Accounting Manager (Bilingual Korean)

Cesna Recruitment; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cesna Recruitment seeks an Accounting Manager to lead centralized financial functions for our hotel and restaurant portfolio. You will maintain the General Ledger in accordance with GAAP, manage liquidity, and drive annual budgeting and variance analysis, partnering with unit General Managers and Chefs to translate numbers into actionable insights.

Responsibilities include month-end close for multiple entities, complex hospitality accounting (ASC 842, deferred revenue), internal controls, cash

Qualifications

• 10+ years in accountancy with hospitality experience.
• 3+ years preparing management accounts, budgets, and cash flow forecasts.
• Experience supervising staff and leading cross-location teams.
• Bilingual Korean/English is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead centralized financial functions for hotel/restaurant portfolio.
• Manage GAAP-compliant close, period-end, and statutory reporting.
• Oversee treasury, liquidity planning, and vendor/payroll controls.
• Drive annual budgeting, variance analysis, and re-forecasts.
• Maintain internal controls, audit readiness, and SOX-lite framework.

Skills

Financial analysis

GAAP/compliance

Budgeting

Cash flow management

Internal controls

Leadership/supervision

Multilocation coordination

SOX-lite controls

Tools

MS Excel (advanced)

QuickBooks

Margin Edge

SpotOn

Job description

Job Summary

The Accounting Manager leads the centralized financial functions for our hotel and restaurant portfolio. This role is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the General Ledger in accordance with GAAP, managing corporate liquidity and treasury functions, and driving the annual budgeting and variance analysis processes. You will act as a strategic partner to unit-level General Managers and Chefs by translating complex financial data into actionable operational insights.

Job Description

1. Financial Reporting & GAAP Compliance

• Centralized Close: Lead the month-end and year-end closing process for multiple entities, ensuring all financial statements adhere to GAAP and industry standards (USALI/USAR).
• Technical Accounting: Manage complex hospitality-specific accounting, including ASC 842 (Lease Accounting), deferred revenue (gift cards/deposits), and accrual-based reporting for high-turnover inventory.
• Internal Controls: Establish and audit standard operating procedures (SOPs) for cash handling, tip pooling, and revenue reconciliation across all locations.

2. Treasury & Cash Management

• Liquidity Planning: Develop and maintain a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast to ensure adequate funding for payroll, vendor payments, and debt service.
• CapEx & OpEx: funding of Capital Expenditure projects (renovations and equipment).

3. Budgeting & Variance Analysis (FP&A)

• Annual Budget Development: Facilitate the bottom-up annual budgeting process, collaborating with department heads to set realistic revenue and expense targets.
• Budget vs. Actual Analysis: Produce monthly "deep-dive" variance reports. You are responsible for identifying the root cause of discrepancies?whether they stem from "Prime Cost" leakage (food/labor) or external market shifts.
• Re-Forecasting: Adjust quarterly forecasts based on seasonal trends, occupancy shifts, or changes in food commodity pricing.

4. Hospitality Operational Support

• Prime Cost Oversight: Monitor consolidated Food & Beverage (F&B) costs and Labor percentages across the portfolio to identify outliers.
• Tax & Regulatory Compliance: Ensure timely and accurate filing of sales tax, occupancy tax, and property tax (Form 571-L).
• Vendor & Payroll Strategy: Manage centralized Accounts Payable (AP) to leverage bulk-purchasing power and oversee complex, payroll/tip-credit compliance.

5. Audit Management & Quarterly Reviews

• Audit Liaison: Serve as the primary point of contact for external auditors. Manage the PBC (Prepared by Client) list and ensure all supporting documentation is technically sound and organized.
• Quarterly "Flux" Analysis: Conduct deep-dive balance sheet and P&L variance analysis (Actual vs. Budget and YoY) to explain financial trends to stakeholders.
• Internal Controls: Implement and monitor internal control frameworks (SOX-light) regarding cash handling, tip pooling, and procurement-to-pay processes.

The job requires:

• 10 years or more experience in accountancy
• Ability to analyze complex financial information and produce reports
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience of preparing management accounts, budgets and cash flow forecasts
• Experience of computerized accounting packages; Expert-level MS Excel (Data modeling), QuickBooks, Margin Edge, SpotOn
• Minimum 5 years or more experience of supervising staff
• Good interpersonal skills
• Bilingual (Korean/English) is a strong plus