Sr Manager - External Reporting & Technical Accounting

Quaker Houghton

• $120K — $145K *
Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
  • CPA strongly preferred
  • 8+ years of progressive accounting experience
  • Big Four or national public accounting firm experience preferred
  • Substantial experience with SEC filings and financial statement disclosures
  • Strong technical knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC requirements
  • Familiarity with Workiva or similar external reporting platforms

Responsibilities

  • Lead preparation, review, and filing of SEC reports including Form 10-K and 10-Q
  • Coordinate inputs across departments for timely external reporting
  • Oversee financial statement preparation and compliance with U.S. GAAP
  • Serve as a technical accounting resource for complex matters
  • Lead assessment and documentation for significant transactions
  • Monitor and implement new accounting standards from FASB and SEC
  • Drive process improvements in external reporting and technical accounting

Benefits

  • Competitive pay programs with career growth potential
  • Paid time off for volunteering
  • Flexible dress code based on daily responsibilities
  • Comprehensive benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision
  • Parental Leave and Holiday Pay
  • Tuition Reimbursement and Savings Plan
  • Opportunity to work for a global leader in industrial process fluids
Full Job Description
The Senior Manager, Technical Accounting & External Reporting will play a key leadership role within the Corporate Accounting organization, with responsibility for the Company's external financial reporting and technical accounting activities.
This position will lead the preparation and review of SEC filings, provide technical accounting guidance on complex and non-routine transactions, and partner closely with Corporate Accounting, Treasury, FP&A, Tax, Legal, Investor Relations, Corporate Development, and business finance teams.
The ideal candidate brings a combination of public accounting and public-company industry experience, strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements, and the ability to translate complex accounting matters into clear, practical recommendations for senior leadership.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

External Reporting & SEC Compliance
  • Lead the preparation, review, and filing of the Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K, earnings-related financial information, and other SEC reporting requirements.
  • Own the external reporting calendar and coordinate inputs across Accounting, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Investor Relations, and other functions to ensure timely and accurate filings.
  • Oversee preparation and review of financial statements, footnote disclosures, MD&A support, and other financial information included in SEC filings.
  • Maintain high standards of reporting quality, consistency, and compliance with U.S. GAAP, SEC regulations, and applicable disclosure requirements.
  • Manage the Company's external reporting platform, including Workiva, and identify opportunities to further automate and streamline the reporting process.
  • Partner with internal and external auditors to support quarterly reviews, annual audits, and other reporting requirements.

Technical Accounting
  • Serve as a key technical accounting resource for the organization, researching and advising on complex and judgmental accounting matters.
  • Lead the assessment and documentation of accounting conclusions for significant or non-routine transactions, including areas such as:
    • Mergers and acquisitions, business combinations, and purchase accounting
    • Goodwill and intangible assets, including impairment assessments
    • Debt, refinancing, derivatives, hedging, and other Treasury-related activities
    • Restructuring and transformation activities
    • Revenue recognition
    • Leasing
    • Equity and stock-based compensation
    • Investments and other complex financial instruments
  • Prepare and review technical accounting memoranda and position papers supporting significant accounting conclusions.
  • Monitor emerging accounting guidance from the FASB and SEC, evaluate potential impacts to the Company, and lead implementation of new accounting standards.
  • Establish accounting policies and provide guidance to Corporate and business finance teams to promote consistent application of accounting principles globally.

Business Partnership & Transactions
  • Partner with Corporate Development and cross-functional teams on M&A transactions, including due diligence, transaction structuring considerations, purchase accounting, valuation coordination, and post-close accounting integration.
  • Partner with Treasury on debt issuances, refinancing activities, derivatives, hedging programs, and other financing transactions.
  • Work closely with Tax, Legal, FP&A, Investor Relations, and business leadership to assess the accounting and disclosure implications of significant business activities.
  • Translate complex accounting topics into concise, decision-useful recommendations for senior finance leadership.
  • Support the Assistant Corporate Controller and overall CFO organization on special projects and strategic initiatives.

Process Improvement & Controls
  • Identify opportunities to improve and automate external reporting and technical accounting processes through technology, standardized templates, and stronger data integration in Workiva and other platforms.
  • Maintain strong internal controls over the external reporting process and support the Company's SOX compliance environment.
  • Drive continuous improvement in the reporting close process, including reducing manual activities and improving the accuracy and availability of reporting data.
  • Maintain technical accounting policies, reporting documentation, and supporting procedures.

Leadership
  • Lead, develop, and mentor members of the external reporting and technical accounting team.
  • Build strong working relationships across Corporate and business finance teams.
  • Foster a culture of technical excellence, ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement, and strong business partnership.


Qualifications

Required
  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
  • CPA strongly preferred.
  • Approximately 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including meaningful exposure to technical accounting and external financial reporting.
  • Experience within Big Four or other national public accounting firm, preferably serving large public-company clients.
  • Public-company corporate accounting experience strongly preferred, ideally combining public accounting and industry experience.
  • Significant experience preparing or reviewing SEC filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, and associated financial statement disclosures.
  • Strong technical knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements.
  • Demonstrated experience researching complex accounting matters and preparing well-supported technical accounting documentation.
  • Experience with Workiva/Wdesk or a comparable external reporting platform.
  • Strong project management skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a complex organization.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical topics effectively with senior leadership and non-accounting stakeholders.

Preferred
  • Experience within a large, multinational, publicly traded organization.
  • Experience in a manufacturing, industrial, chemicals, or similarly complex multinational environment.
  • Direct experience supporting M&A transactions, purchase accounting, valuations, goodwill/intangible assets, and impairment testing.
  • Experience with Treasury-related accounting, including debt, derivatives, hedging, and financing transactions.
  • Experience working within a global finance organization with multiple business units, legal entities, and currencies.
  • Demonstrated experience implementing new accounting standards and developing enterprise accounting policies.
  • Experience driving automation and process improvement across financial reporting processes.


Key Competencies
  • Technical Accounting Expertise: Strong technical foundation coupled with sound judgment on complex and ambiguous accounting matters.
  • Executive Communication: Able to distill complex accounting issues into clear conclusions, risks, and recommendations.
  • Business Partnership: Approaches technical accounting as an enabler of informed business decisions rather than solely a compliance function.
  • Ownership & Execution: Comfortable taking end-to-end ownership of complex projects under tight reporting deadlines.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Develops effective relationships across Accounting, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Corporate Development, FP&A, and Investor Relations.
  • Continuous Improvement: Challenges existing processes and actively seeks opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate.
  • People Leadership: Develops talent and creates an environment of accountability, collaboration, and high performance.


What's in it for you

Competitive pay programs with excellent career growth trajectory
Paid time off for volunteerism
Dress for your day; how you dress is determined by what your day may bring
Opportunity to participate in comprehensive benefit options including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Parental Leave, Holiday Pay, Paid Time Off, Tuition Reimbursement, and Savings Plan
Work for a global leader in the industrial process fluids industry

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