Lease Audit Sr. Manager

Cushman & Wakefield

2d•$119,000 - $140,000

About The Position

The Lease Audit Sr. Manager leads the Lease Audit Team within the Global Portfolio Lease Administration service line, which supports approximately 400 corporate client accounts. The role is accountable for team leadership, audit delivery, billing coordination, operational governance, client relationships, business development, and financial performance across a global real estate portfolio. The manager leads a multidisciplinary team of four full-scope lease auditors and one Lease Audit Coordinator. Acting as a player/coach, the manager oversees a high volume of concurrent client audits while independently managing complex assignments, providing technical guidance, and ensuring quality, timely delivery, and adherence to audit standards. The role also coordinates with EMEA and APAC teams and manages third-party auditors and vendors. The position owns the team’s playbook and standard operating procedures, oversees billing, receivables, project tracking, and reporting, and drives process improvements. It serves as a trusted client advisor, supports pitches and account expansion, and partners with PLA leadership and finance teams on budgets, forecasts, revenue, profitability, and cost control. Business development activities are expected to take approximately 15% of team capacity.

Requirements

CPA required.
Proven experience in lease audit, financial analysis, or real estate accounting.
Strong leadership and team development capabilities.
Expertise in client relationship management and strategic account oversight.
Experience managing billing, accounts receivable, and revenue tracking.
Demonstrated ability in process improvement and standard operating procedure development.
Experience in cross-regional collaboration and global portfolio management.
Strong audit execution, review, and quality assurance skills.
Experience managing third-party vendors and external partners.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Smartsheet or comparable project tracking tools.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage a multidisciplinary Lease Audit Team of four auditors and one Lease Audit Coordinator.
Recruit, develop, and retain talent; conduct annual performance evaluations and mid-year reviews; set performance objectives; and provide coaching and mentorship.
Ensure quality assurance, consistency, and adherence to audit standards across team deliverables.
Oversee end-to-end audit billing, including client invoice preparation, coordination with auditors and accounting teams, receivables monitoring, delinquency management, and revenue integrity.
Track third-party audit firm billing thresholds and approvals, and ensure vendors are paid following client collections.
Own and maintain the Lease Audit Team Playbook and standard operating procedures, aligning them with evolving GAAP standards and company policies.
Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency, scalability, and service quality.
Oversee project tracking and reporting using tools such as Smartsheet, ensuring visibility and accuracy for audit pipelines, project status, billing, receivables, and financial metrics.
Direct a large portfolio of client engagements and a high volume of concurrent audits, prioritizing work based on property type, audit history, recovery potential, and other relevant factors.
Act as a player/coach by leading the team while independently managing complex audit assignments and providing technical guidance and escalation support.
Ensure timely delivery of client-facing audit status reports and quarterly reporting for PLA and IPM leadership.
Manage third-party auditor and vendor relationships to support timely execution, accurate reporting and billing, capacity needs, and conflict-of-interest mitigation.
Serve as a trusted client advisor, maintain client satisfaction, identify risks, resolve issues through root cause analysis, and provide expertise on best practices and emerging trends.
Represent Lease Audit in client pitches, onboarding discussions, and strategic meetings; partner with brokerage and operational teams on new business and client expansion.
Support business development, contributing approximately 15% of team capacity; identify cross-sell opportunities, promote service enhancements, and assist with client case studies.
Partner with the Global Head of PLA, Americas PLA Lead, and GOS Finance on annual budgets and forecasts.
Own annual Lease Audit revenue and profitability targets, monitor monthly and year-to-date financials, address negative variances, and maintain cost control.