Accounting Manager

Our cleint is currently seeking an experienced Accounting Manager to manage day-to-day accounting activities to ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP, internal policies, SOX Controls and external audit. This role requires hands-on payroll expertise.

This position is based in South San Francisco, CA, location, with flexibility to work remote, and will periodically be required to be on-site.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Managing general ledger accounting functions, including, but not limited to: allocations, payroll accounting, fixed assets, accounts payable, accruals and cash.
• Preparing and booking journal entries with a strong understanding of the underlying accounting logic and supporting documentation.
• Owning multi-state payroll accounting and processing in Paylocity, including tax setup and compliance across jurisdictions, payroll journal entries, reconciliations, and troubleshooting.
• Serving as the primary preparer for weekly vendor changes and vendor payment runs, applying strong fraud-prevention judgment to detect and escalate suspicious changes (e.g., bank detail edits, new vendor requests, duplicate payments).
• Managing the employee expense reimbursement program, including administration of the expense reporting system, policy compliance reviews, employee support, and related reconciliations.
• Coordinating Finance-related onboarding and offboarding activities, including system access provisioning, user maintenance, and training for Finance applications and processes.
• Preparing quarterly government census/statistical filings accurately and on time.
• Helping with the 401K, quarterly and year-end financial audit activities.
• Monitoring and analyzing financing accounting data.
• Performing ad hoc analysis and projects as requested.
• Be a trusted business partner and advisor to various stakeholders within Finance and Accounting and across the Company.
• Proactively liaise with external auditors to drive timely closure of PBC requests and auditor inquiries.

This job description outlines the primary duties and responsibilities of the role; however, it is not intended to be all-inclusive.  The scope of responsibilities may be modified, expanded, or adjusted at the discretion of the organization to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications Include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• 5+ years of relevant accounting experience, including direct, hands-on experience with multi-state payroll
• Demonstrated proficiency payroll processing, tax filings, and reporting — able to work independently in the system without heavy vendor support
• Strong technical accounting skills, including the ability to independently prepare and book journal entries and reconcile complex accounts
• Experience with accounts payable/vendor management controls, with a clear understanding of fraud risk indicators in vendor setup and payment processes
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities across all levels of an organization
• Ability to prioritize workloads, tasks, meet deadlines and respond to changing priorities in a hyper-growth environment
• Experience with Oracle Fusion, Paylocity, Fidelity and Concur a plus
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint required 
• Previous experience in Life Sciences or Biopharma a plus