Team Lead - Finance & Accounting Operations

Cherry Bekaert LLP; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Cherry Bekaert LLP in Hyderabad, India, seeks a Team Lead to oversee day-to-day Finance & Accounting delivery for client engagements, acting as frontline supervisor for Associates and Senior Associates. You will ensure accurate, timely accounting in line with U.S. GAAP, SOPs, and client expectations.

You will mentor staff, manage month-end close, and maintain strong internal controls, while coordinating with the Assistant Manager to escalate issues and drive process improvements.

Qualifications

• 10 to 12 years of experience in Finance & Accounting.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, end-to-end accounting, internal controls, and audit support.
• Hands-on experience across AP, AR, GL, reconciliations, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, intercompany accounting, deferred revenue, and revenue recognition.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed first-level reviews of transactions, reconciliations, schedules, workpapers, journal entries, and supporting documentation.
• Oversee AP, AR, GL, bank and credit card reconciliations, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, deferred revenue, revenue recognition, intercompany accounting, and financial reporting.
• Identify errors, unusual items, documentation gaps, and accounting issues; ensure review comments are resolved before submission and escape complex matters.
• Lead assigned month-end and year-end close activities in line with the agreed close calendar.
• Review close deliverables, including journal entries, reconciliations, schedules, trial balances, and preliminary financial statements.
• Monitor open items and dependencies, maintain audit trails, and communicate potential delays to the Assistant Manager.
• Supervise Associates and Senior Associates and allocate work based on deadlines, capacity, and capability.
• Monitor work queues, SLAs, deadlines, open items, attendance, timesheets, and backup coverage; escape capacity constraints promptly.
• Conduct regular team check-ins and maintain accountability for timely, high-quality delivery.
• Provide constructive review feedback, coaching, on-the-job guidance, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Identify recurring errors and capability gaps; support onboarding, cross-training, and development plans with the Assistant Manager.
• Promote ownership, continuous learning, collaboration, and effective teamwork.
• Monitor client SLAs, internal timelines, backlog, ageing, pending items, and dependencies.
• Take corrective action where possible and accelerate delivery risks before they affect client commitments.
• Provide clear and accurate delivery-status updates to the Assistant Manager.
• Maintain SOPs, checklists, work instructions, and process documentation for assigned clients and processes.
• Ensure adherence to approved procedures, internal controls, documentation, and audit-support requirements.
• Identify control or process gaps and recommend practical improvements.
• Maintain working knowledge of client accounting systems and support resolution of routine functional issues.
• Improve templates, reconciliations, workpapers, checklists, workflows, and use of Excel to reduce manual effort and recurring errors.
• Support automation and process-improvement initiatives led by the Assistant Manager or FAO leadership.
• Maintain regular communication with the Assistant Manager on delivery, close progress, capacity, risks, and required decisions.
• Coordinate with internal and client stakeholders and handle routine client, vendor, customer, and audit queries within scope.
• Resolve routine operational issues and provide timely, fact-based escalation of matters requiring higher-level judgment.
• Manages a team of 6+ Associates and Senior Associates, providing guidance, oversight, performance support, and day-to-day work coordination.

Skills

Team leadership

U.S. GAAP knowledge

Financial reporting

Month-end close

Excel proficiency

Review and QA

Tools

QuickBooks Online

Sage Intacct

NetSuite

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Team Lead leads day-to-day Finance & Accounting delivery for assigned client engagements, serving as the frontline supervisor and first-level reviewer for Associates and Senior Associates. The role ensures accurate, timely, and well-supported accounting in accordance with U.S. GAAP, established policies, SOPs, internal controls, SLAs, and client expectations. It combines hands-on accounting expertise with workflow management, coaching, stakeholder communication, and timely escalation to the Assistant Manager.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting Operations & First-level Review

• Perform detailed first-level reviews of transactions, reconciliations, schedules, workpapers, journal entries, and supporting documentation.
• Oversee AP, AR, GL, bank and credit card reconciliations, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, deferred revenue, revenue recognition, intercompany accounting, and financial reporting.
• Identify errors, unusual items, documentation gaps, and accounting issues; ensure review comments are resolved before submission and escape complex matters.

Month-End Close & Financial Reporting

• Lead assigned month-end and year-end close activities in line with the agreed close calendar.
• Review close deliverables, including journal entries, reconciliations, schedules, trial balances, and preliminary financial statements.
• Monitor open items and dependencies, maintain appropriate audit trails, and communicate potential delays to the Assistant Manager.

Team Leadership & Workflow Management

• Supervise Associates and Senior Associates and allocate work based on deadlines, capacity, and capability.
• Monitor work queues, SLAs, deadlines, open items, attendance, timesheets, and backup coverage; escape capacity constraints promptly.
• Conduct regular team check-ins and maintain accountability for timely, high-quality delivery.

Team Coaching & Development

• Provide constructive review feedback, coaching, on-the-job guidance, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Identify recurring errors and capability gaps; support onboarding, cross-training, and development plans with the Assistant Manager.
• Promote ownership, continuous learning, collaboration, and effective teamwork.

SLA & Delivery Management

• Monitor client SLAs, internal timelines, backlog, ageing, pending items, and dependencies.
• Take corrective action where possible and accelerate delivery risks before they affect client commitments.
• Provide clear and accurate delivery-status updates to the Assistant Manager.

SOPs, Controls & Process Compliance

• Maintain SOPs, checklists, work instructions, and process documentation for assigned clients and processes.
• Ensure adherence to approved procedures, internal controls, documentation, and audit-support requirements.
• Identify control or process gaps and recommend practical improvements.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain working knowledge of client accounting systems and support resolution of routine functional issues.
• Improve templates, reconciliations, workpapers, checklists, workflows, and use of Excel to reduce manual effort and recurring errors.
• Support automation and process-improvement initiatives led by the Assistant Manager or FAO leadership.

Stakeholder Communication & Escalation

• Maintain regular communication with the Assistant Manager on delivery, close progress, capacity, risks, and required decisions.
• Coordinate with internal and client stakeholders and handle routine client, vendor, customer, and audit queries within scope.
• Resolve routine operational issues and provide timely, fact-based escalation of matters requiring higher-level judgment.

Span of Control

• Manages a team of 6+ Associates and Senior Associates, providing guidance, oversight, performance support, and day-to-day work coordination.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• 10 to 12 Years

Technical & Accounting Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, end-to-end accounting, month-end close, financial reporting, controls, and audit support.
• Hands-on experience across AP, AR, GL, reconciliations, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, intercompany accounting, deferred revenue, and revenue recognition.
• Experience reviewing accounting workpapers and using QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Business Central, or equivalent systems; strong Microsoft Excel skills.

Leadership & Behavioral

• Ability to supervise accounting professionals, prioritize multiple deadlines, and provide clear coaching and feedback.
• Strong ownership, attention to detail, analytical thinking, problem-solving, and proactive risk escalation.
• Clear written and verbal communication with a collaborative, solution-oriented approach.