General Ledger Manager
Topstep · Chicago, IL · remote
Summary
The GL Manager is a hands-on people leader who owns payroll accounting, prepares equity rollforwards, oversees accounts payable (coding and payouts), and performs monthly flux/variance analysis (including COGS vs. SG&A classification review), while also serving as the reviewer of all work performed by the Senior GL Accountants and, by extension, the GL Accountants who report into them. This role manages a team of three -five (two Senior GL Accountants, an AP Specialist, and the GL Accountants) and is accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and audit-readiness of the general ledger areas owned by the team. The general ledger areas owned by the team include, but are not limited to: bank transaction coding/uploading, cash reconciliations, prepaid expenses, fixed assets (including capitalized software) leases, accrued expenses, accounts payable, expense reports & corporate credit cards, and payout expenses and returns and intercompany clearing.
This is a leadership role that combines direct ownership of several close areas with day-to-day coaching, review, and prioritization of the broader accounting team's work. As Topstep's finance organization continues to mature, the specific accounts and processes owned by this role may shift; the GL Manager is expected to flex into new areas (e.g., intercompany, cash/bank accounting, leases, or other balance sheet areas) as priorities evolve and to help define ownership as the team scales.
Key Responsibilities
- Leadership & Team Management
- Directly manage and develop the two Senior GL Accountants and the AP Specialist, including workload prioritization, coaching, and performance management.
- Provide second-level review and sign-off on work performed by the GL Accountant(s) who report into the Senior GL Accountants, ensuring consistency and quality across the full team.
- Set daily and monthly priorities for the team in line with the month-end close calendar established with the Assistant Controller and Controller.
- Identify staffing, training, and process gaps within the team and recommend solutions to the Assistant Controller.
- Hold the team accountable for timely, accurate, and well-documented deliverables; escalate risks or resourcing constraints proactively.
- Payroll Accounting
- Own execution of all payroll-related journal entries, including regular payroll, subsidiary expense allocations, fringe benefits, and management fee allocations.
- Partner with People/HR and Payroll on GL mapping, coding of new departments/entities, and resolution of payroll data discrepancies.
- Reconcile payroll-related balance sheet accounts (e.g., accrued payroll, payroll clearing, benefits) on a monthly basis.
- Maintain and continuously improve payroll accounting SOPs, including CSV upload templates for payroll, accruals, and subsidiary expense allocations.
- Accounts Payable Oversight (Coding & Payouts)
- Oversee AP coding accuracy across vendors, departments, and entities, including review of the AP Specialist's day-to-day coding.
- Provide guidance and approver training so that vendor coding is applied consistently and correctly at the point of entry.
- Oversee payout-related AP activity in partnership with the Senior GL Accountants, including bill creation, payout returns, and related AP reconciliations.
- Review and approve AP aging, prepared by the Senior GL Accountant, on a recurring basis and ensure aging ties to the trial balance; drive resolution of long-outstanding items.
- Monthly Flux / Variance Analysis
- Perform monthly period-over-period (and budget-to-actual, as applicable) flux analysis for accounts owned by the team, including payroll, AP-driven expense accounts, and COGS/SG&A lines.
- Investigate and document explanations for significant fluctuations; distinguish true business drivers from coding or classification issues.
- As part of this analysis, review COGS vs. SG&A classification across the chart of accounts to ensure new vendors, expense types, and cost-sharing arrangements are mapped and coded appropriately.
- Summarize flux commentary for the Assistant Controller and Controller ahead of monthly and quarterly reporting deadlines.
- Equity Accounting
- Prepare and maintain monthly equity rollforward schedules for Topstep LLC and applicable subsidiaries, capturing contributions, distributions, in-kind transfers, and net income allocations.
- Ensure equity rollforwards tie to the trial balance each month and are supported by underlying agreements, board/member approvals, and intercompany documentation.
- Partner with Legal, Tax, and outside advisors on the treatment of in-kind contributions, intercompany transfers, and entity restructurings impacting equity.
- Provide a quarterly summary of equity activity to the Assistant Controller and Controller for review.
- Review of GL Team’s Work & Balance Sheet Ownership
- Review and approve balance sheet reconciliations, journal entries, and supporting schedules prepared by the Senior GL Accountants prior to Assistant Controller review. This may include review of bank transaction coding/uploading, cash reconciliations, prepaid expenses, fixed assets (including capitalized software), leases, accrued expenses, accounts payable, expense reports & corporate credit cards, and payout expenses and returns and intercompany clearing.
- Ensure every account owned by the team has a clearly identified preparer/reviewer, a documented process, and audit-ready support.
- Resolve or escalate aged and complex reconciling items surfaced by the team.
- Audit & Compliance
- Prepare and/or review audit schedules and support requests related to owned general ledger areas, as requested by the Assistant Controller and Controller.
- Maintain documentation standards that are audit-ready at all times across the team's owned areas.
- Adhere to internal controls and company accounting policies; identify and flag control gaps to management.
- Process Improvement & Systems
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency across owned close areas and the broader team's workflow.
- Leverage NetSuite and related tools (e.g., CSV import templates, reconciliation tools) effectively; support system improvements as directed by the Assistant Controller and Controller.
- Partner with cross-functional teams (People/HR, FP&A, Treasury, Product/Engineering) to ensure payroll, AP, and other data flows accurately into the general ledger.
- Additional Responsibilities
- As Topstep's finance team continues to grow and evolve, the responsibilities of this role may expand or shift over time depending on business needs.
- The GL Manager may be asked to take on ad hoc projects or other duties as assigned by the Assistant Controller or Controller. This role requires flexibility and a willingness to support the team's needs as the organizational structure develops.
Required Qualifications and Key Competencies
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
- 6-8 + years of progressive accounting experience, including:
- Hands-on experience with month-end close across multiple GL areas;
- Experience with payroll accounting, accounts payable, and expense classification (COGS vs. SG&A);
- 2+ years directly managing or supervising accounting staff; and
- Experience reviewing the work of others and providing constructive feedback.
- Experience capitalizing internally developed software required.
- Experience with NetSuite or a similar ERP system required.
- Proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, etc.).
- Experience with high-volume, multi-entity, or multi-processor environments required.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple close deadlines and direct reports simultaneously.
- Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Effective communicator with the ability to coach staff and work cross-functionally.
- Demonstrated ability to bring structure and proc