Sr. Accounting Manager

Vertex Education•Chandler, AZ

About The Position

The Senior Accounting Manager leads one of Vertex Education’s two accounting regions and ensures the financial integrity and operational excellence of the schools and clients served. Reporting to the Director of Accounting, this role is the principal operational leader for the assigned region and leads Accounting Managers and their teams. The position is accountable for regional service delivery, manager development, systems and process leadership, and resolution of high-risk accounting matters, while partnering with functional leaders to strengthen processes, technology, controls, and service consistency. Enterprise-level risks and decisions are escalated to the Director of Accounting. The role establishes a consistent, scalable close model across teams and client portfolios; develops accounting leaders; addresses complex operational issues; and translates functional standards into effective execution across teams and systems. It sets close calendars, quality standards, delivery metrics, workload planning, and continuity coverage, and oversees the accuracy and timeliness of financial information. The Senior Accounting Manager leads talent and capacity planning, supports hiring and succession planning, and coaches managers on performance and development. In partnership with the Director of Accounting, the role implements accounting policies, controls, reporting standards, and functional priorities; monitors control performance; and ensures procedures, checklists, and workpaper standards are documented and consistently applied. The position oversees audit readiness and complex audit matters, supports client transitions and strategic initiatives, and sponsors systems improvements, automation, process redesign, and training. It collaborates with AP, Payroll, Client Management, Financial Operations, Compliance, and Transformation to improve end-to-end handoffs and standardize best practices. It owns operational leadership across multiple accounting teams and supports the Director in enterprise strategy, organizational design, and final policy governance.

Requirements

Eight or more years of progressive accounting experience.
Significant people leadership experience, including management of complex or multi-entity operations.
Experience leading multiple accounting teams or managers and building consistent operating practices in a deadline-driven accounting organization.
Experience with Sage Intacct.
Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, confidentiality, and ability to manage recurring deadlines.
Ability to organize work, coach people, monitor quality, and build practical capability across a team.
Clear written and verbal communication with accounting colleagues, client management, AP, Payroll, Financial Operations, Compliance, and external partners as appropriate.
Working proficiency with spreadsheets and enterprise accounting systems, and ability to learn and apply approved workflows and reporting tools.
Ability to identify discrepancies, assess risk, document conclusions, and escalate issues through the appropriate authority path.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field; CPA preferred.
Master’s degree, advanced accounting training, or comparable credential.
School finance, nonprofit, fund-accounting, multi-entity, or professional-services experience.
Experience with enterprise accounting systems and standardized close, audit, or reporting workflows.

Responsibilities

Lead the assigned accounting region and its Accounting Managers, Associate Accounting Managers, senior individual contributors, and teams.
Set the monthly and annual close operating rhythm, including close calendars, quality calibration, delivery metrics, workload planning, and continuity coverage.
Ensure consistent close models, review standards, and reporting practices across assigned teams and client portfolios.
Resolve complex close and reporting issues and promptly escalate material financial, control, or regulatory risks.
Develop accounting leaders and build a strong leadership bench; promote consistent manager practices.
Own team capacity modeling, hiring plans, succession planning, and role deployment for the assigned operation.
Coach managers on performance management, development planning, and team meeting cadence.
Partner with People Operations to recruit, onboard, and develop accounting leaders and staff.
Partner with the Director of Accounting to implement accounting policies, controls, reporting standards, and functional priorities.
Monitor quality and control performance; ensure control exceptions are corrected or escalated and recurring issues are addressed at their root cause.
Ensure procedures, close checklists, and workpaper standards are documented, current, and consistently applied.
Oversee audit readiness and resolve complex audit issues with Accounting leadership and the client management team.
Support major audits, complex client transitions, strategic initiatives, prospects, and renewals requiring accounting expertise.
Sponsor system improvements, automation, process redesign, and training to improve accounting accuracy, efficiency, and user adoption.
Partner with AP, Payroll, Client Management, Financial Operations, Compliance, and Transformation to maintain clear end-to-end handoffs.
Drive standardization and best-practice sharing across accounting teams.
Support the Director in enterprise strategy, organizational design, and final policy governance.
Meet performance expectations for close reliability, work quality, control documentation and escalation, team capacity and development, and continuous improvement.