Senior Accounting Manager

Rockstar; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rockstar is seeking a Senior Accounting Manager in Southfield, MI, to lead hands-on accounting for the education management organization serving charter schools. You will oversee accounts payable/receivable, manage the monthly close, payroll processes, and financial reporting with the CFO and senior leaders.

The role is a controller-track path, requiring detail orientation and a drive to build scalable processes as the company grows and partners with schools across Southeast Michigan.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance
• 5-12 years of accounting/finance experience
• Strong GAAP-based reporting experience
• Payroll processing experience
• Experience supporting month-end close and financial reporting
• Detail-oriented with strong written and verbal communication
• Comfortable working primarily in person in Southfield, MI

Responsibilities

• Support and eventually own key parts of the monthly close process
• Prepare and review journalEntries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules
• Maintain accurate US GAAP-based financial records
• Reconcile AR, payroll-related accounts, intercompany activity, and other balance sheet accounts
• Help prepare monthly financial statements and reporting packages for CFO review
• Own and support biweekly payroll processes for 250+ employees
• Coordinate with ADP and internal teams for payroll accuracy and controls
• Reconcile payroll, benefits, deductions, contractor payments, stipends
• Provide accounting support for planning, forecasting, and financial decision-making
• Strengthen accounting checklists, controls, documentation, and recurring workflows
• Collaborate with CFO, President/COO, HR, operations, compliance, and school-level teams

Skills

Bachelor's degree

5-12 years

GAAP fundamentals

Payroll experience

Month-end close

Attention to detail

Communication

In-person work

Education

Bachelor's degree

CPA-track

Tools

QuickBooks Online

ADP

Job description

Rockstar is recruiting for a Senior Accounting Manager at an education management organization that partners with public charter schools across Southeast Michigan.

About the Company

Founded in 2003, they support a network of schools serving 3,000+ students and more than 250 employees. They provide the operational, financial, academic, HR, compliance, and student support infrastructure that helps schools run well and serve families effectively. The organization has a stable foundation, a long operating history, and ambitious plans to continue growing.

Position Summary

The Senior Accounting Manager will be a hands-on accounting leader reporting directly to the CFO. This person will support the day-to-day accounting function, including accounts receivable and accounts payable, help execute monthly close, manage payroll-related processes, and support financial reporting across the company and the schools it partners with.

This is a Controller-track role for someone with strong accounting fundamentals who takes pride in being detail-oriented, and wants to grow with the company. The right candidate is comfortable with data/numbers and brings the entrepreneurial drive to build and scale our processes as we grow.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting and Monthly Close

• Support and eventually own key parts of the monthly close process
• Prepare and review journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules
• Maintain accurate US GAAP-based financial records
• Reconcile AR, payroll-related accounts, intercompany activity, and other key balance sheet accounts
• Help prepare monthly financial statements and reporting packages for review by the CFO

Payroll and Employee-Related Accounting

• Own and support biweekly payroll processes for a workforce of 250+ employees
• Work with ADP and internal teams to ensure payroll is accurate, timely, and well-controlled
• Reconcile payroll, benefits, deductions, contractor payments, stipends, and related accounts
• Partner with other functions to ensure employee changes and compensation updates

Reporting, Budgeting, and Finance Support

• Support budget-to-actual reporting, variance analysis, and recurring reports for leadership
• Help translate accounting data into clear, useful information for the CFO and senior leaders
• Provide accounting support for planning, forecasting, and financial decision-making
• Strengthen accounting checklists, controls, documentation, and recurring workflows
• Work closely with the CFO, President / COO, HR, operations, compliance, and school-level teams

What Success Looks Like

• First 6 months: Payroll runs accurately and on time, monthly close is executed flawlessly, reconciliations are current and reliable, and GAAP processes are followed consistently.
• Over time: Becoming the day-to-day accounting lead, owning the close process, managing 2-3 accounting team members, and growing into a Controller-level role as the company scales.

Candidate Profile

Required

• Bachelor's degree
• 5-12 years of accounting, finance, payroll, or related experience
• Strong accounting fundamentals and comfort with GAAP-based reporting
• Experience with payroll and benefits processing
• Experience supporting month-end close, account reconciliations, and financial reporting
• Strong attention to detail and high standards for accuracy
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort working primarily in person in Southfield, Michigan

Preferred

• Experience in school accounting, school finance, charter schools, or school district finance
• CPA or CPA-track background
• Experience with QuickBooks Online and ADP
• Experience in a people-oriented services-based business or multi-entity environment
• Experience building or improving accounting processes, controls, or systems

Personal Qualities

• Detail-oriented, organized, and reliable
• Low ego and willing to be hands-on
• Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving environment
• Interested in growing with the company and taking on more responsibility over time

Why This Role Is Compelling

This is a chance to join a growing mission-driven organization with a long operating history and ambitious plans for the future. The role reports directly to the CFO and will have exposure to senior leadership across the organization.

For the right person, this is more than an accounting role. It is a path to become the accounting leader inside a growing organization. The individual will help build stronger processes, take on more responsibility, and grow into a Controller-level seat as the company continues to expand.