Senior Manager, Real Estate Finance and Accounting

Title: Senior Manager - Real Estate Finance and Accounting

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer

Department: Finance

Location: Oakland, CA

Schedule: Monday through Friday

Travel: Local travel may be required

Employee Status: Regular, Full-Time, Exempt

Union: N/A

Supervises: 1-3 assigned staff

Benefits

Two weeks of paid vacation a year, sick time, 14 holidays, up to five floating holidays based on employee status, medical and dental benefits on the first of the month following 30 days of employment, life insurance policy at no cost to employee (with the option of increasing policy amount), flexible spending account for medical and dependent care costs, commuter benefits, 403(b) with employer match, and other benefits. We foster a joyful workplace and offer opportunities for professional development and growth. 

Agency Summary

The Unity Council is a non-profit Social Equity Development Corporation with an over 60-year history in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Our mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant communities where everyone can work, learn, and thrive. 

Our programs aim to provide the community with the tools, knowledge, and resources to transform their lives and ultimately achieve their long-term educational, career, and financial goals. These holistic programs and services reach more than 10,000 individuals and families annually in five languages. Programs include early childhood education, youth mentorship and leadership development, employment services, career readiness training, housing and financial stability, senior citizen services, affordable housing and neighborhood development, and arts and cultural events. Our work expands beyond the Fruitvale district and now reaches across Oakland and into Contra Costa County. The Unity Council employs a diverse workforce of more than 300 people who reflect the linguistic, cultural, and ethnic identity of the communities we serve. 

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Senior Finance Manager is a key contributor in the Finance Department. Managing a broad range of responsibilities with finance focus areas including review acquisitions financial pro forma models prepared by Real Estate Development; banking, debt management, budgeting, accounting, and compliance reporting for asset properties, post-acquisition properties, and enterprise entities.

The Senior Finance Manager works closely with Real Estate Development (RED) and Property Management (PM) to ensure timely and accurate financial case scenario analysis and forecasting, grants and contracts alignment, expenditures to funding alignment, and reporting to inform business decisions from a finance perspective.

This position requires advanced experience working with complex acquisition, financing, and enterprise business models and operations, automated accounting and banking systems, property management, financial systems, and data mapping and analytics systems. This position is responsible for managing significant financial functions including the Asset Finance Unit (AF) and post-acquisition accounting operations, and real estate related finance and accounting operations. In collaboration with the Chief Financial Officer, this position will assist senior leadership with developing financial KPIs and cost projections for new initiatives and strategic decisions.

The ideal candidate would be collaborative, adaptable, proactively seeks process improvement and automation opportunities, embraces an approach of continuity of operations through knowledge sharing and documentation, and thrives in achieving strict deadlines on a consistent basis.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lead accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and internal controls for assigned real estate development, property, and related legal entities; ensure accurate, timely financial information in accordance with GAAP and applicable requirements.
• Oversee property management accounting, including property-level financial statements, reconciliations, cash management, debt service, reserves, budget-to-actual reporting, and coordination with Property Management; provide accounting oversight rather than asset management strategy.
• Partner with Real Estate Development to independently review affordable housing development pro formas, sources and uses, LIHTC equity assumptions, construction and permanent debt, public financing, and projected cash flows; identify financial risks and recommend alternatives to the CFO and development leadership.
• Review construction draws, supporting documentation, funding availability, cost allocations, and development expenditures for accuracy, completeness, appropriate approvals, and consistency with financing agreements and project budgets.
• Oversee development accounting, including capitalization of costs, project and entity accounting, financial closeout, cost certification support, and transition from construction to stabilized-property accounting; coordinate with auditors, lenders, investors, and other partners as needed.
• Prepare and review monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, forecasts, management reports, audit and tax schedules, and required lender, investor, governmental, and contractual reporting for assigned entities.
• Maintain effective policies, reconciliations, approval processes, and controls for accounting systems, banking, debt, reserves, contracts, purchasing, and cost allocations, including common area maintenance (CAM) where applicable.
• Analyze financial results, financing arrangements, and accounting implications of acquisitions, rehabilitation, new development, and major organizational decisions; provide clear recommendations and challenge assumptions constructively.
• Collaborate across Finance, Real Estate Development, and Property Management to maintain accurate project financial data, reconcile development pro formas to actual accounting results, strengthen reporting, and improve systems and workflows.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate assigned finance staff; establish priorities, review work quality, develop technical skills, document processes, and promote accountability and continuity of operations.

Qualifications

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field; CPA or equivalent advanced accounting expertise preferred.
• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible accounting and financial management experience, including substantial real estate accounting responsibility and exposure to affordable housing development transactions.
• A minimum of three (3) years of verifiable supervisory experience is required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated controller-level expertise in GAAP, financial statements, multi-entity real estate accounting, audits, reconciliations, internal controls, and financial reporting.
• Strong working knowledge of LIHTC development financing and accounting, including tax credit equity, layered financing, construction draws, cost certifications, and development-to-operations transitions.
• Experience overseeing property management accounting, including debt, reserves, cash, property-level financial reporting, and accounting compliance; traditional asset management experience alone does not satisfy the development finance requirement.
• Advanced Excel proficiency, including the ability to critically review development pro formas, financing assumptions, sources and uses, cash flows, and complex financial analyses.
• Experience with Yardi, Sage, or comparable real estate accounting systems preferred; ability to improve financial systems, data integrity, reporting, and processes required.
• Ability to serve as an independent financial thought partner to the CFO and Real Estate Development leadership, assess risk, challenge assumptions, and communicate actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, coach, develop, and hold staff accountable while collaborating across departments and with external financial stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, and consistent attention to accuracy and deadlines.

Physical Requirements

• This position is primarily sedentary and requires the ability to remain seated for extended periods of time.
• Frequent use of hands and fingers to operate a computer, keyboard, and other standard office equipment.
• Ability to occasionally stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
• Must be able to occasionally lift and/or move items up to 10–15 pounds.
• Requires close vision and the ability to focus for extended periods when working on a computer or reviewing detailed documents.
• May involve occasional bending, stooping, or climbing stairs.

Pre-Employment Requirements

• Background/fingerprints
• Reference Checks

This description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities or requirements for the position. This position may change or assume additional duties at any time.