Practice Manager - Accounting Services

Optima Office•San Diego, CA

22d•Hybrid

About The Position

Practice Manager, Accounting Services San Diego, CA | Full-time, Hybrid About Optima Office Optima Office is a female-owned firm providing Fractional CFO, Accounting, and HR services to 300+ companies nationwide. Recognized as Inc. 5000 fastest growing and a San Diego Best Place to Work, we prioritize our team with various incentives, including flexible schedules and fun in person events. Position Summary The Practice Manager serves as a strategic and operational partner to executive leadership, overseeing practice operations, service delivery quality, and client engagement consistency across the firm. This role is critical in ensuring excellence in how we serve clients, manage engagements, and support our professional staff in delivering high-quality outsourced accounting, finance, and human resources services. With a strong accounting foundation and consulting mindset, the Practice Manager shifts away from day-to-day client work and focuses on practice-level initiatives including: process standardization, quality assurance, engagement oversight, staff development, and operational efficiency. This individual ensures that client deliverables consistently meet firm standards while identifying opportunities to improve service delivery, streamline workflows, and enhance the client experience. This position requires exceptional organizational skills, strong business acumen, and the ability to work across all levels of the organization. The ideal candidate is an accounting professional at the Accounting Manager level or above looking to transition into a practice operations and leadership development role within a growing professional services firm. This role is ideal for an experienced accounting professional seeking to pivot from hands-on accounting work to a more strategic, operational, and internal-support role. The focus is on elevating service quality, supporting staff, and partnering directly with executive leadership to enhance the client experience across the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
5+ years of progressive accounting experience, ideally at an Accounting Manager level or above.
Strong understanding of accounting processes, financial statements, and service-based business operations.
Experience with QuickBooks (Online and Desktop).
Working knowledge of HubSpot or similar CRM/workflow systems.
Advanced Excel skills for analysis and reporting.
Prior experience in client-facing or consulting roles strongly preferred.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong analytical mindset with a focus on problem-solving and process improvement.
Ability to balance multiple priorities and support executive-level initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional services, outsourced accounting, or consulting environments.
Public accounting experience.
Demonstrated ability to coach and support staff.
Proven track record of improving processes or service delivery.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust quickly.

Responsibilities

Support the Executive in managing the overall client services function, ensuring high-quality delivery, consistency, and adherence to internal processes.
Partner with Client Leads and consultants to ensure scoping, onboarding, and service execution follow established procedures.
Monitor engagement status, deadlines, and key client touchpoints to proactively identify and mitigate risks.
Assist with escalated client matters by gathering information, performing root-cause analysis, and recommending solutions.
Conduct periodic reviews of client files for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to Optima standards.
Assist in developing and refining SOPs, templates, checklists, quality metrics, and client support workflows.
Identify opportunities to streamline engagement setup, ongoing service processes, reporting packages, and communication standards.
Support the development and monitoring of KPIs for client satisfaction, service quality, timeliness, and staff compliance.
Provide guidance, accountability tracking, and operational support to client-facing staff, ensuring adherence to policies and procedures.
Assist with staff training, coaching, and development related to client service standards, accounting best practices, and internal tools.
Monitor job code usage, billing accuracy, and resource allocation to ensure proper alignment of staff with client needs.
Partner with HR on performance feedback, onboarding of new staff, and documentation of performance-related matters.
Assist in supporting and coordinating the company’s Mentorship and Buddy Programs.
Serve as the Executive’s operational partner by managing priorities, supporting strategic initiatives, and driving accountability across teams.
Assist with internal reporting, analytics, and special projects aimed at improving operational efficiency and client outcomes.
Prepare executive-level summaries, insights, and recommendations based on data from HubSpot and other internal systems.
Participate in leadership meetings and assist with communicating initiatives, updates, and expectations to the broader team.