Sr. Manager, External Reporting and Technical Accounting

Company Overview Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including food service, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Location

Lake Forest, IL

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, External Reporting and Technical Accounting will play a critical role in a private equity backed environment, supporting accurate, timely financial reporting and providing technical accounting leadership through rapid growth, transactions, and operational change. This role will serve as a key leader within the corporate accounting team, responsible for overseeing external financial reporting and providing expert guidance on complex technical accounting matters.

This role ensures financial statements are prepared accurately, on time, and in accordance with U.S. GAAP while supporting business transactions, lender and investor reporting, and evolving accounting. This highly-visible role will require regular communication with the Corporate Controller, Chief Accounting Officer, CFO, other corporate department heads (Legal, FP&A, Treasury, etc.), and business unit finance leaders. The ideal candidate will have leadership capabilities, solid accounting and reporting background, and work proactively to drive results in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

Financial & External Reporting

• Lead the preparation and review of quarterly and annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
• Oversee financial reporting deliverables for lenders, investors, and other external stakeholders, including covenant reporting and ad hoc reporting requests.
• Serve as a primary accounting liaison for the annual audit, quarterly reviews, and other assurance engagements, including providing support to external auditors and managing the flow of information and documentation.
• Ensure accurate and consistent financial statement disclosures and footnotes, including reviewing the disclosure checklist, ensuring complete and accurate data is utilized during the preparation process, and resolution of comments on the document.
• Ensure accuracy in periodic governmental and census filings.

Technical Accounting & Policy

• Research, interpret, and document accounting conclusions for complex or non‑routine transactions, including revenue recognition, business combinations, goodwill and impairment, share‑based compensation, leases, debt modifications, and equity transactions.
• Prepare and maintain technical accounting memoranda and position papers to support critical judgments.
• Monitor new accounting standards and assess applicability and adoption impacts for a private company.
• Provide technical guidance to accounting and finance teams on GAAP matters.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with FP&A, Legal, Tax, Treasury, HR, and operations to support accurate accounting outcomes for business initiatives and strategic transactions.
• Support M&A activity, including financial due diligence, purchase accounting, opening balance sheet adjustments, and post close accounting integration.
• Assist leadership with accounting considerations related to growth initiatives, financing activities, restructurings and other transformational transactions, as needed.
• Proactively build relationships and invest in getting to know cross‑functional partners and listen to understand what’s most important to them. Works to establish trust, reliability, and partnership with teams across our…