Lead Accountant

Location:

4224 Ridge Lea Road, Amherst New York

Job Summary
The Lead Accountant within Corporate Controllership is responsible for leading and executing complex accounting activities that support accurate, timely, and well-controlled financial results. This role serves as an individual contributor and subject matter resource within the Consumer Controllership organization, with responsibility for owning assigned accounting processes, preparing journal entries, reconciliations, analyzing financial results, resolving complex issues, supporting internal controls, and ensuring compliance with GAAP and company policies. The Lead Accountant partners closely with Financial Operations, Servicing Operations, Technology, Risk, Audit, and business stakeholders to improve accounting quality, strengthen controls, support projects, and drive sustainable process improvements.
Essential Functions

• Lead assigned accounting processes, including preparation and review of journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, amortizations, supporting schedules, and financial analysis.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual close activities by ensuring assigned deliverables are completed accurately, timely, and in accordance with established controls and deadlines.
• Review balance sheet and income statement activity, investigate significant variances, identify root causes, and recommend appropriate accounting or process actions.
• Analyze general ledger activity, subsystem feeds, manual entries, operational data, and supporting documentation to ensure financial results are complete, accurate, and properly supported.
• Serve as a subject matter resource for assigned accounting areas by providing guidance, answering stakeholder questions, and supporting resolution of complex or non-routine issues.
• Support internal control execution, monitoring, and documentation, including quality reviews, GRC testing, control evidence, issue tracking, and remediation activities.
• Prepare and coordinate responses to internal and external audit requests by providing complete, accurate, and well-organized support.
• Partner with Financial Operations, Servicing Operations, business line partners, Risk, Technology, and Audit to resolve accounting issues, improve handoffs, and strengthen end-to-end processes.
• Lead or support departmental and corporate projects by documenting current-state processes, defining requirements, supporting testing, identifying risks or defects, and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, reduce manual effort, standardize procedures, strengthen controls, and improve financial transparency.
• Develop and maintain desktop procedures, process maps, control documentation, accounting support, and other materials that support repeatable execution and audit readiness.
• Use Excel, reporting tools, automation, and data analysis techniques to improve financial review, reconciliation, exception reporting, and management visibility.
• Proactively identify and implement areas of improvement in all aspects of current functions.
• Other duties as assigned by management.
• Perform other duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities and/or activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.
• Comply with all KeyBank policies and procedures, including without limitation, always acting professionally, conducting business ethically, avoiding conflicts of interest, and acting in the best interests of Key’s clients and Key.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent experience required.

Work Experience

• 3+ years of progressive experience in Accounting, Finance, Audit, Controllership, Financial Operations, or a related field required.
• Demonstrated experience around complex accounting processes, including month-end close, account reconciliations, journal entries, variance analysis, financial reporting, internal controls, and audit support.
• Experience leading or supporting process improvement, automation, standardization, control enhancement, or system implementation efforts within a finance or accounting environment.
• Banking, financial services, regulated industry, or shared services experience preferred.

Skills

• Understanding of GAAP, general ledger activity, financial statements, reconciliations, journal entries, accruals, amortizations, account analysis, and financial reporting concepts.
• Ability to independently own, review, and explain accounting processes, including both manual and subsystem entries and the operational drivers behind accounting results.
• Proven ability to investigate significant financial fluctuations, identify root causes, resolve discrepancies, assess accounting impacts, and communicate conclusions clearly.
• Provide accounting support and advice on strategic initiatives to line of business executives and finance teams, while monitoring and assessing the impact of business process changes on the control environment and implement appropriate changes to ensure SOX compliance.
• Ability to lead process improvement efforts by documenting current-state processes, defining future-state solutions, coordinating stakeholders, and driving execution through completion.
• Strong documentation skills, including process maps, desktop procedures, control narratives, test evidence, accounting conclusions, and audit support.
• Advanced Excel skills, including formulas, lookups, pivot tables, macros, complex calculations, and large data set analysis.
• Ability to use data to support decisions, identify trends, monitor exceptions, measure process performance, and recommend practical improvements.
• Bridge Financial Operations, Servicing Operations, Technology, Risk, Audit, and business stakeholders to resolve issues, influence priorities, and implement improvements.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to tailor messages for different stakeholders, present findings, escalate risks, and influence decisions.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, lead deliverables, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrates curiosity, accountability, sound judgment, professional skepticism, ownership, and a continuous improvement mindset.

Core Competencies

• All KeyBank employees are expected to demonstrate Key’s Values and abide by Key’s Code of Conduct.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position is eligible to earn a base salary in the range of $57,000.00 - $87,000.00 annually. Placement within the pay range may differ based upon various factors, including but not limited to skills, experience and geographic location. Compensation for this role also includes eligibility for incentive compensation which may include production, commission, and/or discretionary incentives.

Please click here for a list of benefits for which this position is eligible.

Key has implemented an approach to employee workspaces which prioritizes in-office presence, while providing flexible options in circumstances where roles can be performed effectively in a mobile environment.

Job Posting Expiration Date: 09/28/2026 KeyCorp is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining an inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, pregnancy, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified individuals with disabilities or disabled veterans who are unable or limited in their ability to apply on this site may request reasonable accommodations by emailing [email protected].

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