WHAT DOES AN ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS MANAGER DO?
Updated: May 08, 2026. The Accounting Operations Manager oversees financial reporting, billing operations, reconciliations, cash management, compliance, and month-end close activities to ensure operational accuracy and regulatory adherence. This role drives process improvement, internal controls, audit support, budgeting, and cross-functional coordination while managing accounting teams, vendor relationships, and financial performance metrics. The Manager also manages general ledger management, accounts payable and receivable oversight, project accounting, financial analysis, workflow automation, and maintains compliance with GAAP, SOX, tax regulations, and corporate governance standards.
Key Responsibilities of an Accounting Operations Manager
1. Accounting Operations Manager Responsibilities
- Financial Operations: Oversee AR, AP, disbursement, offshore operations, acquisition calls, and conversion activities.
- Financial Analysis: Respond to inquiries and provide analysis of financial information through sub-ledger review and reporting processes.
- Process Improvement: Analyze business and accounting processes to improve operational control, workflow efficiency, and compliance effectiveness.
- Ledger Management: Compile, review, and analyze sub-ledger data while completing and approving monthly financial review activities.
- Issue Resolution: Apply operational experience, data analysis, judgment, and established precedents to resolve complex accounting and technical issues.
- Process Documentation: Prepare and maintain current process documentation for business units supported by the operations team.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Maintain strong working relationships with production teams, agents, carriers, and internal operational stakeholders.
- Audit Support: Coordinate with internal and external audit teams to support compliance reviews and documentation requirements.
- Risk Governance: Assist with risk management governance activities and support business continuity planning and operational readiness processes.
2. Accounting Operations Manager Accountabilities
- Financial Closing: Drive financial close activities and prepare accurate financial statements in coordination with Global Business Services and outsourced operational teams.
- Accounting Support: Ensure processes collect relevant financial information and generate journal requests with complete supporting documentation for accounting activities.
- Financial Review: Review prepayments, accruals, reclassification entries, and related financial adjustments to ensure accurate posting by shared service teams.
- Reconciliation Management: Review and approve account reconciliations, intercompany recharge activities, and operational accounting work completed by Global Business Services.
- Audit Compliance: Support audit activities and assist in the preparation of fiscal reports, statutory reporting requirements, and compliance documentation.
- Control Documentation: Maintain supporting evidence of control operations to satisfy audit requirements and internal compliance standards.
- Tax Coordination: Manage tax audit activities and coordinate transfer pricing matters with relevant operational and financial stakeholders.
- Process Governance: Ensure business process controls performed by shared service teams operate effectively and align with internal governance requirements.
- Authorization Control: Ensure Finance Authorisation rules are applied effectively across operational activities and financial approval processes.
3. Accounting Operations Manager Functions
- Team Management: Manage accounting staff and support operational performance across financial activities.
- Reconciliation Reporting: Prepare monthly reconciliation binders to support financial reporting accuracy and accounting review processes.
- Loan Accounting: Oversee daily loan accounting activities, cash accounting operations, and financial reconciliation procedures.
- Policy Development: Assist with the research and recommendation of accounting policies and procedures supporting new business activities and operational requirements.
- Audit Support: Support audit processes by fulfilling documentation requests related to routine audits, examinations, and compliance reviews.
- Policy Compliance: Ensure accounting policies and procedures are maintained and consistently followed across operational and financial activities.
- Deadline Coordination: Ensure accounting deadlines are met through effective coordination, monitoring, and operational planning activities.
- Control Enhancement: Recommend enhancements to accounting controls, policies, and procedures to improve operational effectiveness and compliance standards.
- Ledger Resolution: Handle escalated general ledger issues and resolve out-of-balance discrepancies identified through accounting review activities.
- Charge-Off Analysis: Perform month-end charge-off analysis to support financial reporting accuracy and operational performance assessment.
- Property Compliance: Manage unclaimed property processes and maintain compliance with applicable financial reporting and documentation requirements.
4. Accounting Operations Manager Overview
- Billing Operations: Oversee and streamline billing operations and cash application processes to improve efficiency and operational accuracy.
- Program Coordination: Support specialty billing activities through program planning, implementation, and operational process coordination.
- Quality Assurance: Plan and implement quality assurance activities for operational processes to maintain service accuracy and compliance standards.
- Staff Development: Support personnel development activities and coordinate staff meetings to improve communication and team performance.
- Customer Service: Collaborate with internal departments to ensure quality customer service delivery across operational and business functions.
- Process Documentation: Document billing procedures and cash application processes to maintain operational consistency and process transparency.
- Bank Coordination: Serve as a liaison between the Company and correspondent banks regarding operational coordination and financial communication activities.
- Operational Leadership: Support the Bank’s Guiding Principles and Brand Behaviors through professional operational leadership and service standards.
- Regulatory Compliance: Adhere to federal regulatory requirements, Anti-Money Laundering regulations, Bank Secrecy requirements, and internal operational procedures.
- IT Oversight: Oversee IT processes, software license management, and data security activities supporting operational compliance requirements.
- Logistics Support: Oversee shipping documentation activities for warehouse and logistics operations while assisting in the resolution of logistical issues.
5. Accounting Operations Manager Details and Accountabilities
- Budget Analysis: Monitor and analyze monthly operating results against budget expectations and approved financial performance objectives.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal budgetary reporting requirements and internal financial procedures.
- Strategic Planning: Collaborate with department managers and corporate staff to develop annual and long-range business planning strategies.
- Goal Management: Establish and implement short-term and long-term departmental goals, operational objectives, policies, and procedures.
- Process Improvement: Provide recommendations for procedural improvements to strengthen operational efficiency and financial process effectiveness.
- Ledger Management: Maintain, analyze, and summarize general ledger accounts to support financial accuracy and reporting requirements.
- Financial Reporting: Prepare financial statements in accordance with accounting standards and internal reporting procedures.
- Executive Presentation: Present financial information to senior management and the Board of Directors to support strategic business decisions.
- Relationship Management: Maintain professional relationships with vendors and customers to support operational continuity and service quality.
- Business Advisory: Provide advisory support regarding operational initiatives, business expansion activities, workforce planning, ratios, and financial metrics.
- Acquisition Support: Assist acquisition activities and due diligence processes through financial review and operational analysis support.
- System Implementation: Implement systems and procedures to improve operational control, reporting accuracy, and process standardization.
6. Accounting Operations Manager Tasks
- Team Leadership: Mentor and build strong operational teams to achieve high performance and workforce development objectives.
- Employee Training: Train and evaluate employees to improve operational performance, professional development, and work quality standards.
- Workforce Planning: Develop task priorities and work assignments supporting departmental goals and operational performance expectations.
- Cross-Training: Ensure operational activities are cross-trained to maintain workflow continuity and team productivity standards.
- Relationship Management: Develop and maintain business relationships with vendors, internal stakeholders, and external customers, supporting operational effectiveness.
- Performance Management: Manage team performance metrics to improve cash flow, manage operational risk, and maintain regulatory compliance requirements.
- Month-End Closing: Complete timely month-end closing activities for accounts receivable and accounts payable reporting and reconciliation processes.
- Process Automation: Drive continual process improvement initiatives through automation to increase operational efficiency and workflow effectiveness.
- Operational Development: Assess and develop new operational tools and processes supporting best practice implementation and process standardization.
- Credit Control: Control credit risk by reviewing customer contract terms and evaluating domestic and international credit relationships.
- Invoice Accuracy: Support invoice accuracy initiatives to improve timely customer payment processing and operational financial performance.
- Workflow Auditing: Audit operational workflows to ensure accounting transactions comply with GAAP, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
7. Accounting Operations Manager Roles
- Cash Management: Maximize regional cash resources and ensure cash conversion performance aligns with operational budget expectations and working capital objectives.
- Working Capital: Support regional operations and finance functions in managing working capital activities according to approved financial targets and planning requirements.
- Staff Development: Oversee training and professional development activities for staff supporting Revenue Recognition, AR, Collections, Project Accounting, and accounting procedures.
- Team Coaching: Provide coaching and mentoring support for AR team members to strengthen operational performance and professional development.
- Operational Leadership: Provide proactive leadership to operational teams to maintain workforce engagement, accountability, and productivity across financial functions.
- Project Billing: Oversee monthly project billing activities according to billing cycles, contractual requirements, and established financial procedures.
- Invoice Coordination: Coordinate with Project Managers and AP teams to code invoices, expense reports, credit card charges, and reimbursement documentation.
- Billing Documentation: Collect and review invoice supporting documentation required for client billing submissions and contractual compliance processes.
- Invoice Management: Submit invoices according to contractual schedules while monitoring, researching, and resolving billing inquiries from internal and external stakeholders.
- Project Closeout: Execute project closing activities, including financial reconciliation, closeout documentation support, final invoicing, and project performance reporting.
- Financial Reconciliation: Review project financial records to reconcile WIP balances and deactivate completed project phases following operational closure procedures.
8. Accounting Operations Manager Additional Details
- Issue Resolution: Interact with internal and external customers and vendors to resolve complex issues supporting financial and operational business objectives.
- Policy Development: Develop policies, internal control procedures, analytical reporting processes, and AP metrics supporting operational growth requirements.
- Internal Controls: Manage and monitor internal controls related to vendor compliance, purchase orders, requisitions, disbursement activities, and SOX compliance requirements.
- System Improvement: Provide recommendations for system functionality improvements and implement payroll and procurement process enhancement initiatives.
- System Integration: Create and modify system interfaces to support operational efficiency and financial process integration activities.
- HR Coordination: Partner with Human Resources teams to ensure accurate reporting, administration, and compliance with internal operational procedures.
- Payroll Compliance: Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, wage laws, and operational best practice standards.
- Operational Support: Provide daily operational support and period closing assistance to the Accounting Manager and Finance department stakeholders.
- Financial Analysis: Complete ad-hoc financial analysis assignments requested by operational leadership and Finance department management teams.
- Expense Management: Manage expense reporting systems and related operational activities supporting financial control and reporting accuracy.
- Cash Forecasting: Provide input supporting cash forecasting activities and operational financial planning processes.
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