About the RoleThe Senior Finance Manager will play a pivotal role in leading the Accounting and Finance functions for SynchroGrid, with ownership of both the accounting close and financial planning and analysis. This role will be responsible for ensuring that all daily accounting and financial tasks are completed accurately and on time, and will own the annual budget, rolling forecasts, and cash flow planning that company leadership relies on to make decisions. The Senior Finance Manager will partner with the Chief Operating Officer, company leadership, and business unit managers to translate operating plans into financial plans, track performance against them, and analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses and recommend actions as the company grows. This role will be based in our Bryan/College Station, TX office. Reports to Chief Operating Officer. Direct reports AP/AR Accountant.
ResponsibilitiesAccounting & Close Responsibilities
- Reviewing and approving monthly client invoices prepared by the AP/AR Accountant before they are sent.
- Overseeing accounts payable processing, vendor files, and records maintained by the AP/AR Accountant.
- Reviewing and approving annual 1099 filings to ensure vendor information and reported amounts are accurate.
- Owning the month-end close, including reviewing reconciliations and journal entries, and monthly income and balance sheet statements.
- Maintaining owner distribution and equity accounts on the balance sheet, ensuring distributions are accurately recorded and reconciled to ownership records.
- Overseeing project accounting, including revenue recognition, unbilled revenue (work in progress), and project profitability reporting.
- Overseeing the Brex credit card program, including card limits, expense policy, transaction approvals, and monthly reconciliation to QuickBooks.
- Reviewing biweekly payroll journal entries to ensure proper account, department, and project coding and payroll tax compliance.
- Compiling, analyzing, and reporting financial data to support month-end results and management decision-making.
- Presenting financial results and key trends to managers and company leadership in a clear, actionable format.
- Staying informed about current legislation and accounting standards relating to finance, accounting, and tax.
- Overseeing franchise tax and sales and use tax reporting and filings, with assistance from the external tax firm.
- Coordinating with the external tax firm on corporate income tax returns and reviewing returns for accuracy before filing and ensuring timely payments.
- Reviewing state nexus data to determine income, franchise, sales and use, and payroll tax filing obligations by state.
- Other duties as assigned.
Financial Planning & Analysis Responsibilities
- Owning the annual budget process, building company and business unit budgets with department leaders and presenting them for approval.
- Building and maintaining a rolling forecast of revenue, expenses, and profitability based on backlog, pipeline, and staffing plans.
- Preparing monthly budget-to-actual variance analysis, explaining the drivers, and recommending corrective actions to leadership.
- Developing and maintaining a cash flow forecast to plan for payroll and financing needs.
- Forecasting and reporting on KPIs such as labor utilization, profit margin and flagging projects trending over budget.
- Building financial models and scenario analyses for hiring plans, pricing, new offices, and capital investments, etc.
Finance Leadership Responsibilities
- Supervise, lead, and mentor the accounting team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements, including tax reporting, accounting standards, and state and federal entity requirements.
- Manage daily cash position and working capital, including collections and payment timing to maintain adequate liquidity.
- Manage banking relationships and accounts as primary bank contact, including any line of credit, and ACH and wire approval controls.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities, monitor expenses, and implement measures to enhance profitability across business units.
- Evaluate financial risks to the business and develop strategies to mitigate them effectively.
- Manage the annual business insurance renewal with the broker, evaluating coverage options and premiums and recommending the program to the COO.
- Evaluate, enhance, and maintain financial systems and tools to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
- Implement AI-driven efficiencies in financial reporting using Claude or other LLM tools, while maintaining review controls and data confidentiality.
- Lead any corporate finance activities such as capital raising and merger & acquisition work, in partnership with the COO.
QualificationsREQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Completion of a bachelor's or graduate degree program with a major in accounting, finance, or an equivalent from an accredited college or university.
- Minimum of 7 years of progressive finance/accounting experience, including at least 2 years with direct responsibility for budgeting and forecasting.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- CPA is highly desirable.
- FP&A or controller experience in a professional services or engineering firm, including project-based forecasting.
- Experience with QuickBooks and BQE Core or similar project accounting software.
- Hands-on experience using AI tools such as Claude or other LLMs to automate finance or reporting workflows.
Required Skills- Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
- Working knowledge of corporate income tax and multistate tax rules, including state nexus.
- Demonstrated experience presenting financial results and recommendations
- Computer experience should include a strong familiarity with Microsoft Office 365 applications, advanced Excel skills for financial modeling and forecasting, and ability to adapt to internal software.
- Requires strong analytical thinking and problem solving.
- Requires a high level of integrity and ability to maintain high confidentiality.
