Responsibilities
- Accounting Ownership of Payment Operations: Own the accounting integrity of payment settlement activities across ACH, card, wire, and alternative payment methods. Ensure payment activity is accurately recorded, classified, and supported in accordance with accounting policies and internal control standards. Serve as the primary accounting partner to Payment Operations, providing guidance on treatment of exceptions, returns, chargebacks, timing differences, and complex settlement scenarios. Apply accounting judgment to resolve ambiguous or non-standard settlement and cash-flow issues.
- Close, Reconciliation & Financial Integrity: Lead daily and monthly reconciliations between payment platforms, ERP systems, bank accounts, and trust accounts. Ensure all payment-related balances are fully supported, reconciled, and prepared for month-end close. Oversee preparation and review of settlement-related journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting analyses. Investigate variances and discrepancies, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Maintain clear, audit-ready documentation supporting balances, reconciliations, and accounting conclusions.
- Controls, SOX & Audit Support: Ensure payment-related accounting processes operate within a strong internal control framework, including SOX-relevant controls. Review and approve control evidence, reconciliations, and close documentation prepared by the team. Partner closely with Controllership, Internal Audit, and external auditors to support audits, walkthroughs, and testing. Identify control gaps or accounting risks within payment processes and lead remediation efforts.
- Analytical Problem Solving & Process Transformation: Analyze end-to-end payment and settlement workflows from an accounting perspective to identify inefficiencies, risks, and control weaknesses. Lead initiatives to simplify and standardize accounting treatment, reduce manual adjustments, and improve reconciliation quality. Drive automation and system improvements that strengthen accounting accuracy, transparency, and scalability. Partner with Product and Engineering teams to ensure system design supports proper accounting outcomes and control requirements. Establish and maintain clear, accounting-aligned SOPs for payment and settlement processes.
- Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership: Lead, coach, and develop a team of accounting and settlement professionals, emphasizing analytical thinking, accountability, and control awareness. Serve as the escalation point for complex accounting issues related to payments and cash. Communicate accounting implications and conclusions clearly to Finance, Payment Operations, and senior leadership. Balance operational efficiency with accounting rigor and audit defensibility.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
- 7+ years of progressive experience in accounting, accounting operations, or financial services
- Experience supporting month-end close, reconciliations, and audit processes in controlled environments
- Demonstrated ability to apply accounting judgment to complex, high-volume transaction flows
- Experience partnering with operational teams while maintaining accounting independence and rigor
Nice to Have
- CPA or equivalent professional certification
- Big 4 public accounting firm experience preferred, particularly audit or advisory work involving cash, revenue, or operational accounting
