14697 – Accounting Director, BU P&L – Virtual

Kelly; Michigan; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kelly is seeking a Director — Business Unit (P&L) Accounting to own the P&L for the SETT, ETM and EDU segments, spanning revenue, COS, and BU‑level SG&A. You will collaborate with Finance Partners and operations leadership to drive accurate revenue recognition and margin integrity.

You will stand up a new BU accounting team, define playbooks, and lead R2R transformation including Workday/ Horizon/Helios cutovers, while championing AI and automation to improve close efficiency.

Qualifications

• US GAAP expertise across revenue recognition and services accounting patterns.
• Experience owning full P&L accountability for large service segments.
• Strong collaboration with FP&A and BU leadership in a matrixed org.
• Experience building and standing up a new BU accounting function.

Responsibilities

• Own full P&L for SETT, ETM, and EDU business units through close.
• Partner with Finance Business Partners and BU leadership on complex revenue events.
• Oversee BU SG&A reporting and cost-center architecture in close coordination with Corporate.
• Drive R2R transformation, AI/automation adoption, and process standardization.

Skills

US GAAP

Revenue recognition

ERP systems

BU P&L accounting

Data analytics

AI & automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance/business

MBA (preferred)

CPA

Tools

Oracle PeopleSoft Financials

Workday Financials

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Description

Together we change lives.

Kelly is a team of experts driven by our belief that the impact of the right person in the right job is limitless.

No matter where you are in your career journey you can apply your knowledge and passion to move people, organizations, and communities forward. You’ll have opportunities to grow your expertise and capabilities, both professionally and personally. As a team we celebrate inclusion, caring and collaboration. As a company we value your contribution, we work with integrity, and we always put people first — so your impact really will change lives.

The Director — Business Unit (P&L) Accounting is a newly created senior leadership role within Kelly Services’ Controllership organization, reporting directly to the Chief Accounting Officer. This role owns full P&L accountability for Kelly’s Business Unit segments — SETT (Science, Engineering, Technology, and Telecom), ETM (Enterprise Talent Managed), and EDU (Education) — including revenue, cost of services (COS), accounts receivable accounting oversight, and BU-specific SG&A (facilities, travel, etc).

The ideal candidate brings deep revenue accounting expertise across services businesses (staffing, professional services, managed services, consulting, etc.), demonstrated ability to build a new team from adjacent legacy organizations, strong partnership skills with Finance Business Partners and operations leadership, and experience owning full P&L accountability for large, complex service‑line segments.

Our Director — Business Unit (P&L) Accounting is accountable for:

1. Full P&L Ownership by Business Unit Segment

• Own the full P&L for each BU segment (SETT, ETM, EDU) — revenue, cost of services, accounts receivable accounting oversight, and BU-specific SG&A.
• Direct BU‑specific transactions: program revenue accruals, deferred revenue, unbilled AR, rebates, pass‑throughs, tech fees, VMS/MSP fees, on‑bill activity, and BU‑attributable accruals across PeopleSoft and Workday.
• Own the draft and review of each segment P&L during close, ensuring revenue and COS are recognized accurately, and margins reflect underlying business results.
• Provide inputs to External Reporting — service‑line revenue schedules, GP by segment, segment narratives for MD&A, and program footnote support.
• Maintain internal controls over revenue and COS (JE approval workflow, BPR responses).

2. Partnership with Finance Business Partners and BU Leadership

• Serve as the accounting partner to Finance Business Partners (ETM Finance, SETT Finance, EDU Finance leadership), who remain the primary business interface with segment leadership.
• Coordinate closely with segment leadership on rebates, deferred revenue, milestone billings, ETC updates, and other transactions requiring business context.
• Partner with operations, project management, and program teams to ensure timely revenue recognition, accurate COS capture, and clean AR aging.
• Provide segment‑level accounting judgment on complex revenue transactions, coordinating with Technical Accounting & External Reporting on ASC 606 questions and any new‑standard implications.

3. BU‑Specific SG&A Ownership

• Own BU‑specific SG&A — facilities, travel, BU‑level accruals attributable to the segment — for each business unit. Books JEs for these BU‑attributable SG&A items. Corporate SG&A (facilities/marketing/legal/technology at the corporate level) is owned by the Operational Accounting team.
• Provide segment‑level SG&A reporting and BPR support, integrated with segment P&L reporting.
• Coordinate with Corporate Consolidations & Controls on the cost‑center architecture that supports the BU‑vs‑corporate SG&A split.

4. Team Build‑Out, Stand‑Up, and Transformation

• Stand up the BU (P&L) Accounting function from staff currently sitting within ETM Finance and SETT Finance (accounting‑work portion), building a new integrated team from adjacent legacy organizations.
• Define role boundaries with Finance Business Partners (who remain in the ETM/SETT Finance FP&A/business‑partner structure) to ensure clean scope and no duplicate work.
• Establish segment‑level playbooks, close calendars, and reconciliation frameworks that align with the enterprise close set by Corporate Consolidations & Controls and the Operations Accounting team.
• Drive AI and automation adoption within the BU (P&L) function — revenue automation, unbilled AR forecasting, margin‑anomaly detection, accrual estimation.
• Support the R2R transformation program — including Horizon/Helios Workday Financials cutover — on cutover readiness, post‑go‑live stabilization, and the ongoing definition of the BU/Shared Process operating model.

Knowledge and Skills

Technical Skills

• US GAAP Expertise: Deep knowledge of US GAAP revenue recognition (ASC 606), cost of service accounting, AR accounting, and services business accounting patterns across staffing, professional services, managed services, and consulting revenue streams.
• Revenue Complexity: Direct experience with multi‑element service arrangements including MSP/VMS, SOW percentage of completion recognition, ETC project accounting, rebate and SLA accruals, pass‑through revenue, unbilled AR, and deferred revenue.
• ERP Systems: Advanced proficiency with Oracle PeopleSoft Financials and Workday Financials.
• Segment/BU P&L Accounting: Demonstrated ability to own segment‑level P&L accountability — segment reporting, margin analysis, GP schedules, segment narratives, and BPR support.
• Data & Analytics: Proficiency with financial data visualization and analytics (Power BI, Tableau) and comfort working with large transaction data sets for margin analysis and anomaly detection.
• AI & Automation: Experience deploying or sponsoring AI/automation for revenue accruals. Familiarity with Microsoft Copilot or similar AI platforms is expected, unbilled AR estimation, margin‑anomaly detection, and reconciliation support.

Leadership Skills

• Team Build‑Out: Demonstrated ability to build a new team from adjacent legacy organizations — defining roles, integrating staff with different backgrounds, and establishing new operating rhythms without disrupting close quality.
• Leading Through Managers: Ability to lead and develop managers (SETT, ETM, EDU), setting clear expectations and building performance culture.
• Business Partnership: Exceptional partnership skills with Finance Business Partners and operations leadership; comfortable operating in a matrixed environment where FP&A/business‑partnering stays with FBPs.
• Change Management: Proven ability to lead through organizational and process change without losing accountability for margin integrity.
• Executive Communication: Ability to present segment results, margin trends, and revenue accounting judgments to CAO, CFO, external auditors, and BU leadership.
• Stakeholder Management: Builds productive relationships with FBPs, Operations, PMO, Sales, and other directors.
• AI & Automation Leadership: Champions adoption of AI/automation for revenue accounting and margin analysis, measuring realized efficiency gains.
• Judgment & Problem‑Solving: Strong revenue accounting judgment and root‑cause skills for margin issues, unbilled AR anomalies, and complex customer transactions.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration (Required)
• Master of Business Administration or Master’s in Accounting (Preferred)
• Certified Public Accountant — CPA (Required)

Experience

• 10 years of progressive accounting experience with substantial time in revenue accounting for a services business (Required)
• Big 4 or national firm public accounting experience (Strongly Preferred)
• 5 years leading accounting teams with segment or BU P&L accountability in a multi‑segment services organization (Required)
• Direct experience with services‑business revenue recognition — staffing, MSP/VMS, SOW/ETC project accounting, managed services, or education‑services revenue (Required)
• Experience with ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue, unbilled AR, and multi‑element arrangements in a public‑company context (Required)
• Demonstrated experience driving close cycle standardization or process improvement across multiple accounting teams simultaneously (Required)
• Experience with complex intercompany accounting, shared services margin accounting, and cross‑segment reclassification governance (Required)
• Experience building or reshaping an accounting function from existing staff/organizations (Strongly Preferred)
• Experience partnering with Finance Business Partners and/or FP&A in a matrixed finance organization (Required)
• Experience leading or sponsoring AI and automation adoption within an accounting or finance function (Required)
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate emerging AI/automation tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, BlackLine automation, AI‑assisted JE drafting) and drive measurable efficiency improvements (Required)

Base pay range for this position is $120,075 – $160,100 per year. Final annual compensation will be based on experience and may vary by geographic location.

Total compensation package including benefits as applicable to the position — understanding that each person has unique professional and personal needs focused on your total well‑being. Explore our range of benefits at: Kelly Services | People Regular Staff

Kelly is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, including, but not limited to, race, gender, individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law.