Intern, Accounting AI Analytics

Based in our Corporate Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL, Mizkan America is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor to Life™ for over 220 years. As one of the leading makers of vinegars, condiments, and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty-Asian and food-ingredient trade channels. We are committed to following our two core principles: continuously challenging the status quo and delivering only the finest products for our customers. Our leadership seeks out, embraces, and implements ideas for improvement from all of its employees. Transparency and accountability are two key factors that drive our company’s overall management approach.

We are looking for people who are seeking to deliver their best so that we can deliver ours. Above all, we’re dedicated to maximizing the potential of our greatest assets—our team members. That’s reflected in our ongoing commitment to recruit, develop, reward, and retain our talented, multicultural workforce. We hope to see you as part of our team’s future success!

POSITION SUMMARY:   

The Accounting Analytics Intern supports the Accounting & Finance team by analyzing financial close and operational data, strengthening reporting and controls, and applying analytics and AI tools to improve efficiency in repeatable accounting processes. This role works with ERP data (e.g., D365, Financial Reporter), analytics tools (Excel, Power BI), and approved GenAI capabilities to deliver standardized analyses, explain drivers of financial results, and help pilot supervised automation use cases. Typical projects may include variance analysis, reconciliation exception review, anomaly identification, close checklist support, and first‑draft variance explanations—all while maintaining strong governance, auditability, and data privacy standards.

Essential Functions:

• Support period‑end close analytics, including trend and variance analysis, flux explanations, and roll‑forward schedules for P&L, balance sheet, and key accounts.
• Build and maintain KPI dashboards (Excel, Power BI) for close performance, working capital, inventory, and cost drivers; ensure definitions, logic, and assumptions are clearly documented.
• Assist with account reconciliations and account analysis by investigating exceptions, tie‑outs, and unusual activity; escalate issues with clear supporting evidence.
• Apply structured problem‑solving to identify and explain root causes of variances (e.g., volume, price, mix, absorption, PPV, yield).
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain teams to validate inventory movement, standard costs, and manufacturing variances; support cycle count and reserve analytics.
• Support internal controls and audit readiness by maintaining schedules, documenting assumptions, and following SOX and internal control procedures, as applicable.
• Assist in the design and testing of AI‑enabled solutions to reduce manual effort (e.g., reconciliation exception triage, outlier detection, close task tracking, draft variance narratives), with documented logic and required human review.
• Maintain data quality and integrity by validating source‑to‑report mappings, tracking metric definitions, and creating simple data dictionaries.
• Support journal entry preparation and analysis, where permitted, including gathering support, validating reasonableness, and ensuring compliance with approval workflows and policy.
• Contribute to forecasting and scenario analysis by translating operational drivers into financial impacts and summarizing risks and opportunities with quantified ranges.
• Develop executive‑ready materials, including clear visuals, concise summaries, and well‑documented calculations; automate recurring analyses where appropriate.
• Leverage approved M365 AI tools (e.g., Copilot, Copilot Studio, Power Apps) in accordance with responsible data handling and governance standards.
• Perform other related duties that support the success of the team, department, or organization, including cross‑functional initiatives, process improvements, and special projects.
• Ownership and accuracy: Deliver timely, well‑supported analyses; document assumptions; comply with close controls, approvals, and data access requirements.
• Continuous improvement: Standardize repeatable work, automate responsibly (Power Query, Power Automate, approved AI tools), and ensure outputs remain traceable and audit‑
• Responsible AI use: Protect confidential and sensitive data, validate AI outputs before use, and maintain documentation to ensure results are reproducible.
• This list is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities required for this role.
• Regular, predictable, in-person attendance on the business days the Company requires in-person attendance at this facility.  (In-person attendance is optional on the other workdays.)  For non-required-in-person attendance days, employees are expected to be present and engaged during the designated work hours for this role.

Key Skills/Competencies: 

• Strong accounting and analytical foundation (variance analysis, reconciliation, controls mindset).
• Data storytelling: turns analysis into clear insights for non-technical stakeholders (written and verbal communication).
• Comfort working with datasets: basic data validation, repeatable logic, and documentation of assumptions.
• Proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, Power Query, modeling), Power BI (preferred), Python a plus.
• SQL familiarity and comfort working with data sources from databases/ERP extracts, (preferred), exposure to cloud analytics platforms (e.g., Azure) is a plus.
• Experience (or strong interest) in BI/automation: Power BI, Power Query, Power Automate, or similar tools.
• Interest in GenAI/M365 CoPilot and Agentic Automation to streamline accounting tasks (prompting, output checking, basic evaluation) while following confidentiality and governance requirements.
• Organized and deadline-oriented; able to support close timelines and manage multiple workstreams.
• High integrity and attention to detail; understands the importance of audit trail and reproducibility.

Education/Experience/Qualifications/Certifications:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Analytics, MIS, or related field.
• Senior undergraduate or graduate student preferred with coursework in financial accounting, cost/managerial accounting, and data/analytics.
• Relevant academic or personal projects in accounting/finance analytics, process automation, or responsible use of AI tools to improve close/reconciliation workflows.
• Demonstrated analytical performance (typical minimum GPA 3.0/4.0 or higher) and interest in applying AI to finance/accounting problems.
• Prior internship or project experience in finance/accounting analytics preferred (case competitions, research, campus roles).

 The hourly rate for this internship position is $20 per hour.

Physical Requirements and Work Conditions:

• Ability to remain seated at a workstation for extended periods (up to 8 hours per day).
• Frequent use of hands and fingers for typing, writing, and handling office equipment.
• Ability to view computer screens and read printed materials for prolonged periods.
• Occasional standing, walking, and reaching within the office environment.
• Ability to lift and carry office supplies or equipment weighing up to 10–15 lbs.
• Adequate hearing and speech to communicate effectively in person and via phone/video.

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