Director, Corporate Accounting — Greater Los Angeles, California | Pacific Executive Search

Director, Corporate Accounting

(Job ID: 1945)

Greater Los Angeles, California

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$120,000 – $165,000 base

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Overview

Join a dynamic and innovative team as the Director of Corporate Accounting, where you will play a pivotal role in shaping financial strategies and ensuring compliance across multiple entities. This position offers significant opportunities for career growth and development, allowing you to lead critical accounting functions while fostering a collaborative and flexible work environment. We value integrity, teamwork, and continuous improvement, making this an ideal opportunity for professionals eager to make a meaningful impact.

Responsibilities

Oversee full-cycle accounting for the management company and related corporate entities, ensuring accuracy and compliance with GAAP.
Manage the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, including the preparation and review of journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statements.
Develop and maintain internal financial reporting packages and variance analyses to support management decision-making.
Lead corporate allocation processes across properties and business lines, ensuring consistency and accuracy in reporting.
Prepare and review lender reporting packages and monitor compliance with debt covenants and reporting deadlines.
Coordinate annual audits, preparing necessary schedules and documentation to facilitate the process.
Act as the primary point of contact for Yardi systems administration, supporting user management and system enhancements.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
CPA certification preferred.
7+ years of progressive accounting experience, ideally in real estate or multi-entity organizations.
Strong understanding of GAAP and corporate accounting principles.
Experience managing full-cycle accounting in a corporate or management company environment.
Proficient in technical accounting research and handling non-routine transactions.
Advanced Excel skills and experience with Yardi or similar accounting systems.
Nice-to-Have:
Experience with accounting systems implementations and upgrades.
Knowledge of accounting standards such as ASC-740 and revenue recognition.
Familiarity with debt compliance and financial reporting requirements.

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.
What are strong Accounting Manager candidates evaluating during the interview process?
They are usually trying to understand whether they are walking into a stable environment, a cleanup situation, or an under-resourced function. Strong candidates do not just evaluate title and compensation. They assess whether success is realistically achievable and whether leadership understands what the accounting team actually needs.
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.
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.
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.

Director, Corporate Accounting

Overview

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

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