The Accounting Operations Manager leads the company's day-to-day transactional accounting operations, with primary responsibility for accounts payable, accounts receivable administration, cash application, payment execution, expense administration, working-capital processes, and related controls. The role manages and improves the processes that feed the general ledger, ensuring transactions are accurate, timely, well controlled, and scalable.
Reporting to the Senior Accounting Manager, this manager partners closely with General Accounting, FP&A, Regional Finance, studio operations, project teams, and external business partners. The role is expected to combine strong operational leadership with a continuous-improvement mindset, using ERP functionality, automation, and disciplined process design to reduce manual work and improve service, control, and visibility.
Job Responsibilities
Accounts Payable & Vendor Operations
- Lead accounts payable administration, including procure-to-pay workflows, vendor and customer onboarding, portal administration, invoice processing, approval routing, posting, payment readiness, employee expenses, and issue resolution.
- Lead vendor administration and tax-reporting processes, including vendor records, W-9 collection, 1099 documentation and filing coordination, payment discrepancies, and related issue resolution.
Accounts Receivable & Working Capital
- Lead accounts receivable administration, including order-to-cash workflows, customer onboarding, portal administration, cash application, collections coordination, and issue resolution.
- Own corporate AR administration and working-capital processes, including aging review, delinquency trends, collection escalation protocols, cash application, issue logs, and follow-up actions. Coordinate closely with Regional Finance, which remains responsible for project billing and project-manager/client billing support.
Cash Management, Payments & Internal Controls
- Serve as a key control owner for payment files, banking and payment workflows, segregation of duties, transaction coding, reconciliations, and exception escalation across platforms such as Plaid, Wise, and other payment or cash-movement tools.
- Maintain and strengthen accounting-operations policies, procedures, internal controls, standard operating procedures, training materials, backup coverage, and segregation-of-duties practices.
Accounting, Close & Compliance Support
- Partner with the General Accounting Manager and broader Corporate Accounting team on month-end close, reconciliations, accruals, cash activity, audit requests, and resolution of accounting or transaction-processing issues.
- Support licensing and other recurring compliance-administration activities assigned to Corporate Accounting, including tracking, renewal coordination, invoice support, and documentation.
Operational Performance & Process Improvement
- Manage monthly AP and AR operating reviews, including key metrics, aging summaries, service-level performance, exception trends, and action items to improve cash flow and reduce risk.
- Establish clear operating metrics and service expectations for accounting operations; use data to identify bottlenecks, recurring exceptions, control gaps, and opportunities to improve throughput and stakeholder experience.
- Lead process-improvement and automation initiatives across transactional accounting, including greater use of ERP functionality, workflow tools, RPA, FinTech platforms, and standardized process design.
Team Leadership & Capability Building
- Develop, coach, and lead accounting-operations staff, creating clear accountability, cross-training, succession coverage, and a culture of continuous improvement and responsive service.
Education and Work Experience
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Work Experience
- 5+ years progressive experience in accounts payable, accounts receivable, accounting operations, or finance operations, including demonstrated supervisory and process-ownership responsibility.
- Experience with ERP/accounting systems, banking portals, payment platforms, expense tools, and AP/AR automation or workflow solutions; experience improving or implementing finance processes and systems is strongly preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong knowledge of procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, payment controls, cash application, collections, aging management, vendor onboarding, expense administration, audit support, segregation of duties, and 1099 compliance.
- Detailed understanding of General Ledger accounting with Project Ledger experience a plus.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze operating data and aging trends, resolve discrepancies, identify root causes, and translate findings into practical process improvements.
- Strong people-leadership, communication, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to work effectively across Corporate Accounting, Regional Finance, project teams, Operations, vendors, clients, and senior leadership.
- High attention to detail, sound judgment, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage deadlines and competing priorities in a high-volume, multi-entity environment.
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills
- Experience with accounting systems (e.g., Vantage) and Microsoft Office
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work with stakeholders at all levels of the organization
- Ability to drive process improvements and support operational changes
- Familiarity with architecture, design, or professional services industry preferred
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