Accounting Manager — San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California | Pacific Executive Search

Accounting Manager

(Job ID: 2077)

San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California

On-Site

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$120,000 – $135,000 base

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Overview

Overseeing a $1.3 billion value-add multifamily real estate portfolio, this position directs a global accounting team and ensures precision in property-level financial reporting and transaction accounting. Embedded within a real estate investment and property management firm expanding across multiple U.S. markets, the role demands expertise in month-end close, reconciliations, and cross-border team leadership. This is an opportunity to lead accounting operations that underpin complex acquisitions and dispositions while collaborating closely with senior finance leadership.

Title: Accounting Manager
Industry: Unknown
Location: San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles

Responsibilities

Supervise the preparation and thorough review of monthly financial statements for individual properties, guaranteeing accuracy and timely completion.
Manage the monthly close calendar, coordinating deadlines and deliverables with both domestic and offshore accounting teams.
Oversee accounting functions related to property acquisitions and sales, including transaction recording and proration analysis.
Maintain and enhance financial reporting processes for joint ventures and upper-tier entities, ensuring compliance and consistency.
Provide leadership and mentorship to an offshore accounting team, ensuring standardized procedures and quality control.
Collaborate with property management and finance departments to resolve discrepancies and streamline accounting workflows.
Support special projects and continuous improvement initiatives aimed at optimizing accounting operations and reporting accuracy.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Proven experience managing property-level accounting within a multifamily real estate investment context.
- Strong background in financial reporting, month-end close, reconciliations, and budgeting.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate accounting teams across multiple locations, including offshore resources.
- Familiarity with accounting for real estate transactions such as acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel and accounting software platforms; experience with NetSuite or similar ERP systems preferred.
Nice-to-Have:
- CPA certification or equivalent public accounting experience.
- Exposure to lender-specific financial reporting and tax preparation support.
- Experience working within a value-add real estate investment firm or private equity environment.
- Knowledge of property tax appeals, insurance claim tracking, and related financial adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Accounting Manager hires fail?
Because companies hire for close execution when the real need is issue ownership and team leadership. Many candidates can manage a checklist. Far fewer can stabilize the function under pressure, improve weak processes, coach staff, and hold the line during audit, turnover, or reporting stress.
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 are SaaS accounting and finance roles different from general corporate roles?
Because recurring revenue models create different pressure points around revenue recognition, deferred revenue, forecasting, metrics, and scale. Even strong general accounting or finance candidates can struggle if they have not operated in an environment where recurring revenue and growth-stage process discipline matter.
Is the CPA really required for roles like this?
Sometimes yes, and often functionally yes even when the posting says "preferred." At leadership levels especially, the CPA frequently acts as a credibility signal for hiring managers, auditors, lenders, investors, or boards. There are exceptions, but in many accounting searches it remains one of the clearest markers of technical foundation.
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.
Is direct NetSuite experience actually necessary?
Not always. What matters more is whether the candidate has handled a similar level of system complexity and can adapt quickly. That said, in lean environments, cleanups, or fragile closes, direct NetSuite familiarity can materially reduce ramp risk.

Accounting Manager

Overview

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

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