Manager - Operations Accounting

Job Description

Job Description

Manager - Operational Accounting

Citation is one of the largest privately-held independent oil and gas acquisition, development and production companies in the United States. Founded in 1981 by Forrest E. Harrell, Sr., Citation has built a significant portfolio of mature, long-life producing properties through a combination of disciplined acquisitions, focused operations and subsequent development. The Company has an enviable track record in attracting and retaining high-quality talent. This is the result of a stable, long-term business model and a corporate culture that emphasizes working smart, “doing business the right way,” and rewarding both performance and technical achievement. We are looking for talented and driven individuals to join our team, where you will have the opportunity to make a tangible impact helping to shape the future of our company and industry.

The Manager of Operations Accounting will leverage deep operational accounting knowledge, including COPAS, to manage responsibilities for hands-on audit coordination spanning operational audits, outside-operated joint interest audits, non-operated interest owner audits of the company as well as supporting financial statement integrity, assisting in financial audit support, internal control compliance, lease/royalty compliance, acquisition/disposition accounting support and settlement statement preparation and review The role may have limited exposure to researching, interpreting, and implementing complex U.S. GAAP accounting guidance specific to the upstream oil and gas industry, and assisting with ensuring accurate financial reporting.

Responsibilities:

Audit Coordination and Management

Outside-Operated Joint Interest Audits

• Manage the company's non-operated working interest audit program under COPAS audit protocols and applicable JOAs
• Select audit candidates based on risk assessment (spend levels, operator history, AFE variances) and coordinate audit scope, timing, and notice letters within JOA-defined audit windows
• Review operator-billed JIB statements, overhead rates, and cost allocations for compliance with the JOA and COPAS Accounting Procedures
• Engage and/or oversee third-party audit firms for joint audits with other non-operating partners
• Negotiate and resolve audit findings/exceptions with operators; track recoveries and ensure timely receipt of credits or refunds
• Maintain audit findings documentation and exception logs; report recovery results to management

Non-Operated Interest Owner Audits of the Company (Operator-Side)

• Serve as the company's primary point of contact when non-operated working interest partners exercise their audit rights under JOA/COPAS provisions on wells/properties the company operates
• Coordinate audit logistics with requesting partners and/or their third-party audit firms, including audit notice review, scope negotiation, scheduling, and on-site/remote data room support
• Prepare and organize JIB billing support, AFE documentation, invoice backup, overhead calculations, and allocation methodologies for auditor review
• Represent the company in audit exit meetings; evaluate and respond to audit findings/exceptions, including determining validity of proposed adjustments
• Negotiate resolution of disputed items with auditing partners and process approved credits/adjustments through JIB
• Track audit requests, findings, and outstanding exceptions across all partner audits; identify recurring issues and recommend process improvements to reduce future findings
• Partner with operations and land teams to ensure underlying field documentation (AFEs, invoices, allocations) is audit-ready on an ongoing basis

Operational Audits

• Coordinate with CAO and Investor Internal Audit Group for the planned periodic audits and controls health checks of company processes.
• Assist with the evaluation of compliance with internal policies, COPAS guidelines, and JOA terms
• Proactively identify process gaps and cost-control opportunities across operated assets; report findings and corrective action plans to management.
• Coordinate with operations and accounting teams to validate that field practices align with contractual terms, internal policies, and accounting requirements.

Acquisition and Disposition Accounting

• Review purchase and sale agreements for relevant terms and settlement statement criteria
• Provide comments on draft agreements to adjust language for more favorable terms
• Coordinate with operational accounting teams to gather necessary data for settlement statement preparation and ensure proper cutoff timing
• Coordinate with land on timing of transaction, prepare the settlement statement within the allotted timeframe and deliver final reviewed statement to land for delivery to the buyer or seller.

Financial Audits

• Serve as a liaison with external auditors for the annual financial statement audit, including PBC list management, timeline coordination, and issue resolution
• Prepare and review technical accounting memos and supporting schedules requested by auditors
• Track open audit items and ensure timely closure of management letter comments standards

Financial Reporting & Cross-Functional Support

• Assist as needed in preparation of footnote disclosures for annual financial statements.
• Provide drafts or example footnotes for any newly required disclosures
• Train and mentor accounting staff on audit-readiness practices and the related technical issues

Technical Accounting

• Research and document accounting positions on complex transactions (e.g., business combinations, asset acquisitions/divestitures, joint interest arrangements, farm-ins/farm-outs, asset retirement obligations, impairment testing)
• Monitor new and evolving FASB pronouncements (ASC 932, ASC 410, ASC 805, ASC 606, leases under ASC 842) and assess impact on the company
• Draft formal accounting memos and white papers supporting management's positions on significant or judgmental transactions.
• Partner with reserves engineers on reserve-based calculations including depletion (DD&A), impairment analysis, and asset retirement obligation estimates
• Support purchase accounting and integration for M&A activity, including divestiture and acquisition accounting

Information Systems

• Provide support for ERP implementation with an eye towards internal controls, segregation of duties, and consistency of data transferred from prior systems.
• Maintain process documentation for the conversion of the accounting system in an audit ready format.

Qualifications:

Requirements

• Four-year degree in Accounting
• CPA or Master’s Degree required
• Minimum of 10+ years of accounting experience, with 5+ years of upstream oil and gas industry or public accounting experience within the oil and gas sector.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP
• SOX/internal controls experience (design, testing, remediation)
• Demonstrated experience with COPAS-based joint interest audits
• Experience managing external audit relationships

Preferred Qualifications

• COPAS certification or formal joint interest audit training
• Experience with full cost accounting methodology
• Experience hosting/defending JIB audits, including exception negotiation
• Experience with ONRR audits, state royalty audits, or federal/Indian lease compliance
• Strong working knowledge with JIB/revenue accounting systems (Excalibur or other)
• Familiarity with M&A accounting (purchase price allocations, divestiture gain/loss accounting)
• Expertise in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, lookup commands, macros, toggles
• Proficiency in Word and Outlook applications

Education:

• Four-year degree in Accounting
• CPA or Master’s Degree required