(Senior) Property Accountant — Westside (LA), CA | Pacific Executive Search

(Senior) Property Accountant

(Job ID: 1906)

Westside (LA), CA

On-Site

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$85,000 – $100,000 base

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Overview

Join a dynamic real estate investment firm as a Senior Property Accountant, where your expertise will play a crucial role in overseeing the financial performance of a diverse portfolio. This position offers the opportunity for professional growth, collaboration with cross-functional teams, and the chance to drive impactful financial insights. You will thrive in a culture that values innovation, accuracy, and proactive problem-solving, while contributing to the firm's commitment to excellence in property management and investment.

Responsibilities

Review and analyze monthly financial statements from third-party property managers, ensuring accuracy and compliance with GAAP and ownership reporting standards.
Identify and resolve discrepancies and variances in property-level financials, providing actionable insights to asset management and leadership teams.
Coordinate with third-party property management companies to enforce standardized reporting and adherence to management agreements.
Oversee accounts payable processes within Yardi Voyager, including invoice entry, coding, and timely vendor payments.
Monitor property-level cash balances and assist in funding requests and capital calls as necessary.
Support external audits by preparing schedules and coordinating with third-party managers to ensure compliance with internal controls and accounting standards.
Assist in the review of annual property budgets and track performance against forecasts, providing analytical support to asset management.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
3–6+ years of property accounting experience, preferably within a real estate investment firm or owner/operator structure.
Hands-on experience with Yardi Voyager, specifically in accounts payable processing.
Strong understanding of GAAP and property-level accounting principles.
Proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables and variance analysis.
Nice-to-Have:
Experience in a private equity real estate or institutional investment environment.
Familiarity with fund accounting and ownership structures.
Experience managing large, multi-entity portfolios.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do companies mis-hire at the Senior Accountant level?
Because they hire based on task lists instead of ownership. Two candidates may both mention reconciliations, journal entries, and close support, but only one has truly owned balance sheet areas, resolved issues independently, worked directly with auditors, and operated with minimal supervision. Titles vary widely in the market. Ownership is the more reliable signal.
Why are operational accounting roles often underestimated?
Because they are easy to describe but hard to fill well. AP, AR, payroll, and billing roles require accuracy under volume, process discipline, and system fluency. The difference between someone who can do the work and someone who can own and improve the function is significant, and most companies discover that gap only after the hire.
Why do accounting roles in real estate often require a different kind of operator?
Because entity structures, property-level reporting, intercompany activity, partnership considerations, and ownership reporting can create a more structurally complex environment than many standard corporate settings. Real estate accounting roles usually demand a candidate who understands the operating rhythm of the business, not just the debits and credits.
Why is cost accounting experience often treated as a separate requirement?
Because cost accounting is not just a line item on a resume. In the right environments, it shapes how the business understands margins, inventory, production efficiency, and operating performance. Employers usually separate it out because general accounting strength alone does not guarantee sound judgment in a costing environment.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.