Sr. Manager - Accounting and Finance in Houston, Texas at U.S. LawShield

About U.S. LawShield

At U.S. LawShield our focus is on encouraging people to take proactive measures to improve their safety and self-defense abilities—and to serve those who do. We strive to create better-protected communities of responsible self-defenders who have the peace of mind to live their lives confidently. Our company was established in 2009. After initially launching in Texas as Texas LawShield®, the demand for services developed well beyond state lines. Our coverage began to expand across the United States, which is when we became U.S. LawShield. Today, we provide coverage in 46 states and have proudly served more than 2 million people in their self-defense journey.

Position Overview

The Senior Manager reports directly to the Controller and serves as a senior technical and operational leader within the Accounting & Finance function. This role is designed to bring immediate accounting depth and senior judgment to the team, absorb key accounting decisions currently held at the Controller level, and drive process improvement across the department. The Senior Manager also carries direct ownership of the payroll function and helps drive the growth of the finance function.

This role operates as a peer to the existing Senior Manager, with a distinct and complementary scope. Rather than owning the close execution team, this position focuses on technical accounting leadership, process ownership, payroll oversight, and Controller-adjacent decision-making. Over time, the role is expected to expand toward finance leadership as the organization builds its FP&A function with primary focus on enhancements to the executive reporting package, reductions in complexity of consolidations, and growth of corporate analytics and modeling.

Core Responsibilities

Technical Accounting Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical accounting resource for the department, owning complex accounting judgments on matters including revenue recognition, accruals, reserves, intercompany transactions, and GAAP application.

• Absorb and own accounting decisions currently escalated to the Controller, exercising independent judgment within established frameworks.

• Prepare and review technical accounting memos and position papers as needed, particularly for new or evolving business activities.

• Monitor emerging accounting standards and advise the Controller on their applicability and implementation requirements.

• Support the ongoing use and optimization of the Zuora Revenue platform, including reconciliation of revenue system output to the general ledger.

Payroll Oversight

• Own the payroll function end-to-end, including oversight of payroll processing, journal entries, reconciliations, and compliance with multi-state payroll requirements.

• Ensure accurate and timely payroll execution across all employee populations, partnering with HR on policy changes, compensation updates, and new hire onboarding.

• Maintain payroll-related internal controls and documentation, identifying improvement opportunities as the function scales.

• Serve as the primary accounting point of contact for payroll-related audits, tax filings, and regulatory inquiries.

• Assume oversight of commissions, incentives, and other off-cycle pay categories.

Direct Report Management

• Manage and develop a remote staff accountant, providing clear direction, ongoing feedback, and a structured growth path.

• Establish working rhythms and communication norms that support effective remote collaboration and accountability.

• Review work product prepared by the direct report, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with accounting standards.

• Partner with the Controller to identify opportunities to expand the direct report’s scope as capability develops.

Process Improvement & Operational Efficiency

• Serve as a primary driver of process improvement initiatives across the accounting function, identifying inefficiencies, redundancies, and manual workarounds that can be eliminated or automated.

• Partner with the Controller, peer Senior Manager, and project management resources to document current-state workflows and design improved future-state processes.

• Take ownership of improvement initiatives from identification through implementation, including change management and team training.

• Evaluate existing close procedures, payroll workflows, and reporting processes for accuracy, timeliness, and scalability.

• Collaborate with technology and operations stakeholders to ensure system capabilities are fully utilized and aligned with accounting requirements.

Month-End Close & Reporting

• Own designated areas of the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process, including journal entry preparation, account reconciliations, and variance analysis. These areas will be identified by the Controller in collaboration with the current Senior Manager.

• Review close work product within assigned areas and provide technical oversight to ensure accuracy and completeness.

• Contribute to the continuous compression of close timelines through process discipline and identification of upstream improvements.

• Assist in the preparation of financial reporting packages as the finance function develops.

Internal Controls & Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Partner with leaders across the organization — including operations, revenue, IT, and HR — to evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting and key business processes.

• Lead walkthroughs and process reviews with cross-functional stakeholders to identify control gaps and develop practical, documented improvements in collaboration with process owners.

• Support the Controller in building shared ownership of financial controls across non-finance departments.

• Serve as an accounting liaison during external audits and regulatory reviews, coordinating documentation and responses within assigned areas.

FP&A Transition & Finance Function Development

• Over time, expand scope to include financial analysis, budgeting support, and forecasting as the organization builds its FP&A capability.

• Develop working fluency in revenue analytics and cash reporting to bridge the gap between accounting and finance functions.

• Collaborate with the Controller and finance peers to establish FP&A frameworks, reporting cadences, and analytical infrastructure.

Qualifications

Required

• 6+ years of progressive accounting experience, including ownership of technical accounting matters and close processes

• Prior experience in public accounting (audit or advisory) and an industry accounting role

• Strong command of US GAAP including revenue recognition, consolidations, and intercompany accounting

• Demonstrated experience managing payroll functions, including multi-state compliance

• Proven ability to manage a direct report, including remote team members

• Track record of identifying and driving process improvements within an accounting or finance function

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and at least one mid-to-enterprise ERP system

Preferred

• Experience in a multi-entity, multi-state operating environment

• Exposure to FP&A functions including budgeting, forecasting, or variance analysis

• Familiarity with revenue management platforms (e.g., Zuora) or subledger reconciliation

• Prior experience in a team undergoing systems implementation or process transformation

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to partner effectively across non-finance departments

• CPA license or progress towards