Senior Director, Accounting – Media & TV Networks

Foster McKay; Englewood Cliffs (NJ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Foster McKay is seeking a Senior Director of Accounting to lead controllership across a portfolio of networks, driving accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, and close activities. The role partners with Finance and Accounting to strengthen infrastructure through process improvement, automation, ERP transformation, and scalable practices.

The successful candidate will oversee multiple revenue streams, collaborate across departments, and guide transformation initiatives to support

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• CPA certification required.
• 12+ years of progressive accounting and controllership experience, with leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Lead accounting and controllership across networks.
• Oversee accounting for distribution, advertising, affiliate, licensing revenue and expenses.
• Ensure U.S. GAAP and SOX compliance in transactions and reporting.
• Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes and financial reporting.
• Review journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and estimates.
• Conduct balance sheet reviews and identify risks and unusual items.
• Prepare recurring and ad hoc financial reports for senior leadership.

Skills

Leadership

GAAP knowledge

SOX

Financial reporting

Team management

Education

CPA

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP systems

Automation tools

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Director of Accounting to lead controllership across a portfolio of sports and entertainment television networks, with responsibility for accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, and close activities across multiple revenue streams. This highly visible role will lead a business unit controllership team, partner across Finance and Accounting, and help strengthen the accounting infrastructure of a newly independent public company through process improvement, automation, ERP transformation, and scalable accounting practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead accounting and controllership activities across sports and entertainment network businesses.
• Oversee accounting for distribution, advertising, affiliate, licensing, and other revenue streams, as well as non-programming operating expenses.
• Ensure transactions are recorded and reported accurately in accordance with U.S. GAAP, company policies, and SOX requirements.
• Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, including financial reporting, balance sheet reconciliations, account analyses, and supporting schedules.
• Review journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, accounting estimates, and other general ledger activity.
• Lead balance sheet reviews and identify financial reporting risks, trends, and unusual items.
• Prepare and deliver recurring and ad hoc financial reporting for senior leadership.

Business Partnership

• Serve as a key accounting partner to Finance and business leadership, providing guidance on new initiatives, transactions, contracts, and revenue arrangements.
• Partner closely with leaders across Programming & Content Accounting, Participations & Residuals, Corporate Accounting, Technical Accounting, FP&A, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Technology, Internal Audit, and Accounting Operations.
• Support complex accounting matters, strategic initiatives, contract interpretation, and commercial agreements.
• Partner with internal and external auditors to support reporting and control requirements.

Transformation & Process Improvement

• Support accounting transformation initiatives including ERP implementation, automation, close optimization, reporting modernization, and process standardization.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual processes, improve controls, and increase efficiency.
• Develop scalable accounting processes, policies, and best practices to support continued organizational growth.
• Help shape future-state accounting operations as processes become increasingly centralized and automated.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing accounting team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Build team capabilities to support evolving business needs, transformation initiatives, and organizational growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• CPA required.
• 12+ years of progressive accounting and controllership experience, including significant leadership responsibility within a large or complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SOX, internal controls, and public company financial reporting.
• Demonstrated experience leading month-end close, financial reporting, balance sheet governance, reconciliations, and accounting operations.
• Public accounting and/or publicly traded company experience strongly preferred.
• Experience within media, entertainment, television, streaming, digital, advertising, technology, or another complex industry preferred.
• Experience supporting or leading ERP implementations, automation, centralization, finance transformation, or accounting process redesign.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and partner across Finance, Accounting, and business functions.

What We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will bring:

• Deep technical accounting expertise with a strong operational mindset.
• Strong partnership skills across Accounting, Finance, and business leadership.
• The ability to lead through organizational change and ambiguity.
• A continuous improvement mindset focused on automation, standardization, and scalability.
• Strong judgment, integrity, and commitment to financial controls and governance.
• A collaborative leadership style with a track record of developing strong accounting teams.