Senior Accounting Manager – General Accounting & Accounts Payable

A well-established global manufacturing company is seeking a Senior Accounting Manager to join its corporate finance organization in Columbia, Maryland.

This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for overseeing the General Accounting, Project Accounting, and Accounts Payable functions. The Senior Accounting Manager will lead and develop accounting teams, ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, strengthen internal controls, and drive process and systems improvements across the organization.

The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking accounting leader who can balance day-to-day execution with strategic initiatives. This individual should be comfortable leading through change, improving operational scalability, and partnering with Procurement, Treasury, Operations, Supply Chain, Information Technology, and senior leadership.

• Lead, mentor, and develop the General Accounting, Project Accounting, and Accounts Payable teams.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and measurable KPIs.
• Conduct talent assessments and develop succession and professional-development plans.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and ownership.
• Ensure the accounting organization has the capabilities and resources needed to support business growth.

Oversee accounting activities related to:

• Fixed assets and capital projects.
• Prepaid expenses and amortization schedules.
• Bank reconciliations and treasury-related accounting.
• Intercompany transactions, eliminations, and reconciliations.
• Freight, logistics, and distribution-related costs.
• Commodity and foreign-currency hedge accounting.
• Balance-sheet account management.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Lead accurate and timely month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.
• Review journal entries, account reconciliations, financial schedules, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure accounting transactions comply with U.S. GAAP, corporate policies, and internal-control requirements.
• Identify and resolve complex accounting issues affecting financial reporting.

• Oversee the full accounts-payable lifecycle, including invoice processing, vendor management, payment runs, and exception resolution.
• Establish controls designed to prevent and detect accounts-payable fraud.
• Ensure appropriate vendor validation, segregation of duties, and payment authorization procedures.
• Develop strategies to improve working capital and optimize days payable outstanding.
• Evaluate supplier terms, purchasing-card programs, financing opportunities, and other payment strategies.
• Partner with Procurement, Treasury, Supply Chain, and Operations to align payment practices with business priorities.

• Lead initiatives to standardize, simplify, and automate accounting processes.
• Improve accounting policies, procedures, workflows, and internal controls.
• Partner with Information Technology to implement ERP enhancements and workflow automation.
• Use data, technology, and artificial intelligence tools to improve accounting efficiency and accuracy.
• Identify the root causes of recurring accounting issues and implement sustainable solutions.
• Support the scalability of accounting operations during periods of growth and organizational change.

• Serve as a primary contact for external auditors covering general accounting and accounts payable.
• Prepare and review audit schedules, supporting documentation, and internal-control evidence.
• Ensure compliance with SOX requirements, segregation-of-duties standards, corporate policies, and applicable accounting guidance.
• Support financial-statement preparation, corporate reporting, and management reporting.
• Coordinate with internal audit and other stakeholders to address findings and strengthen controls.

• Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain, Treasury, FP&A, Information Technology, and plant finance teams.
• Communicate financial risks, accounting implications, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Support…