Accounting Operations Manager

ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS MANAGER CAREER GUIDE

Accounting Operations Manager career overview, key responsibilities, hard and soft skills, salary data, and job requirements for this finance management role. Learn about the career path.

An Accounting Operations Manager fills the gap between the Controller's organization and the transactional teams that generate the daily flow of invoices, payments, and journal entries—serving as the operational owner who keeps those processes accurate and audit‑ready. Day to day, this person runs the month‑end close cycle, oversees accounts payable and receivable functions, enforces internal controls, and coordinates external audit activities across a team of staff accountants and accounting specialists.

• Oversee the month‑end and year‑end close cycle, including journal entry review, reconciliation sign‑off, and financial statement preparation to meet reporting deadlines.
• Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable operations, ensuring invoices are processed accurately, collections are followed up consistently, and vendors receive payment within agreed terms.
• Lead a team of staff accountants and accounting operations specialists through hiring, performance management, training, and daily work distribution to maintain throughput and quality.
• Analyze reconciliation aging, close cycle metrics, and AP accuracy rates to identify gaps, drive remediation efforts, and report performance results to the Controller or CFO.
• Ensure internal controls across the accounting department satisfy SOX requirements, including maintaining procedure documentation, testing for design and operating effectiveness, and coordinating audit walkthroughs.

Lamwork's review of Accounting Operations Manager postings shows that a combination of technical accounting depth and operational management capability defines the strongest candidates in this field.

• Hard
  
  Skills:
  
  Month-End Close Management, US GAAP Compliance, ERP Systems (SAP, Oracle, or Net Suite), Accounts Payable and Receivable Operations, Internal Controls, and SOX Compliance
• Soft Skills:
  
  Team Leadership, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Problem Solving, Stakeholder Communication, Process Improvement

Typical Career Progression for an Accounting Operations Manager:

• Staff Accountant or Accounting Operations Coordinator
• Senior Accountant or Accounting Supervisor
• Accounting Operations Manager
• Controller or Director of Accounting

Reaching the Accounting Operations Manager level typically takes five to eight years of progressive accounting experience, with at least two years managing direct reports. Advancement toward Controller or Director roles is driven by breadth of close-cycle ownership, demonstrated SOX competency, and the ability to lead cross‑functional process improvement initiatives.

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – highest market value for roles with external reporting or audit exposure
• Certified Management Accountant (CMA) – signals cost management and operational finance proficiency
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) – reinforces internal controls expertise for SOX‑intensive environments
• Black Line Certified User – demonstrates proficiency with the reconciliation automation platform widely used at this level

The average Accounting Operations Manager salary in the United States is $113,004 per year, based on the most recent data from Glassdoor.

Top-paying cities:

• San Francisco, CA – $155,000 per year
• New York, NY – $135,000 per year
• Seattle, WA – $128,000 per year

Pay at this level is most strongly influenced by whether the organization is publicly traded (which adds SOX compliance scope and typically commands a premium), the size and complexity of the team managed, and the breadth of close-cycle ownership – roles that span AP, AR, and general ledger functions together tend to pay more than those focused on a single area.

CPA licensure also carries a measurable wage premium at mid‑to-senior levels.