Senior Accounting Manager

Vaco by Highspring; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring in McLean, VA, seeks a Senior Accounting Manager to lead daily accounting operations, close the books, and deliver insightful financial reporting. This hands-on role drives automation, strengthens controls, and prepares the organization for public-company readiness.

The candidate will apply GAAP, manage multi-entity consolidation, and partner with executives to build analytical models and AI-enabled workflows for smarter business decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• CPA preferred or active candidate; public accounting experience is a strong plus.
• Experience with GAAP and financial reporting standards.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements with schedules.
• Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting standards.
• Manage multi-entity consolidation, intercompany eliminations, and FX translations.
• Support reporting packages for leadership, board, lenders, and investors.
• Own the month-end close calendar and shorten close cycle.

Skills

GAAP & close

SOX control

Data analysis

AI in accounting

NetSuite

SQL

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

CPA preferred

Tools

NetSuite ERP

Excel (Advanced)

Power BI

Job description

Position Overview

The Senior Accounting Manager owns the day-to-day accounting operations of the organization - financial reporting, the general ledger, technical accounting compliance, and the accounting team. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who closes the books accurately and on time, and who then goes further: interrogating the data, automating the manual work, and turning financial results into insight the business can act on.

We are looking for a modern accountant. Beyond mastery of GAAP and the close, the successful candidate is genuinely strong in data analysis and has practical experience applying AI and automation tools to accounting workflows. As routine transaction processing becomes increasingly automated, this role is expected to shift toward reviewing automated output, investigating anomalies, strengthening controls, and advising business partners. The role also carries public‑company readiness responsibilities, including SOX‑aligned internal controls and audit readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and review monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, including supporting schedules and management commentary.


• Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP and applicable financial reporting standards.


• Manage consolidation of financial data across multiple entities, including intercompany eliminations and foreign currency translation.


• Support the preparation of reporting packages for executive leadership, the board, lenders, and investors.

2. General Ledger and Month‑End Close

• Own the month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end close calendar, driving accuracy, completeness, and a shortening close cycle.


• Review and approve journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, and adjustments.


• Maintain the chart of accounts and accounting policy documentation.


• Track and report close‑cycle metrics, and set measurable targets for reducing days‑to‑close.

3. Technical Accounting

• Research and document positions on technical accounting matters; prepare accounting memos supporting significant judgments.


• Apply revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842), and equity compensation (ASC 718) standards as applicable.


• Monitor new and emerging accounting pronouncements and assess their impact on the organization.

4. Budgeting, Forecasting, and Analysis

• Partner with FP&A and business leaders to develop budgets and forecasts.


• Monitor actual results against budget and prior periods; investigate, quantify, and clearly explain variances.


• Build and maintain analytical models and dashboards that give leadership timely visibility into financial performance.

5. Compliance, Internal Controls, and Audit

• Design, document, and maintain internal controls over financial reporting to safeguard company assets.


• Build and operate SOX‑aligned control frameworks in support of public‑company readiness; own control narratives, risk and control matrices, and testing remediation.


• Coordinate external audits and reviews: prepare PBC schedules, manage the request list, and respond to auditor inquiries.


• Maintain audit‑ready documentation standards and evidence retention throughout the year, not only at year‑end.

6. Data Analysis, Systems, and AI

• Use data analysis to test the integrity of financial data at scale - full‑population testing, anomaly detection, trend and ratio analysis - rather than relying on sampling alone.


• Apply AI and automation tools to accounting workflows: reconciliation matching, transaction classification, flux analysis, document extraction, and close‑task automation. Critically review AI‑generated output and remain accountable for its accuracy.


• Build and maintain reporting in BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Looker) and advanced Excel; query source data directly where needed (SQL or equivalent).


• Own the accounting system of record (NetSuite), including configuration, integrations, and data hygiene; partner with IT and RevOps on system upgrades and implementations.


• Establish sound governance for AI use in accounting - data privacy, auditability, human review, and documentation of how automated outputs are validated.


• Supervise, mentor, and develop accounting staff; set clear expectations and provide regular, direct feedback.


• Manage team performance, conduct evaluations, and build a bench through training and stretch assignments.


• Build a team culture that is curious about the numbers and comfortable with new tools.

8. Process Improvement

• Identify and eliminate manual, low‑value work; implement scalable accounting processes and best practices.


• Lead automation projects end to end - from identifying the opportunity through design, testing, rollout, and measurement of results.


• Document processes so that they are repeatable, transferable, and auditable.

9. Tax and Regulatory Filings

• Oversee the preparation and submission of tax filings (income, sales and use, property) in coordination with external tax advisors.


• Ensure compliance with reporting requirements including 1099s, payroll taxes, and multi‑state and international registrations.

10. Ad Hoc Projects

• Support strategic initiatives including M&A due diligence and integration, financing events, system upgrades, and special analyses.

Qualifications and Skills

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. CPA required (or active candidate); public accounting experience strongly preferred.


• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 2 years in a supervisory or management role.


• Experience in a multi‑entity and multi‑currency environment.


• Exposure to SOX, public‑company reporting, or IPO/audit‑readiness work is a strong plus.

Technical Skills

• Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP and financial reporting standards.


• Proficiency in NetSuite (or a comparable enterprise ERP such as SAP, Oracle, or Workday) and advanced Excel, including complex models, pivot tables, Power Query, and large‑dataset work.


• Strong data analysis capability - able to pull, join, validate, and interrogate large financial datasets, identify anomalies and root causes, and present findings clearly to non‑finance audiences. Working knowledge of SQL and/or a BI tool (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) expected; Python or R a plus.


• Demonstrated AI experience - practical, hands‑on use of AI or machine‑learning tools in a finance or accounting context, such as automating reconciliations and close tasks, AI‑assisted document and invoice processing, anomaly and fraud detection, or AI‑supported research and drafting. Should be able to describe specific workflows they have improved, the results delivered, and how they validated the output.


• Familiarity with close‑management, reconciliation, or AP/AR automation platforms (e.g., FloQast, BlackLine, Bill.com, Ramp, Avalara) is a plus.


• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the judgment to know when a number is wrong before anyone else does.


• Intellectual curiosity and a bias toward automating repetitive work rather than absorbing it.


• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and hard deadlines.


• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial results and technical positions to non‑finance stakeholders.


• High ownership and integrity; comfortable operating with limited direction in a fast‑moving environment.


• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and inspire a team.

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” or “Vaco by Highspring”) are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] .

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” or “Vaco by Highspring”) are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] .

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

For residents of Ontario, Canada only: to the extent the position for employment is not with Highspring or not otherwise noted as vacant above, candidate should be informed that this role is to replace a presently employed person at Vaco by Highspring's client.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.


• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.


• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.


• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.


• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

• the individual's skill sets, experience and training;


• licensure and certification requirements;


• office location and other geographic considerations; and


• other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).

• The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).