Senior Accounting Manager (Chicago)
Department: Finance & Accounting | Schedule: Full-time Reports to: CEO Position Summary The Senior Accounting Manager leads day-to-day accounting, month-end close, financial reporting, and payroll for a dynamic multi-channel coffee company. Our diverse business footprint includes coffee roasting, wholesale coffee bean and equipment sales, café operations, and retail sales. This is a hands-on role responsible for accurate financial records, reliable inventory and cost accounting, timely payroll, and practical controls across multiple sales channels. Key Responsibilities Accounting, Close & Financial Reporting · Own the general ledger and monthly close calendar; prepare or review journal entries, accruals, prepaid expenses, fixed assets, depreciation, and balance-sheet reconciliations. · Prepare timely monthly financial statements and management reports, including results by sales channel or operating segment, gross margins, and explanations of significant trends and variances. · Maintain consistent account coding and reporting structures in QuickBooks, including classes or other reporting dimensions where appropriate. · Coordinate year-end schedules and supporting documentation with external accountants; support budgeting, forecasting, and other financial analyses requested by leadership. Sales, Receivables & Platform Reconciliations · Reconcile mutli-channel sales platforms (Toast, Shopify) to payment processors, bank deposits, and the general ledger; resolve timing differences and missing or duplicate transactions. · Properly record gross sales , discounts, refunds, chargebacks, merchant fees, sales tax, tips, and gift-card liabilities, as applicable. · Manage wholesale invoicing , customer account reconciliations, aging reviews, collections, and customer deposits; coordinate billing issues with sales and customer service. · Maintain accurate cutoff for coffee, equipment, café, and retail sales and related costs; verify fulfillment or delivery support and applicable transaction terms. Inventory & Cost Accounting · Oversee accounting for green coffee, roasted coffee, packaging, café supplies, resale equipment, and retail merchandise; reconcile inventory records to the general ledger. · Partner with roasting and operations teams to track purchasing, freight, production labor, and applicable overhead; maintain consistent inventory costing and cost-of-goods-sold procedures. · Monitor roasting yields, weight loss, waste, shrinkage, and inventory adjustments; coordinate physical counts and investigate discrepancies. · Analyze product and channel margins ; identify unusual cost changes, slow-moving stock, and inventory valuation concerns for leadership. Payroll Administration | Paylocity · Run each payroll cycle for approximately 60 employees in Paylocity, from collecting approved inputs through processing, reconciliation, and posting to QuickBooks. · Review timecards, pay rates, overtime, tips, paid time off, reimbursements, employee benefit deductions, and other authorized adjustments; obtain manager approvals and resolve exceptions before processing. · Coordinate employee setup , pay changes, and separations with HR or designated leadership; maintain accurate payroll records and protect confidential employee information. · Reconcile payroll reports , cash withdrawals, benefit deductions, and payroll liabilities; coordinate with Paylocity and external advisors on payroll tax filings, notices, and year-end reporting. · Document payroll procedures and deadlines, maintain a backup coverage plan, and obtain an independent review and approval before payroll is released. Payables, Cash & Internal Controls · Manage vendor bills and payment workflows in BILL; verify coding, supporting documents, approval routing, vendor statements, and synchronization with QuickBooks. · Monitor cash balances , upcoming payment obligations, and receivable collections; prepare a short-term cash forecast and recommend payment timing within approved priorities. · Maintain bank and credit-card reconciliations and controls over café cash, deposits, vendor setup, and electronic payments; escalate discrepancies promptly. · Coordinate sales-tax reporting and exemption documentation with external advisors or service providers; maintain schedules for required filings and business renewals. · Document accounting procedures , improve platform integrations and reconciliations, and train or review the work of accounting support staff, as applicable. Maintain clear approval boundaries and independent review for sensitive transactions. Required Qualifications · Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience. · Experience: At least 5 years of progressive accounting experience, including ownership of month-end close and financial reporting; experience leading accounting processes or reviewing others’ work. · Industry Knowledge: Practical experience with inventory, cost of goods sold, and gross-margin analysis in a product-based business. · Payroll Management: Experience processing payroll for hourly and salaried employees, including timekeeping, deductions, and payroll reconciliations. · Technical Skill: Proficiency with QuickBooks and Excel; ability to reconcile data across accounting, payroll, sales, and payment systems. · Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, clear communication, and the ability to work independently while meeting recurring deadlines. Preferred Qualifications Experience with Paylocity, BILL, Toast, and Shopify; coffee roasting, food manufacturing, wholesale distribution, hospitality, or retail accounting; tipped employee payroll; and process improvements in a growing business. CPA or CMA designation is a plus. Measures of Success Accuracy & Speed: Financial statements are delivered accurately and on time according to the monthly close schedule. Compliance: Timely, mistake-free payroll processing with clear, documented approvals. System Integrity: Perfectly reconciled sales, cash, and inventory balances across all software integrations. Business Insights: Delivery of transparent, actionable visibility into product and channel margins. Scalability: Well-documented standard operating procedures (SOPs) that reduce manual error and allow the department to grow. Salary and Benefits $120,000 annual salary PTO after 90 days Health, dental, vision, life, and pet insurance options Phone and computer Great work/life balance Free COFFEE!
