Full-Time

Senior Accountant

Posted on 9/12/2025

Challenge Manufacturing

Challenge Manufacturing

1,001-5,000 employees

High-speed automotive stamping, welding, and assembly

No salary listed

Grand Rapids, MI, USA

In Person

Category
Accounting (1)
Required Skills
Forecasting
Risk Management
Excel/Numbers/Sheets
Requirements
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Finance or Accounting
  • Minimum three years of relevant public accounting experience with increasing responsibility
  • CPA designation or working towards it
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills; proficiency with Microsoft Office
  • Strong knowledge of financial statements and tax reporting requirements
  • Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis (preferred)
  • Familiarity with internal control frameworks (COSO) and risk management practices
  • Exposure to ERP system implementations or financial system upgrades (plus)
  • Demonstrated ability to lead projects or mentor peers
  • Strong analytical mindset with ability to translate financial data into actionable insights
  • Proven ability to work cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, and other departments
  • Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
  • High personal accountability; takes responsibility for actions and results
  • Thorough, accurate, and reliable in performing job tasks; maintains integrity
  • Resolves conflict constructively and maintains positive work relationships
  • Seeks and uses feedback to improve performance and collaboration
  • Works with urgency and focus to meet internal and external customer needs
  • Adapts to new situations and applies critical thinking to solve problems
  • Embraces change positively as an opportunity for growth
  • Works collaboratively and shares knowledge to support team success
Responsibilities
  • Facilitate and review annual corporate tax filings for various LLCs and corporations across multiple jurisdictions
  • Prepare and support third-party tax requests and schedules
  • Manage Sales/Use Tax filings across multiple jurisdictions
  • Validate and update customer pricing in the ERP system
  • Manage intercompany pricing and reconciliations
  • Perform reconciliation and analysis of inventory
  • Calculate and update standard costs as needed
  • Participate in physical inventory counts
  • Identify and post recurring and non-recurring journal entries
  • Prepare monthly account reconciliations
  • Assist with internal and external financial reporting packages
  • Maintain and reconcile tooling jobs, including related revenue recognition
  • Coordinate non-recurring projects with senior leadership
  • Assist in developing and monitoring annual budgets and quarterly forecasts
  • Perform variance analysis and present findings to senior leadership
  • Assist with internal control development, documentation, and evaluation
  • Support compliance with audits and risk assessments
  • Lead or contribute to process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and accuracy
  • Participate in ERP upgrades or implementations as a liaison between Accounting and IT
  • Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, and Supply Chain on inventory accuracy and cost control
  • Serve as a finance partner to other departments to evaluate financial impacts of business decisions
  • Mentor junior accounting staff and support onboarding/training efforts
  • Take on stretch assignments or lead projects to build leadership capabilities
Desired Qualifications
  • Budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis experience preferred
  • Familiarity with COSO internal control framework and risk management practices preferred
  • Exposure to ERP implementations or financial system upgrades preferred
  • Ability to mentor junior staff preferred but not required
  • Experience with audits and risk assessment processes preferred
Challenge Manufacturing

Challenge Manufacturing

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Challenge Manufacturing specializes in high-speed progressive stamping, high-tonnage transfer, automated assembly, and multiple welding methods (resistance, projection, MIG, drawn arc stud welding) to produce automotive structures for Tier 1 suppliers. Its processes turn raw metal into precise, high-quality assemblies through automated lines with about 1,500 industrial robots across 12 locations, enabling fast production and high consistency. The company differentiates itself by its large, employee-owned ESOP model that aligns worker incentives with company success, a global footprint, and a culture built on Safety, Ownership, and Teamwork, alongside its scale and focus on automotive structures. The goal is to be the best global supplier of automotive structures while delivering value to its employee-owners.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$100M

Headquarters

Walker, Michigan

Founded

1981

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • EV production reaching 35% of global sales by 2030 drives lightweight assembly demand.
  • Nearshoring trends increase North American OEM capacity 15-20% through 2027, favoring Challenge.
  • Tier 1 supplier consolidation creates M&A opportunities for employee-owned companies to scale.

What critics are saying

  • EV transition reduces stamped metal component demand; integrated battery housings favor composites.
  • Chinese suppliers undercut pricing; Challenge's Michigan cost structure cannot compete.
  • Top 3 OEM customers represent 60-75% revenue; 20% production drop loses 15-25% revenue.

What makes Challenge Manufacturing unique

  • 1,500+ industrial robots with AI-driven predictive maintenance reduce downtime 25-30%.
  • Employee-owned ESOP structure aligns workforce incentives with long-term operational excellence.
  • Specialized welding expertise positions Challenge for emerging EV battery enclosure demand.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Short-Term Disability

Basic Life

Voluntary Life

LTD

401(k) Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Referral Bonus Program

Challenge Incentive Program

Paid Time Off

ESOP shares

Company News

Business Wire
Oct 17th, 2023
WhiteHawk Capital Partners Provides Senior Term Loan Facility to Challenge Manufacturing

WhiteHawk Capital Partners, LP announced it has entered into an agreement with Challenge Mfg. Company, LLC to provide a senior term loan facility.

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