AP Manager (Confidential) — Greater Los Angeles, CA | Pacific Executive Search

AP Manager (Confidential)

(Job ID: 1906)

Greater Los Angeles, CA

On-Site

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$85,000 – $100,000 base

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Overview

We are looking for an experienced Property Accountant to join a well-established organization in the real estate investment sector. This role focuses on managing financial performance and accounts payable processes for a portfolio of properties, ensuring accuracy and compliance in financial reporting.

Title: AP Manager
Industry: Unknown
Location: Greater Los Angeles

Responsibilities

Analyze and verify monthly financial reports from external property managers for accuracy and compliance with accounting standards.
Identify and resolve discrepancies in property-level financials, ensuring proper revenue recognition and expense classification.
Act as the main point of contact for accounting matters with third-party property management firms, enforcing standardized reporting practices.
Oversee accounts payable transactions, including invoice processing and vendor payments, ensuring adherence to internal controls.
Monitor cash balances and coordinate funding requests to align with property budgets and cash flow needs.
Support the preparation and review of annual property budgets and track performance against forecasts.
Assist in external audit processes by preparing necessary documentation and coordinating with third-party managers.

Qualifications

Must-Have:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
3–6+ years of experience in property accounting, with a focus on accounts payable.
Proficiency in property-level accounting and financial statement analysis.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
Effective communication skills for collaboration with external and internal stakeholders. Nice-to-Have:
Experience in a private equity real estate or institutional investment environment.
Familiarity with fund accounting and multi-entity portfolio management.
Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and variance analysis.

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.

AP Manager (Confidential)

Overview

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

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