Client Accounting Division Manager

Overview

This hands-on people leadership role manages the Client Accounting division as a self-contained business unit. The division manager owns the P&L and staffing, and is accountable for both their own scorecard and the aggregate performance of every KPI held by roles within the division. Success is measured through business and people outcomes, including revenue, margin, utilization, service quality, and client retention, as well as the growth and engagement of the team.

The division supports consumer and product-based startups, so the manager brings deep inventory and cost accounting expertise to guide technical work and client advisory.

Responsibilities

Division Performance and KPI Accountability

• Own the business unit’s P&L, including revenue, margin, and utilization targets.
• Drive aggregate performance across all KPIs assigned to Accounting Associates and Client Accounting Advisors, in addition to the manager’s own scorecard.
• Track division performance regularly, identify gaps early, and take corrective action at the individual and team level.
• Report division results to the Director of Accounting Advisory, including risks, trends, and planned actions.
• Manage capacity and workload distribution across the division, including client assignments.
• Contribute to pricing and fixed-fee scoping, and monitor engagement profitability.
• Maintain awareness of AR and collections for division clients and address issues with the appropriate teams.

People Leadership and Staffing

• Set clear role expectations and performance goals tied to the KPIs each team member owns.
• Lead regular, structured 1:1s focused on goals, workload, development, and wellbeing (not only status updates).
• Provide direct, ongoing feedback that recognizes strong work and addresses gaps as they appear.
• Create clear growth plans and provide ongoing coaching to develop team members, in partnership with the Director and People Team.
• Conduct performance reviews, manage performance concerns directly, and contribute to compensation and promotion recommendations.
• Monitor team capacity and engagement to support retention and prevent burnout.
• Apply company policies consistently, manage time-off and leave requests, and bring performance concerns, employee relations matters, and escalations to the Director and People Team for guidance and resolution.
• Plan staffing against current and forecasted client demand and build the business case for new headcount.
• Lead hiring through interviewing and selection, and onboard new team members to reach full productivity within expected timelines.

Inventory Accounting and Technical Oversight

• Oversee inventory valuation, reconciliation, and physical and cycle count processes across the client portfolio, ensuring variances are investigated and resolved quickly.
• Set standards for costing methods (FIFO, LIFO, weighted average) and ensure the team applies them correctly by client and industry.
• Ensure delivery of accurate GAAP financial statements, inventory reporting, and COGS and gross margin analysis tailored to each client’s business model.
• Guide ERP and inventory software implementations, migrations, and improvements (partnering with an ERP specialist where needed), and ensure client records stay audit-ready (as appropriate for the engagement size and scope).
• Coach the team to help clients reduce shrinkage, obsolescence, overstocking, and stockouts, and improve working capital through metrics like inventory turnover and days on hand.
• Maintain a strong understanding of supply chain methods such as contract manufacturing and 3PL operations.

Client Relationships and Service Quality

• Serve as an escalation point for client relationship issues.
• Oversee quality control to ensure deliverables meet firm standards.
• Shift the team’s work from report delivery toward proactive advisory.

Growth and Operations

• Own growth of the division’s book of business through business development efforts to expand existing client relationships and identify service-expansion opportunities.
• Maintain accurate, current portfolio information in Knownwell.
• Drive full adoption of firm tools, systems, and processes, including AI-enabled workflows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration (Group and Company Success)

• Work with Tax, CFO, HR, and other service lines to create consistency, share knowledge, and deliver a seamless client experience.
• Support increasing pace of change by adapting processes as tools evolve.
• Demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for AI-driven efficiency by proactively seeking smarter ways of working.
• Maintain a constructive attitude and approach change with curiosity and enthusiasm.
• Encourage full adoption of firm tools and processes across the team.
• Build understanding of where each client’s business is headed and deliver proactive advisory (including the reasoning behind the numbers).

Core Competencies & Skills

• Financial acumen: cost management, margin analysis, fixed-fee scope adjustments, and AR/collections awareness.
• Client relationship management: escalation handling and identifying cross-sell/service-expansion opportunities.
• Advisory mindset: moving beyond report delivery to proactive advisory.
• Leading change: consistent adoption of firm tools, systems, and processes, and reinforcing them across the team.
• AI fluency: hands-on comfort using AI tools in accounting/operational work, with sound judgment about where AI adds value and where human review is required, including protection of client data.
• Cross-functional collaboration: strong working relationships across service delivery and alignment with growth initiatives.
• Inventory and cost accounting expertise: inventory accounting, costing methods, COGS, GAAP, and guidance through complex inventory work and system implementations, including contract manufacturing and 3PL operations and eCommerce operations/cash flows through Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and other marketplace solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance, or a related field, and 5+ years of progressive professional experience.
• Direct people management experience, including conducting performance reviews, managing underperformance, and developing team members.
• Exceptional client relationship management skills and ability to understand client needs.
• Strong project management skills, including ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality results.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, collaborating effectively with clients, team members, and leadership.
• Curiosity, strong problem-solving skills, and eagerness to take on new challenges involving emerging technology and industries.
• Strong command of GAAP and cost accounting, including inventory accounting (FIFO, LIFO, landed costs, shrinkage, and valuation adjustments).

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or CMA credential.
• Experience owning or significantly contributing to a team budget, P&L, or book of business.
• Prior experience leading a team within a professional services or client accounting environment.
• Hands-on ERP and inventory system experience (NetSuite, QuickBooks, Cin7, Fishbowl, or similar).
• Experience leading or overseeing ERP or inventory software implementations.

Compensation & Benefits

• Not specified in the provided job description.

Location

• Remote position. Work is primarily performed at a computer for extended periods, requiring the ability to use a keyboard, view a screen, and communicate via video and phone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

• This organization is an equal opportunity employer. It celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.