General Ledger Manager

Topstep•Chicago, IL

5d•$140,000 - $160,000

About The Position

The GL Manager is a hands-on people leader accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and audit-readiness of the general ledger areas owned by the team. The role manages a team of three to five, including two Senior GL Accountants, an AP Specialist, and GL Accountants, and combines direct ownership of several close areas with coaching, review, and prioritization of the broader accounting team’s work. The position owns payroll accounting, equity rollforwards, accounts payable coding and payouts, monthly flux and variance analysis, and second-level review of work performed by Senior GL Accountants and the GL Accountants reporting to them. Team-owned areas include bank transaction coding and uploading, cash reconciliations, prepaid expenses, fixed assets and capitalized software, leases, accrued expenses, accounts payable, expense reports and corporate credit cards, payout expenses and returns, and intercompany clearing. Ownership and processes may evolve as Topstep’s finance organization matures, so the manager is expected to flex into new areas and help define ownership as the team scales. The GL Manager directly manages and develops the Senior GL Accountants and AP Specialist, prioritizes workloads, coaches staff, supports performance management, and sets daily and monthly priorities in line with the close calendar established with the Assistant Controller and Controller. The manager performs and reviews payroll accounting, maintains payroll-related reconciliations and procedures, oversees AP coding and payout activity, prepares monthly flux analysis, and maintains equity rollforward schedules. The role reviews balance sheet reconciliations, journal entries, and supporting schedules before Assistant Controller review, resolves or escalates complex or aged items, and ensures team accounts have documented processes, designated preparers and reviewers, and audit-ready support. The position also prepares or reviews audit schedules and support, adheres to internal controls and accounting policies, identifies control gaps and process improvements, and uses NetSuite and related tools effectively. It partners with People/HR, Payroll, FP&A, Treasury, Product/Engineering, Legal, Tax, and outside advisors as needed to support accurate data flows and accounting treatment. Responsibilities may expand or shift with business needs, and the role may take on ad hoc projects or other duties assigned by the Assistant Controller or Controller. The posting describes an engaging working environment ranging from fully remote to hybrid, with collaboration supported by cameras-on meetings and Slack. The new-hire base salary range is $140,000–$160,000 annually, and the position is eligible for a performance-based bonus.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
6–8+ years of progressive accounting experience.
Hands-on month-end close experience across multiple general ledger areas.
Experience with payroll accounting, accounts payable, and expense classification, including COGS versus SG&A.
At least 2 years directly managing or supervising accounting staff.
Experience reviewing others’ work and providing constructive feedback.
Experience capitalizing internally developed software.
Experience with NetSuite or a similar ERP system.
Proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP.
Experience in high-volume, multi-entity, or multi-processor environments.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple close deadlines and direct reports simultaneously.
Detail orientation and strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Effective communication skills and ability to coach staff and work cross-functionally.
Demonstrated ability to bring structure and process discipline to evolving or ambiguous areas of ownership.

Nice To Haves

CPA or active pursuit of CPA.

Responsibilities

Directly manage and develop two Senior GL Accountants and the AP Specialist, including workload prioritization, coaching, and performance management.
Provide second-level review and sign-off on work performed by GL Accountants reporting to the Senior GL Accountants.
Set daily and monthly team priorities in line with the month-end close calendar established with the Assistant Controller and Controller.
Identify staffing, training, and process gaps and recommend solutions to the Assistant Controller; proactively escalate risks and resourcing constraints.
Own payroll-related journal entries, including regular payroll, subsidiary expense allocations, fringe benefits, and management fee allocations.
Partner with People/HR and Payroll on GL mapping, coding of new departments and entities, and payroll data discrepancies.
Reconcile payroll-related balance sheet accounts monthly and maintain and improve payroll accounting SOPs and CSV upload templates.
Oversee AP coding accuracy across vendors, departments, and entities, including review of the AP Specialist’s coding and approver training.
Oversee payout-related AP activity with Senior GL Accountants, including bill creation, payout returns, and related AP reconciliations.
Review and approve AP aging, ensure it ties to the trial balance, and drive resolution of long-outstanding items.
Perform monthly period-over-period and, where applicable, budget-to-actual flux analysis for team-owned accounts, including payroll, AP-driven expenses, and COGS/SG&A lines.
Investigate and document significant fluctuations, distinguish business drivers from coding or classification issues, and review COGS versus SG&A classifications.
Summarize flux commentary for the Assistant Controller and Controller ahead of monthly and quarterly reporting deadlines.
Prepare and maintain monthly equity rollforward schedules for Topstep LLC and applicable subsidiaries; ensure they tie to the trial balance and are supported by documentation.
Partner with Legal, Tax, and outside advisors on in-kind contributions, intercompany transfers, and entity restructurings affecting equity; provide quarterly equity activity summaries for review.
Review and approve Senior GL Accountants’ balance sheet reconciliations, journal entries, and supporting schedules before Assistant Controller review.
Ensure team-owned accounts have identified preparers and reviewers, documented processes, and audit-ready support; resolve or escalate aged and complex reconciling items.
Prepare or review audit schedules and support requests related to owned GL areas and maintain audit-ready documentation.
Adhere to internal controls and accounting policies and identify and flag control gaps to management.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency across owned close areas and team workflows.
Use NetSuite and related tools, including CSV import templates and reconciliation tools, and support system improvements as directed.
Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure payroll, AP, and other data flows accurately into the general ledger.
Take on ad hoc projects or other duties assigned by the Assistant Controller or Controller as business needs evolve.