Accounting Manager: Level 2

THEMESOFT; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Themesoft Inc. seeks a Temporary Manager, Royalty Accounting and Controls to lead royalty accounting for a temporary assignment. You will oversee an offshore provider, ensure accurate royalty statements and payments, and coordinate SOX controls and audits across Royalty Operations.

You will manage monthly reconciliations, investigate discrepancies, and guide the offshore team on processing requirements, while maintaining documentation and ensuring timely payments to authors and licenses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Four or more years of experience in royalty accounting, financial operations, accounting controls, publishing operations, or related field.
• Experience overseeing offshore/shared-services/external service provider.
• Experience testing financial systems or validating accounting results related to system changes is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee offshore service provider's royalty accounting activities and payments.
• Ensure royalty statements and payments are received, processed, and recorded on time.
• Monitor processing exceptions and discrepancies; coordinate investigations and resolutions.
• Provide guidance to offshore provider on corrective actions and processing requirements.
• Oversee advance payments and third-party payment processing by the offshore provider.
• Coordinate SOX controls and audit support for Royalty Operations.
• Oversee monthly royalty expense reviews and related reconciliations.
• Perform or oversee monthly/annual royalty payment reconciliations.
• Document control requirements and maintain supporting documentation.

Skills

Analytical skills

Investigation

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Written communication

Oral communication

Independent work

Multi-priority management

Offshore team supervision

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance/business

Tools

Excel

Royalty management systems

Enterprise financial systems

Job description

The Temporary Manager, Royalty Accounting and Controls provides leadership and operational continuity for key royalty accounting, financial control, and third-party income processes during the temporary assignment period. The position oversees the third-party offshore service provider's day-to-day royalty accounting activities, including receipt and processing of payments and royalty statements from subsidiaries and third-party publishers. The role ensures transactions are processed accurately and on time, exceptions are investigated and resolved, and authors are paid correctly.

The position also coordinates SOX controls and audit requirements across Royalty Operations, including oversight of the monthly royalty expense review and related financial reconciliations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Royalty Accounting and Third-Party Income

• Oversee work performed by the external service provider related to third-party income received from licensing U.S. content to subsidiaries and third-party publishers.
• Ensure royalty statements and related payments are received, processed, and recorded accurately within required deadlines.
• Monitor processing exceptions, payment discrepancies, and system kick-outs, coordinating investigation and resolution as necessary.
• Provide guidance to the offshore service provider regarding corrective actions and processing requirements.
• Oversee advance payments and third-party payment processing performed by the offshore service provider.

Financial Controls, Reconciliations, and Compliance

• Coordinate Royalty Operations' SOX controls and support internal and external audit requirements.
• Oversee the monthly royalty expense review to identify unusual transactions, variances, or potential payment issues.
• Research identified issues and coordinate corrections with Royalty Operations, Business Units, Finance, Legal, and technology partners.
• Perform or oversee monthly and annual royalty payment reconciliations.
• Coordinate Business Unit write-offs and respond to royalty payment inquiries from Accounts Payable.
• Manage processes related to refund checks and the annual 1099 cycle.
• Maintain supporting documentation for financial controls, reconciliations, reviews, and audit requests.

Temporary Assignment and Transition Responsibilities

• Maintain continuity of critical royalty accounting and control activities throughout the temporary assignment.
• Document recurring responsibilities, key deadlines, open issues, control requirements, and important stakeholder contacts.
• Escalate material processing, payment, reconciliation, control, or system issues to the appropriate leadership team.
• Support an orderly transition at the beginning and conclusion of the assignment, including transfer of current status, outstanding actions, and process documentation.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Four or more years of experience in royalty accounting, financial operations, accounting controls, publishing operations, or a related field.
• Experience overseeing work performed by an offshore team, shared-services organization, or external service provider.
• Experience with reconciliations, financial controls, audit support, and general ledger impacts.
• Experience testing financial systems or validating accounting results associated with system changes is strongly preferred.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Excellent analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly when working with publishing agreements, royalty system processing, payments, and general ledger activity.
• Ability to understand how contractual royalty terms are represented within royalty systems and ultimately recorded financially.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and take initiative.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and follow through on issues within established deadlines.
• Ability to work with significant volumes of detailed financial and transactional information.
• Ability to oversee, guide, and monitor the work of an off-site or offshore team supporting the Royalty Accounting function.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Finance, Accounts Payable, Legal, Business Units, technology teams, external service providers, and auditors.
• Ability to clearly document processes, decisions, testing outcomes, reconciliations, and outstanding issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in publishing, media, intellectual property, royalties, licensing, or rights management.
• Knowledge of royalty accounting processes and author or licensor payment cycles.
• Familiarity with SOX controls, audit documentation, and financial control testing.
• Experience with royalty management systems, enterprise financial systems, and general ledger interfaces.
• Experience managing or coordinating third-party service providers.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including reconciliation and analysis of high-volume transactional data.

Disclaimer

Themesoft Inc is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.