Portfolio Accounting Manager

About the role

American Operator is looking to bring on our first Portfolio Accounting Manager to build and oversee day-to-day accounting processes, serve as a financial partner to our operator-CEOs, and eventually lead a team of Portfolio Accountants supporting approximately 20 operating companies each. This role will help shape the accounting function, systems, processes, and team from the ground up. The ideal candidate enjoys building, can move comfortably between hands-on accounting and operator conversations, and thrives in an evolving environment. This role will report to our VP, Accounting and Corporate Controller.

LOCATION & TRAVEL: Candidates based in Austin, New York City, or the surrounding areas will be expected to commute to and work from our local office. Candidates outside of these regions may work remotely. Periodic travel to both Austin and New York City will be required regardless of location.

ABOUT THE TEAM: American Operator exists because we believe the American Dream is worth protecting, and that small businesses are the backbone of our communities. To do this well, we need a team that reflects the real world: operators, builders, investors, and problem-solvers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. MISSION-DRIVEN Every company claims to be mission-driven, but our mission is simple, tangible, and urgent: preserve the legacy of America’s small businesses and create more pathways to meaningful ownership. We partner with operators who want to step into leadership, take responsibility for great companies, and continue the work that founders spent decades building. When we succeed, communities keep their employers, families keep their livelihoods, and operators get the chance to build wealth through real ownership. We work hard because we know what’s at stake: generational businesses that deserve to thrive, and talented operators who deserve the chance to lead them. And while we measure our success in deals closed and businesses grown, the real reward is seeing these companies continue to serve their people and their towns, stronger than before. Where else do you get the opportunity to help someone become a CEO, preserve a founder’s life’s work, and strengthen a community, all in the same job? That’s what makes our work both serious and incredibly fulfilling.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close for portfolio companies, including journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, flux reviews, and portfolio-level reporting.
• Develop a standardized close calendar, prepare balance sheet reconciliations, and write clear P&L flux analyses to deliver accurate, timely, and well-supported financial statements.
• Create the pre- and post-acquisition accounting integration playbook, including supporting QoE analysis, cash-to-accrual conversions, and PPAs; opening operating bank accounts; bringing opening balance sheets, typically from QuickBooks Online, into American Operator’s ERP; and transitioning newly acquired businesses onto our accounting processes and technology.
• Design and document operating company internal controls, including approvals, segregation of duties, cash and banking controls, and vendor setup.
• Use technology and automation, including bank rules, AP automation, expense management, close software, and AI tools, to maintain a lean team and accelerate the close process.
• Hire, onboard, train, and manage Portfolio Accountants, including assigning workloads, reviewing work, and supporting professional development.
• Own the quality and timeliness of the close across operating entities, with a target of completing the monthly close within five business days.
• Meet regularly with operator-CEOs to explain monthly results in clear, practical terms, including what drove revenue, margin, and cash performance and what actions should follow.
• Partner with the Portfolio Growth team on operating KPI