Role and industry
Accounting Manager Recruiters for Real estate developers, owners, REITs and homebuilders
Financial Headhunters: You need an accounting manager who reconciles construction draws and property rent rolls accurately.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 954-280-9139.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- Controller
- CFO
- VP Finance
- FP&A Director
- Accounting Manager
- Director of Accounting
- Assistant Controller
- Tax Director
- Treasury Manager
- Internal Audit Director
- Senior Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Financial Reporting
- Commercial Lender
- Chief Credit Officer
- Business Systems Finance Lead
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Accounting, finance, banking and insurance
- We reach people who aren’t on job boards
- Replacement terms on standard searches
01
What does this hire really come down to?
You need a person who manages property and capital project accounting. They must reconcile rent rolls and common area charges while tracking construction draws and capitalized interest.
Daily operation in Yardi or MRI is required to produce accurate monthly financial packages. They prepare journals and balance sheet reconciliations to satisfy external auditors and keep debt covenants compliant throughout the fiscal year.
We ask candidates specifically how they handled a waterfall distribution error or a disagreement with a project manager over budget variances. We test if they know the precise ASC 842 lease accounting impacts on their specific property types and how they managed the audit PBC list during a peak season.
Defining responsibilities for this accounting manager role requires separating repetitive tasks from analytical output. Ask candidates to explain how they handle variance reporting for multi-phase development projects during the monthly close. If they cannot describe the movement from budget to actuals for specific construction lines, they will struggle with your reporting requirements. Push them to explain their process for cleaning up historical journal entries in Yardi or MRI. A strong candidate should describe a systematic approach to identifying stale balances and correcting errors without breaking the prior month financial statements. Ask what specific documentation they maintain for audit files. Expect them to mention a tracker for PBC items that links back to the general ledger. If a candidate only provides vague descriptions of their audit experience, probe further into their handling of debt covenant compliance work. Specifically, ask them to talk through a scenario where a capital project reached a budget limit before completion. How did they handle the communication with the project manager and the subsequent budget amendment process? We look for candidates who provide specific technical details regarding software logic and accounting principles rather than general project management descriptions. A clear sign of capability is the ability to map out the financial flow of a construction draw from invoice receipt to final release of payment. Use these questions to identify technical depth.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We verify they have handled multi-entity consolidations within the real estate asset class. We confirm their proficiency with property-level accounting such as CAM reconciliations and tenant ledger cleanup. We validate experience with construction accounting including lien waivers and construction draw packages. We assess their history of managing external audit PBC lists to drive the timeline. We check their ERP depth in Yardi or MRI, focusing on their ability to configure new properties. We evaluate if they have directly overseen junior staff to delegate routine journals while focusing on analysis.
Before you interview, we determine if a candidate prioritizes individual entity accounting or consolidated reporting accuracy. We have them define how they record construction interest versus soft costs in the general ledger. We ask them to detail how they handled a situation where a draw request exceeded the remaining line item budget for a specific asset. You must decide if you need a builder who fixes broken project codes or a reporter who pushes data into standardized spreadsheets. We confirm their past approach to clearing aged items on the balance sheet versus letting discrepancies accumulate in suspense accounts.
03
Where do we find them?
We look for candidates in similar real estate firms, REITs, and construction companies. A candidate is ready to move when their current portfolio has stabilized or when they are stuck in a role where they lack ownership of the full GAAP financial package. We prioritize those moving from smaller property management firms to larger developers or owners seeking more technical accounting challenges.
We avoid candidates who only handle AP or AR without understanding the general ledger impact. We look for those currently managing the monthly close cycle for a dedicated portfolio.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring someone with strong property management experience who lacks any exposure to complex JV waterfalls or construction draws.
- 02Overlooking the need for technical accounting proficiency when the candidate only has experience with basic rent roll data entry.
- 03Assuming a candidate from a different industry can adjust to Yardi or MRI without extensive training time.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We filter the candidate pool by specific experience in real estate development or property accounting systems.
- 02We conduct a technical screen focused on the monthly close, audit preparation, and construction draw management.
- 03We provide you with a shortlist of qualified managers for your review and interview selection.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your Accounting Manager search runs
From the opening to the start
Tell us who you need
Tell us about the job, your team and the experience you need.
We find and contact people
We research suitable people and speak with them about the job and their interest.
You meet the strongest candidates
We introduce candidates with relevant experience and explain why each could fit.
We help you complete the hire
We help with interview feedback, the offer and arrangements for the start.
Questions people ask
Are there upfront costs for sourcing a manager to reconcile my rent rolls and draws?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How do you define the authority for this position?
This Accounting Manager manages the day-to-day books and closes but does not set firm-wide tax strategy or debt financing terms. They are responsible for technical accuracy and audit compliance, reporting to the Controller or CFO.
Can you provide a candidate who is also an expert in tax compliance?
Our focus is on corporate and cost accounting for real estate operations. If your needs involve tax returns or specialized partnership tax advice, we recommend engaging a CPA firm directly for those requirements.
How does this role differ from a typical property accountant?
The Accounting Manager carries ownership of the full financial close and audit coordination across multiple entities. A property accountant usually reports to them and focuses on site-level transactions and specific tenant accounts.
When will we meet candidates?
Timing depends on the requirements, location and pay. We discuss the likely obstacles after learning about the job and keep you informed as the search progresses.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We discuss why candidates want to move and what might make them stay. If a counteroffer comes up, we help both sides work through the decision without making promises for either party.
What is your guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Start a search
Tell us about the seat.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
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