably in dynamic, international, or projectbased environments.
- Strong, handson command of accounting principles and financial reporting, with the ability to interpret, challenge, and clearly explain financial data.
- Proven experience acting as a trusted accounting reference point, contributing to process structuring and data quality.
- Operational knowledge and understanding of payroll and tax matters, including interaction with external providers and advisors.
- Advanced Excel skills and solid experience with ERP systems (e.g. SAGE, SAP, Oracle, or similar).
- Strong analytical and problemsolving skills, combining attention to detail with the ability to see the bigger picture.
- Ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively in a crossfunctional and international environment.
- Fluent English (minimum B2 level), written and spoken. Knowledge of German is a plus.
- A professional comfortable with change, growth, and evolving structures.
- Someone who takes ownership and demonstrates a constructive, pragmatic, and solutionoriented attitude.
- A profile combining technical rigor, adaptability, and sound professional judgment.
- A reliable accounting counterpart who contributes to clarity, structure, and continuous improvement.
55,000 - 70,000 a year