Operations Accounting Manager Jobs in Park Ridge, IL

The Accounting Manager is responsible for leading accounting, financial reporting, reconciliation, and month-end close activities for assigned business units and accounting processes. This role combines ownership of complex accounting activities with leadership of a team of accounting professionals and is accountable for delivering accurate, timely, and well-controlled financial results in accordance with IFRS, company policies, and internal control requirements.

As part of the Finance Shared Services (FSS) organization, the Accounting Manager oversees key accounting processes, financial reporting deliverables, account reconciliations, audit support activities, and process improvement initiatives. The role partners closely with FP&A, business stakeholders, Corporate Accounting, Tax, and Internal Audit to resolve accounting and reporting matters, support financial reporting requirements, and drive operational excellence.

The Accounting Manager applies strong technical accounting expertise, professional judgment, and leadership capabilities to maintain the integrity of financial reporting, foster a strong control environment, develop team capabilities, and drive continuous improvement across assigned areas of responsibility.

This role operates within a highly accelerated close environment, with reporting timelines aligned to a 3-day close cadence.

Success in this role requires strong technical accounting expertise, sound judgment, leadership capability, accountability for results, and the ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards of quality, compliance, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute assigned aspects of the month-end close and reporting process, ensuring timely completion in accordance with the Corporate Reporting calendar.
• Maintain ownership of assigned accounting areas and ensure transactions are recorded, analyzed, and reported accurately, completely, and timely.
• Review and approve balance sheet account reconciliations, ensuring timely investigation and resolution of reconciling items with appropriate supporting documentation.
• Identify, assess, and resolve accounting issues, risks, and variances, providing technical guidance, recommendations, and escalation as appropriate.
• Prepare and review financial analyses, supporting schedules, management reporting deliverables, and ad hoc reporting with audit-ready documentation.
• Lead the preparation and review of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting deliverables, including variance analysis and management reporting.
• Maintain and enhance accounting process documentation, desktop procedures, and control documentation to support consistency, standardization, and audit readiness.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls, accounting policies, and close procedures while maintaining a strong control environment.
• Review financial results, trends, and account balances to identify risks, anomalies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner cross-functionally with Accounting, FP&A, business stakeholders, Corporate Accounting, Tax, and Internal Audit to resolve issues, support decision-making, and deliver actionable insights.
• Manage team deliverables, priorities, and ad hoc requests, ensuring accountability, quality, and adherence to deadlines.
• Lead and support process improvement, automation, and transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, scalability, reporting quality, and control effectiveness.
• Coach, develop, and provide technical guidance to accounting staff while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Support internal and external audits, including coordination of audit requests, preparation of supporting documentation, and resolution of audit inquiries.

Other Duties:

• Special projects as appropriate

Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Required Experience

• 8-10 years of progressive, relevant accounting or audit experience
• 5-7 years of recent hands-on general ledger experience in an RTR environment, including ownership of month-end close and financial reporting activities
• 3+ years of people management experience, including responsibility for coaching, developing, and evaluating accounting staff
• Experience reviewing accounting deliverables, providing technical guidance, and leading accounting processes or teams
• Prior experience in a shared services, multinational, or global corporate environment
• Experience operating within a controlled close and audit environment
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and strong analytical capabilities

Preferred / Highly Desirable Experience:

• CPA
• Public accounting or external audit background
• Experience with revenue recognition (IFRS 15 / ASC 606)
• Handson experience with Microsoft Dynamics GP, NetSuite, SAP, or similar ERP systems
• Experience with BlackLine or similar financial close and reconciliation tools
• Strong financial reporting, analytical, and data interpretation capabilities
• Outsourcing experience from both customer and service provider perspectives
• Experience with accounting for publishing, information services, software, and subscription-based business models
• Experience leading process improvement, automation, or finance transformation initiatives
• Experience working in a fast-paced close environment (e.g., accelerated close cycles)

Other Knowledge, Skills, Abilities or Certifications:

• Strong technical accounting knowledge and sound accounting judgment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risks and recommend solutions
• High attention to detail with accountability for the accuracy and quality of individual and team deliverables
• Ability to balance hands-on accounting responsibilities with leadership responsibilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines in a controlled close environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership, coaching, and talent development capabilities
• Demonstrated ownership mindset, with accountability for results and consistent follow-through on commitments
• Ability to build effective partnerships across accounting, finance, and business organizations
• Ability to operate effectively in a mix of automated and manual processes while identifying opportunities for improvement, standardization, and efficiency gains
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive issue resolution independently

To maintain a fair and genuine hiring process, we kindly ask that all candidates participate in interviews without the assistance of AI tools or external prompts. Our interview process is designed to assess your individual skills, experiences, and communication style. We value authenticity and want to ensure we're getting to know you-not a digital assistant. To help maintain this integrity, we ask to remove virtual backgrounds and include in-person interviews in our hiring process. Please note that use of AI-generated responses or third-party support during interviews will be grounds for disqualification from the recruitment process.

Applicants may be required to appear onsite at a Wolters Kluwer office as part of the recruitment process.

Compensation:

Compensation range listed is based on primary location of the position. Actual base salary offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skills, experience and actual hiring location. Your recruiter can share more information about the specific offer for the job location during the hiring process.

Wolters Kluwer offers a wide variety of competitive benefits and programs to help meet your needs and balance your work and personal life, including but not limited to: Medical, Dental, & Vision Plans, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Commuter Benefits, Tuition Assistance Plan, Vacation and Sick Time, and Paid Parental Leave. Full details of our benefits are available upon request.