Group Accounting Manager, Data Center Infrastructure

Empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. That’s what inspires us, drives our work and pushes us to challenge the status quo every day. Through our Cloud-first strategy, we strive to deliver solutions that are optimized for the world and enable customers to drive their business more successfully. We contribute to our company’s mission through delivering excellence in the Corporate Accounting organization.

The team’s charter is to partner with a broad group of stakeholders to build out the end-to-end Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure, while optimizing investments and enabling accounting solutions that are scalable and mitigate risk. We are looking for a talented and motivated individual to help shape the future of our cloud infrastructure accounting systems and processes.

As Group Accounting Manager, Data Center Infrastructure, you are a key member of the team and will be responsible for overseeing controllership for data center fixed assets and operations, including enabling process excellence, enhancing controls, providing accounting guidance for new arrangements and scaling a multi-billion dollar portfolio. This role is expected to operate with autonomy across organizational boundaries and drive transformation initiatives that directly improve controllership outcomes, including financial statement accuracy, error reduction, and financial risk mitigation.

At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.

• Reviews month end close deliverables, such as journal entries, reports, disclosures, etc. related to datacenter fixed asset and operations accounting to ensure compliance with accounting policies and guidelines. Drives resolution of business partner/stakeholders' inquiries, accounting deviations, and data anomalies.
• Performs gap analysis and helps business process owners design and implement financial controls in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley.
• Advise on new business arrangements and contracts, and fields complex questions from business partners to ensure alignment with accounting standards and guidelines.
• Drives process-improvement efforts by collecting and reviewing business partner and team feedback and incorporating industry optimal practices. Identifies, evaluates, and leverages technology that could automate or speed up internal processes.
• Collaborate with global stakeholders to meet regulatory, statutory, audit and compliance requirements.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to drive insight and clarity on accounting guidance to help inform business decisions and financial planning (forecast, targets, long range planning).
• Contribute to ongoing strategic system transformation initiatives by providing thought leadership and business requirements.
• Embody our culture and values 

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business, Accounting /Finance, or related field AND 6+ years accounting or finance experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting /Finance, or related field AND 7+ years accounting or finance experience OR equivalent experience.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business, Accounting /Finance, or related field AND 8+ years accounting or finance experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting /Finance, or related field AND 12+ years accounting or finance experience OR equivalent experience.
• Professional accounting certification such as CPA or equivalent.
• Previous controllership experience in large multinational companies transacting in multiple currencies, and experience with international accounting standards/requirements.
• Advanced skills in applications, such as Excel and Power BI.
• Large scale ERP experience e.g., SAP.
• Solid cross group collaboration, interpersonal skills, and passion to drive execution and results across multiple teams and business partners.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to dive into details and get things done.
• Comfortable dealing with ambiguity.
• Ability to deeply understand and anticipate issues, as well as prioritize and define a course of action in evolving areas.