Director, Technical Accounting

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 143,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

On Location seeks a Director of Technical Accounting & Compliance to strengthen Controllership across Core businesses. This senior, individual-contributor and leadership role will translate US GAAP and policy into scalable processes, guiding contracts and new business models with cross-functional partners.

Reporting to SVP, Controller, you will lead policy development, governance, and SOX compliance, ensuring timely judgments and audit-ready documentation within a fast-paced, globally active

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including technical accounting and controllership.
• CPA required; Big Four or national public accounting experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP, ASC 606, and ability to translate guidance into processes.
• Experience supporting SEC reporting, internal controls, and SOX compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead accounting analysis for complex contracts, new products, and non-routine transactions with focus on revenue recognition, balance sheet classification, and principal-agent considerations.
• Develop accounting policies, governance processes, and documentation standards.
• Support external audit activities and provide technical accounting analysis for disclosures.

Skills

Technical accounting

Public company reporting

SOX compliance

CPA

Contract accounting

Communication

ERP: NetSuite

ERP: SAP

Tools

NetSuite

SAP

Job description

Who We Are: On Location is a global leader in premium experiential hospitality, offering ticketing, curated guest experiences, live event production and travel management across sports, entertainment, fashion and culture. On Location provides unrivaled access for corporate clients and fans looking for official, immersive experiences at marquee events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup 2026, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and more. An official partner and/or service provider to over 150 iconic rights holders, such as the IOC (the Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games), FIFA, NFL, NCAA, UFC, WWE, and PGA of America, the company also owns and operates a number of its own unique experiences. On Location is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.

Director, Technical Accounting & Compliance – Core
REPORTS TO: SVP, Controller
BUSINESS AREA: Core / Enterprise Controllership
PRIMARY FOCUS: Technical accounting, governance and compliance
SCOPE: Core businesses and enterprise-wide matters, as assigned
Role Overview
We are seeking a Director of Technical Accounting & Compliance to strengthen Controllership across On Location’s Core businesses. Core comprises On Location’s ongoing property portfolio, including NFL and Super Bowl, NCAA, PGA of America, UFC, and WWE; the Olympic and FIFA World Cup programs are supported separately. This role will lead the evaluation and documentation of complex accounting matters, establish practical accounting policies, and reinforce the governance and control framework required to operate effectively as part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). The Director will partner closely with Core Accounting, Finance, Legal, Tax, Revenue Operations, Internal Audit, and TKO Accounting. The role is expected to translate US GAAP and company policy into clear, scalable processes and to provide timely guidance on new contracts, business models, transactions, and close-related judgments. This is a senior individual-contributor and leadership role within Controllership. It does not replace day-to-day operational accounting ownership; instead, it provides the technical judgment, governance, challenge, and compliance oversight needed to support consistent execution across Core.

Key Responsibilities
Technical Accounting & Transaction Support
- Lead the accounting analysis for complex contracts, new products, commercial arrangements, and non-routine transactions, with particular focus on revenue recognition, gross-versus-net presentation, variable consideration, contract modifications, principal-agent conclusions, and balance sheet classification.
- Evaluate rights-holder economics, including minimum guarantees and committed purchase obligations, and the capitalization, amortization, and recoverability of pre-event costs.
- Prepare and review clear, audit-ready technical accounting memoranda and position papers under US GAAP.
- Partner with Legal, Finance, Tax, Revenue Operations, and business leaders early in the contract and deal lifecycle to identify accounting implications and influence scalable execution.
- Monitor relevant accounting developments and assess their impact on Core processes, policies, financial reporting, and disclosures.
- Serve as a technical resource to the broader Accounting and Finance organization, providing practical guidance and training.
Accounting Policy & Governance
- Develop, maintain, and operationalize accounting policies, procedures, decision frameworks, and documentation standards.
- Establish a consistent governance process for the review and approval of new contracts, significant judgments, and accounting conclusions.
- Lead the quarterly contract-completeness and contract-review process in coordination with Legal, Commercial, Finance, and Accounting.
- Maintain a central inventory of significant accounting positions, recurring judgments, and open technical matters.
- Promote consistency across Core entities and business lines while allowing for clearly documented differences in facts and circumstances.
Compliance, Controls & Audit
- Partner with Internal Audit and process owners to strengthen the internal control environment, including control design, documentation, evidence standards, issue remediation, and ongoing SOX compliance.
- Support quarterly and annual external audit activities, including technical consultations, audit requests, and resolution of accounting matters.
- Review significant close judgments, estimates, reconciliations, and balance sheet matters from a governance and risk perspective.
- Support financial statement and SEC reporting requirements by providing technical accounting analysis, disclosure support, and documentation for significant judgments.
- Track accounting and control issues through resolution, ensuring clear ownership, deadlines, escalation, and sustainable remediation.
Core Controllership Partnership
- Partner with Core Accounting leaders on complex close matters without displacing their ownership of day-to-day accounting execution.
- Provide oversight and challenge on high-risk areas, including deferred revenue, deferred event costs, unbilled receivables, accruals, ticket costs, contract assets and liabilities, and event-related balance sheet accounts.
- Support the design of scalable accounting processes for new events, products, systems, and organizational changes.
- Identify opportunities to standardize, automate, and simplify accounting activities while maintaining appropriate control and documentation.
- Lead cross-functional workstreams and special projects assigned by the SVP, Controller.
Leadership & Influence
- Operate as a trusted advisor who can communicate complex accounting matters clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Build strong partnerships across Accounting, Finance, Legal, Tax, Operations, Internal Audit, external auditors, and TKO.
- Coach and develop accounting team members through technical reviews, training, and on-the-job guidance.
- Drive accountability and timely decision-making through clear recommendations, issue tracking, and escalation.
- Model a culture of ownership, collaboration, sound judgment, and continuous improvement.
You Bring
- 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including significant experience in technical accounting, public-company reporting, audit, or controllership.
- CPA required; Big Four or national public accounting experience strongly preferred.
- Strong command of US GAAP, particularly ASC 606, and demonstrated ability to research, document, and defend complex accounting conclusions.
- Experience supporting SEC reporting, internal controls, SOX compliance, and external audit requirements.
- Proven ability to evaluate contracts and translate technical guidance into practical operating processes.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence senior stakeholders and explain accounting judgments plainly.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, work through ambiguity, and drive matters to resolution in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience with NetSuite, SAP, or comparable ERP systems preferred; experience in live events, hospitality, sports, media, travel, or other complex revenue environments is a plus.
Ideal Profile
- Technically strong, pragmatic, and comfortable making well-supported decisions.
- Equally effective in detailed accounting analysis and cross-functional leadership.
- Able to distinguish between a technical accounting question, a process failure, and an execution gap—and address each appropriately.
- Proactive and curious, with the judgment to identify risk early without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- A hands-on leader who can build structure, improve documentation, and raise the capability of the broader team.
Working Conditions & Opportunity
Event-driven seasonality, with peak periods aligned to the Core event calendar—NFL season and Super Bowl, NCAA championships, PGA of America championship season, and the year-round UFC and WWE cadence—which can overlap with quarterly close and external audit cycles.
- Occasional travel to Core events and business locations may be required.
- Opportunity to shape the technical accounting and compliance foundation of a growing, complex sports and entertainment organization.
- Highly collaborative role with regular interaction across Core business teams and TKO corporate functions.
- Career development and growth opportunities within a global sports and entertainment organization.
Per local requirements and in the interest of transparency, the hourly rate shown below reflects the prevalent current hiring range for this position.
Hiring pay rates are based on a number of factors, including location and may vary depending on job-related qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience.
The company strives to provide locally competitive rewards packages, which include base rate along with, as applicable, short- and long-term incentives, growth and developmental opportunities, and robust benefits, such as health care, retirement, vacation and other paid time off, and additional offerings.
Hiring Rate Minimum: $142,500 annually(minimum will not fall below the applicable State/local minimum salary thresholds)
Hiring Rate Maximum: $190,000 annually
TKO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding non-discrimination in employment. TKO makes employment decisions based on merit and qualifications, without considering an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under federal, state or local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the Company has facilities. TKO also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state or local laws. For information about Privacy and Information Security for TKO employment candidates, please review our Privacy Policy. For information regarding Terms of Use for this and other TKO websites, please review our Terms of Use. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.
About WWE
WWE® is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion households worldwide in more than 20 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, The CW and Netflix. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to all premium live events, a variety of original programming and a massive video-on-demand library. Netflix is the exclusive home for WWE programming around the world, other than select international markets. WWE is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
About UFC
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 290 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
About IMGIMG is a leading global sports marketing agency, specializing in media rights management and sales, multi-channel content production and distribution, brand partnerships, strategic consulting, digital services, and events management. It powers growth of revenues, fanbases and IP for more than 200 federations, associations, events, and teams, including the National Football League, English Premier League, International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, ATP and WTA Tours, the AELTC (Wimbledon), Euroleague Basketball, CONMEBOL, DP World Tour, and The R&A, as well as UFC, WWE, and PBR. IMG is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company.
About PBRPBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 1,000 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, PBR launched the nationally televised PBR Teams league—eight teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship expanding to 10 teams in 2024—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, X at X.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
About On LocationOn Location is a global leader in premium experiential hospitality, offering ticketing, curated guest experiences, live event production and travel management across sports, entertainment, fashion and culture. On Location provides unrivaled access for corporate clients and fans looking for official, immersive experiences at marquee events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup 2026, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and more. An official partner and/or service provider to over 150 iconic rights holders, such as the IOC (the Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games), FIFA, NFL, NCAA, UFC, WWE, and PGA of America, the company also owns and operates a number of its own unique experiences. On Location is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company.
About Zuffa BoxingZuffa Boxing is a joint venture between TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (“TKO”) (NYSE: TKO) and Sela, the entertainment conglomerate. TKO serves as managing partner, providing day-to-day operational expertise, management, and oversight of the promotion, with executive leadership anchored by UFC President and CEO Dana White and WWE President and TKO Board Member Nick Khan. The promotion aims to reimagine the sport of boxing by evolving the current model to restore the sport’s rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem. For more information, follow @Zuffa_Boxing on X; and @ZuffaBoxing on Snapchat, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.