Sr. Manager, External Reporting and Technical Accounting

Senior Manager, External Reporting And Technical Accounting

Location: Lake Forest, IL

Position Summary: The Senior Manager, External Reporting and Technical Accounting will play a critical role in a private equity backed environment, supporting accurate, timely financial reporting and providing technical accounting leadership through rapid growth, transactions, and operational change. This role will serve as a key leader within the corporate accounting team, responsible for overseeing external financial reporting and providing expert guidance on complex technical accounting matters. This role ensures financial statements are prepared accurately, on time, and in accordance with U.S. GAAP while supporting business transactions, lender and investor reporting, and evolving accounting. This highly-visible role will require regular communication with the Corporate Controller, Chief Accounting Officer, CFO, other corporate department heads (Legal, FP&A, Treasury, etc.), and business unit finance leaders. The ideal candidate will have leadership capabilities, solid accounting and reporting background, and work proactively to drive results in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial & External Reporting

• Lead the preparation and review of quarterly and annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
• Oversee financial reporting deliverables for lenders, investors, and other external stakeholders, including covenant reporting and ad hoc reporting requests.
• Serve as a primary accounting liaison for the annual audit, quarterly reviews, and other assurance engagements, including providing support to external auditors and managing the flow of information and documentation.
• Ensure accurate and consistent financial statement disclosures and footnotes, including reviewing the disclosure checklist, ensuring complete and accurate data is utilized during the preparation process, and resolution of comments on the document.
• Ensure accuracy in periodic governmental and census filings.

Technical Accounting & Policy

• Research, interpret, and document accounting conclusions for complex or non-routine transactions, including revenue recognition, business combinations, goodwill and impairment, share-based compensation, leases, debt modifications, and equity transactions.
• Prepare and maintain technical accounting memoranda and position papers to support critical judgments.
• Monitor new accounting standards and assess applicability and adoption impacts for a private company.
• Provide technical guidance to accounting and finance teams on GAAP matters.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with FP&A, Legal, Tax, Treasury, HR, and operations to support accurate accounting outcomes for business initiatives and strategic transactions.
• Support M&A activity, including financial due diligence, purchase accounting, opening balance sheet adjustments, and post close accounting integration.
• Assist leadership with accounting considerations related to growth initiatives, financing activities, restructurings and other transformational transactions, as needed.
• Proactively build relationships and invest in getting to know cross-functional partners and listen to understand what's most important to them. Works to establish trust, reliability, and partnership with teams across our business.

People, Process & Controls

• Lead, mentor, and develop members of the external reporting and technical accounting team.
• Drive process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and documentation across close and reporting processes.
• Support internal control and SOX-like compliance frameworks as applicable, including control design, documentation, and remediation.
• Leverage systems and reporting tools to streamline reporting and improve data quality.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field.
• CPA required.
• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including public accounting and/or technical accounting experience in industry.
• Proficient understanding of U.S. GAAP, including complex accounting topics.
• Experience leading audits and preparing external financial statements.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to operate effectively in a dynamic, growing environment.

Preferred

• Experience in a private-equity-backed, multi-entity, or high-growth company.
• Background supporting M&A, financing transactions, or significant operational change.
• Experience with ERP systems and reporting tools (e.g., SAP, OneStream, Hyperion, Active Disclosure).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex accounting matters to non-accounting stakeholders.

Key Competencies

• Strong technical accounting judgment and financial reporting excellence
• Business partnership mindset and an ability to interact with all levels of management, up to and including CFO.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines, with attention to detail and an ability to work independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a high level of written communications proficiency.
• Leadership and team development