Title: Accounting Analyst I
Location: Buffalo, NY
Schedule: 4 days onsite, 1 day remote (typically Monday or Friday)
Contract Length: Through December 2026 with potential extension
Position Overview
The Accounting Analyst I will support M&T Bank's Allowance for Credit Losses (ACL/CECL) team, which is responsible for forecasting credit losses and calculating reserve requirements under ASC 326 guidance. The role exists to provide additional support for quarterly allowance processes, financial analysis, reporting preparation, and SEC disclosure activities.
This is a highly analytical position focused on understanding and explaining financial results, not simply producing reports. The analyst will spend significant time working in Excel, reviewing model outputs, analyzing variances, updating recurring quarterly reporting packages, and supporting regulatory reporting requirements. While the process is repetitive quarter-to-quarter, success requires strong attention to detail, curiosity, and the ability to understand the story behind financial movements.
Key Responsibilities
- Support quarterly Allowance for Credit Losses (ACL/CECL) forecasting and reporting processes.
- Analyze loss forecast outputs generated by statistical models.
- Manipulate, reconcile, and validate large datasets within Excel.
- Replicate and update existing quarterly reporting workpapers and analyses.
- Investigate and explain significant fluctuations, trends, and variances in financial results.
- Prepare presentations, reporting packages, and supporting documentation for management.
- Support SEC and EDGAR reporting activities, including financial disclosure preparation.
- Work with data sourced from SQL Server and Excel-based reporting tools.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, or related field.
- Strong Excel skills and comfort working with large datasets.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to interpret financial data and explain results.
- Strong learning agility and ability to absorb complex financial processes.
- Professional communication skills.
- Ability to work onsite in Buffalo.
Preferred Qualifications
- Banking, financial services, or financial institution experience.
- Experience working within a bank finance organization or back-office finance function.
- Exposure to CECL, ACL, ASC 326, loan loss reserves, or credit loss forecasting.
- SEC or regulatory reporting experience.
- Power Query experience.
- Basic SQL or SQL Server knowledge.
- Experience working with statistical model outputs and financial forecasting processes.
Technical Environment
Required Knowledge
- Financial analysis
- Variance analysis
- Regulatory and financial reporting concepts
- Data reconciliation
- Forecasting and reserve methodologies
- Financial statement interpretation
Tools Used
- Microsoft Excel
- Power Query
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Adobe
- EDGAR reporting tools
- Statistical forecasting models
