Dsw, Inc. Work Values

Daily Duties at Dsw, Inc.:

My responsibilities at DSW began with the following mission statement: Through great execution and customer service, the controllership function will provide timely & accurate financial information, financial analysis and financial disciplines for DSW Inc. I oversaw the following departments\roles: -Disclosure Committee Chairperson, -Talent development-self, team, associate with weekly associate touch bases and quarterly team meetings to share goals & objectives -Overall Finance\Accounting Systems ownership-partnered with IT to complete over 100 "wish list"(Foundational, Controls, Efficiency) finance system improvement items over 3 years, -Corporate Accounting & External Reporting (General ledger maintenance & intercompany accounting, Yearly\Qtrly\Monthly Close management...I conducted a month end close audit during my first year to identify efficiencies, redundancies and opportunities to centralize accounting controls & processes to reduce time and errors, Produced accurate and timely Financial statements...transitioned Lawson financial statements to Hyperion platform that allowed for greater functionality an scalability to support the growing needs of the business, Performed Technical Accounting Research & Memos, Budgeting\Projections, Internal Hyperion reporting, Lease\Occupancy Accounting, Marketing Analysis & accounting to support liabilities required for reward members ($15-$20 million), Fixed Assets and Capital Accounting...implemented new Lawson Project Accounting module to better track, control, and provide reporting on capital projects totaling more than $100 million annually, SEC reporting & compliance, Balance sheet reviews & management...oversaw monthly balance sheet meetings with accounting managers to ensure all accounts were balanced and supported, Audit Committee\Investor Relations preparation of financial materials & analysis to support quarter end investor calls, Direct contact for External Audit firm (D&T) to ensure transparency & collaboration), -Internal Controls (SOX), -Vendor Finance (Managed Accounts payable payments in excess of $1 billion, Travel & expense management, Freight\Duty\Commission Analysis performed quarterly to ensure inventory loads were correctly valued and challenged, Implementation of Procurement processes to tighten controls and streamline a paperless environment...improved on time payment rate, merchandise automatch rate and electronic payment rate to over 90% over 2 year period from approx 75% by identifying\addressing vendors and process issues that caused delays with expectations, support and measurement tools to monitor improvement. Also completed transition of outsourcing AP payments to Wells Fargo to improve processing time and eliminate internal control risks.) -Sales Audit & Cash Management (Tender balancing with banks, Sales balancing with tender & inventory...we created a new role to reconcile & balance internal systems between sales & inventory to ensure all transactions were recorded accurately & timely, Implemented a new cash reconciliation system-Reconnect, Implemented new automated daily sales reporting) -Inventory control & analysis (Unit & cost accuracy at a sku level...improved absolute unit accuracy in regular prices merchandise from 94% to 96% and clearance priced merchandise from 40% to 75% with store observations and task force meetings to discuss top issues and align on resolutions. For example, stores were mislabeling clearance tags causing clearance merchandise to be incorrectly classified in the stock ledger. This was corrected and significantly improved sku level accuracy, Monthly inventory reviews & variance analyses were shared with the CEO & CFO to explain inventory fluctuations over the prior year and prior quarter, Inventory projections were completed to support the P&L projections and cash flow requirements, oversight of semi annual physical inventory process...that saw shrink improve from 1.5% to 1.2% due to improved shrink reporting and inventory accuracy initiatives) -IT Finance (Managed accounting, projections & budgets for the $50 Million technology department, Performed analysis to determine cost benefit for capital purchases, Managed Professional fees & payroll to ensure maximum efficiency) -Segment Finance Support (Managed accounting, reporting, budgeting, forecasting for $200 million business, Supported real estate growth)

What they like about Dsw, Inc.:

Working for a company with an emphasis on social values and helping society is a clear and important priority for you - a critical factor in who you choose to work for. In contrast to other factors, you place an organization's reputation for fairness and concern for the community above most other aspects of the company. As you search for a new job opportunity, it is usually possible to find out if the company is involved in the community and/or if it is addressing problems and issues in society. Pay special attention to non-profit organizations and those specifically involved in social action. Moreover, speaking with current and former employees should enlighten you to perceptions of the fairness of the company's leaders and the treatment of employees.

Tags

Internal controls, Budgeting, Financial Statements, SAP, Oracle, Reporting, Regulatory Compliance, SEC Regulations, SOX Regulations, Strategic Planning, Team Leadership, Motivation, Audit Support, Cost Benefit Analysis, Process Improvement, Sales Forecasting, International Business, Procurement, Vendor Relations, GAAP, Data Warehouse Management, Inventory Control, Client relations, Capital Management, Retail operations, Multi-channel marketing, Project Management, Hyperion Reporting, Communications

Skills

Leadership, Team & Individual Development, Communication, Technical Accumen, Strategic Planning, Process Improvement, Collaboration, Adaptability, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, SAP\Oracle\Lawson\Hyperion Experience

These are some of the questions we asked our climbers about their experiences with Dsw, Inc.: