Sr. Manager, Lease Accounting

Papa John's•Louisville, KY

23h•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a forward-thinking Senior Manager to lead lease accounting and close execution for a portfolio of real estate and equipment leases across a fast-paced QSR environment. This role is accountable for the end-to-end lease accounting lifecycle under US GAAP (ASC 842), including governance of lease intake/change capture, Lucernex subledger governance, monthly close accounting, reconciliations and tie-outs to the general ledger, SOX/ICFR controls and evidence standards, and quarterly/annual reporting support. This position reports to the Sr. Director, Accounting and partners closely with Accounts Payable, Real Estate, Trans Papa Logistics (TPL), FP&A, Technical Accounting, Reporting, and Information and Digital Solutions (IDS) to ensure (1) accounting-impact data is captured timely and accurately, (2) conclusions are applied consistently and documented, and (3) transactional processing and non-accounting “relationship management” activities are routed appropriately so the team can focus on governance, compliance, and reporting excellence. The role will also promote modern, tool-agnostic automation and AI-enabled ways of working to accelerate close and strengthen decision support through practical use cases and repeatable team playbooks.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years in a people leadership and/or process ownership role.
Strong technical knowledge of US GAAP lease accounting (ASC 842), including Day 2+ modification and remeasurement concepts.
Demonstrated experience leading monthly close activities, balance sheet reconciliations, and controls/evidence practices in a SOX/ICFR environment.
Experience operating a lease accounting subledger/system (Lucernex or similar) and partnering across functions to govern data quality and workflow discipline.
Demonstrated success in cross-functional process improvement, standardization, and/or automation initiatives.
Proficiency with ERP environments and reconciliation/reporting tools; advanced Excel skills required given system and reporting constraints.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical accounting into clear business requirements and operating expectations.
Lease Accounting (ASC 842): applies sound judgment across Day 1 and Day 2+ events; documents conclusions clearly.
Close Execution & Reconciliations: drives timely close, reliable tie-outs (Lucernex ↔ GL), and actionable variance explanations.
Controls & Governance: operates repeatable controls and evidence standards; identifies gaps and drives remediation.
Process Improvement: simplifies workflows, reduces rework/key-person dependency, and improves cycle time and quality.
Cross-Functional Influence: aligns partners on intake/change-capture requirements, SLAs, and operating boundaries.
Decision Support: translates lease activity into clear insights for stakeholders (what changed, why, and actions needed).
People Leadership: coaches and develops talent; builds cross-coverage and accountability.
Process Management: Efficient at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organize people and activities; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient workflow; knows what to measure and how to measure it; can see opportunities for synergy and integration where others cannot; can simplify complex processes; gets more out of fewer resources.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Leading Change: Ensures that energy and resources are sustained over the long-term of the change. Leverages technology, processes, or systems to enhance organizational learning and change. Clearly defines the expectations and how they will change for internal and external stakeholders. Manages any resistance to change within teams. Monitors the team’s successes and failures and shows a willingness to course correct whenever necessary.
Action Oriented: Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for the things seen as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.
Peer Relationships: Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; can represent his/her own interests and yet be fair to other groups; can solve problems with peers with a minimum of noise; is seen as a team player and is cooperative; easily gains trust and support of peers; encourages collaboration; can be candid with peers.
Active Learning: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Nice To Haves

CPA strongly preferred
Experience in QSR, real estate, multi-unit retail, distribution, fleet, or similarly asset/lease-intensive environments preferred.
Experience leveraging automation and/or AI-enabled tools to streamline accounting operations, accelerate close activities, or enhance reporting insights (preferred).
Technology & AI Orientation: identifies practical automation/AI use cases and drives adoption through playbooks, templates, and training.

Responsibilities

Govern lease intake/change capture and accounting-impact data standards across stakeholders (Real Estate, TPL, Legal, etc.).
Maintain the lease accounting operating cadence: close calendar, deliverables, tie-outs, review checkpoints, and evidence requirements.
Govern Lucernex as the lease subledger (accounting-impact fields, validation/approval thresholds, exception handling, and periodic data quality review).
Lead ASC 842 accounting including classification/measurement and Day 2+ activity (modifications, remeasurements, renewals, terminations, and reassessments).
Ensure consistent accounting for key lease-related items (variable rent, prepaids/deferrals, incentives/allowances, deposits, and other lease-related balance sheet activity).
Lead monthly close execution: prepare/review journal entries, reconciliations, and variance explanations; resolve exceptions and ensure timely completion.
Own key tie-outs (Lucernex ↔ GL) and maintain standard reconciliation templates and review evidence.
Support quarterly/annual reporting and audits with disclosure support packages, rollforwards/tie-outs, and clear walkthrough narratives.
Operate and improve SOX/ICFR controls for lease processes (documentation standards, evidence retention, monitoring, and remediation).
Serve as primary point of contact for audit requests related to leases; coordinate PBC responses and ensure audit-ready documentation and support.
Work collaboratively with AP to continuously assess workflows, optimize responsibilities across teams, and support efficient processing while ensuring strong controls, approvals and governance.
Partner with Real Estate and TPL to improve upstream lease administration quality and ensure lease changes are communicated and captured timely.
Collaborate with Technical Accounting, Reporting, and IDS to align on complex accounting conclusions, reporting requirements, and workflow discipline.
Deliver practical improvements that accelerate close and improve decision support (e.g., reconciliation preparation, exception triage workflows, and standardized variance narratives).
Build repeatable playbooks (templates, checklists, and training materials) to drive adoption, consistency, and reduced rework.
Lead, coach, and develop team members; build cross-coverage and promote a culture of accountability, documentation discipline, and continuous improvement.