Royalty Accountant

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

Job Summary: The Royalty Accountant role will be responsible for processing licensee royalty statements and recording royalty and licensing transactions in the general ledger. This position also work with external licensees and assist with their integration of royalty statements into our royalty management system (WestEnd Workspace). This role will also support the Royalty Accounting team with ad-hoc projects and requests as needed.

What you’ll do

• Process and review licensee royalty statements for contract compliance
• Invoice royalties and record transactions in WestEnd Workspace and Dynamics AX, our ERP system
• Contact and follow-up with licensees regarding missing royalty statements and compliance issues
• Resolve licensee reporting issues by working closely with business managers, the Legal department, and the product approvals teams
• Work in collaboration with the Accounts Receivable team on collection of outstanding payments
• Track statements to be processed and update with status of outstanding issues
• Review of licensing contract details to ensure accuracy
• Reconcile licensee accounts
• Prepare licensing and royalty data for reporting out to internal business partners
• Other duties as assigned, including assist with month-end close, assist in preparation of participation reporting to parent company and other parties, assist with licensee audit program, assist with development of standards, processes, and procedures     

What you’ll bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or related degree or equivalent working experience
• 2 - 4 years of GL or AR accounting experience
• 2 - 4 years of reconciliations and researching of reconciliation differences
• Intermediate Excel abilities: subtotal, sort, filter, if statements, vlookups, etc.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and exercise professional judgment
• Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy required
• Ability to retain and recall details of contracts and statements, while also handling many exceptions
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work
• Ability to work in an environment where processes and procedures are changing
• Ability to follow through on resolution of issues over multiple months of time
• Focus on continuous improvement and increasing efficiency
• Excellent communication skills with confidence communicating via email with people where English may not be their primary language
• Ability to maintain a professional but assertive relationship while pursuing licensees and internal associates in order to resolve issues
• Preferred: experience with contracts, licensing and royalties, participations, foreign currency gain/loss, ERP and royalty management systems
• Variance analysis and budget and planning experience is also a plus

How you’ll be successful

Integrity and Respect - Demonstrates integrity and respect by listening to others, seeking to understand a variety of perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results. 

Building Relationships - Builds strong relationships and works co-operatively with others to solve problems and meet team goals. Acknowledges the contributions of others and gives honest, kind and constructive feedback to other team members. 

Passion for Pokémon - Knowledgeable about the Pokémon brand, people, culture, and business.  

Dedicated to Quality - Monitors work for quality and accuracy, follows through on commitments and keeps others informed on progress. Uses a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others to continuously improve.  

Delighting Customers - Aware of customers’ interests and needs and listens carefully and makes sure customers feels heard and important.  

Challenging the Expected - Contributes to new approaches, methods or technologies. Works proactively with others to produce innovative solutions to support the business and customers. Embraces the possibility of failure to risk something new, unique, and special. 

Leads Self - Holds oneself accountable to the core values, and personal goals.  Seek new and challenging assignments to continuously learn and improve. 

What to expect

The role is currently remote, however, when we as a Company determine it is safe to return to in person work, the work will take place onsite in an open-concept office setting in Bellevue.

We offer a professional, fun and creative work environment. While we maintain a good balance between work and life, additional hours may be required at peak times or for specific initiatives. Travel between office locations internationally may be required on occasion.

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. For roles in the United Kingdom, candidates will need the right to work. In some cases, and for some roles, the Company may be able to arrange a visa.