Assistant Controller

Arena Staffing has partnered with a confidential Southern California professional services organization that is hiring an Accounting Manager / Assistant Controller to lead accounting operations, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, reporting, and accounting process improvement. The position is located near Long Beach and is in office 5 days a week with the ability to potentially go hybrid 3 days a week after the training period.

This is a hands‑on accounting leadership opportunity for someone who is comfortable stepping into a cleanup and stabilization environment. The organization needs someone who can help bring the books current, clean up reconciliations, identify accounting gaps, improve workflows, and build a stronger month‑end close process moving forward.

This role is ideal for someone with law firm, legal billing, professional services, or small to mid‑sized company accounting experience who can operate independently, support leadership requests, and bring structure to AP, AR, billing, expense management, reconciliations, and financial reporting.

Why This Role Is Worth a Conversation

• Broad Accounting Ownership:
  Own AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month‑end close, expense management, financial reporting, and accounting process improvement.
• Real Cleanup Opportunity:
  Help bring delayed books current, clean up reconciliations, resolve missing data, and stabilize accounting workflows.
• Leadership Visibility:
  Work directly with partners, attorneys, HR, outside accountants, and internal support staff.
• Process Improvement Impact:
  Create cleaner workflows, better documentation, stronger controls, and a repeatable month‑end close process.
• Legal Billing Exposure:
  Support client and matter setup, attorney billing edits, e‑billing, LEDES files, collections follow‑up, and matter‑level reporting.
• Systems Environment:
  Work with tools such as Quick Books, Lean Law, Ramp, Excel, e‑billing platforms, and related accounting or document management systems.
• Small Team Impact:
  Join a relationship‑driven organization where your work will be visible and your accounting leadership will make a direct impact.
• Strong Compensation Package:
  Competitive base salary, benefits, paid time off, holidays, sick time, and discretionary bonus eligibility.

Role Snapshot

The Accounting Manager / Assistant Controller will serve as a key accounting lead for the organization. This person will support day‑to‑day accounting operations while also helping catch up delayed books, improve financial reporting, strengthen reconciliations, support billing and collections, and reduce reliance on outside accounting cleanup. The role requires someone who can move between detailed accounting work, cleanup projects, leadership reporting, billing support, process improvement, and financial visibility without needing heavy step‑by‑step direction.

What You Will Own

• Lead and support full‑cycle accounting, including AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month‑end close, expense management, and financial reporting.
• Help catch up delayed month‑end close activity and create a practical close calendar, checklist, review process, and documentation structure.
• Research and resolve missing data, AR import issues, reconciliation gaps, coding issues, and accounting system transition items.
• Generate and support client invoices, billing edits, time entry issues, collections follow‑up, and client payment questions.
• Upload and troubleshoot e‑billing and LEDES files as needed.
• Review vendor bills, expenses, credit card activity, approvals, coding, and supporting documentation.
• Reconcile bank accounts, credit cards, deposit accounts, trust accounts, and related accounts.
• Partner with outside accountants on tax, compliance, reporting, and financial information requests.
• Respond to leadership requests related to AR, billing, collections, expenses, rates, projections, client financial reports, and matter‑level reporting.
• Guide bookkeeping or data‑entry support on recurring weekly and monthly accounting tasks as needed.
• Improve accounting workflows, reporting accuracy, documentation, controls, and close timing.

Must‑Have Requirements

• 5+ years of accounting experience within a law firm,…