Sr Accountant

Job description

**Company Overview:** Lightspeed is the leading provider of cloud-based software for dealerships, serving the Powersport, Marine, RV, Trailer, and Golf Car industries adding hundreds of dealerships to the Lightspeed community each year. Lightspeed’s Dealer Management Solution (DMS) enables dealerships to optimize their end-to-end business operations, including Sales, Parts, Service, Rentals, Payments, Accounting, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). When implemented into their daily operations, Lightspeed helps dealers increase their profitability by selling more units, service, and parts, all while creating a more streamlined experience for customers. Lightspeed is the most complete and integrated DMS in the industry with over 500 integrations with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), aftermarket parts and accessory distributors and dozens of other software tools that a dealership may use to run their business. Uniquely designed by dealers for dealers, and refined over the past 4 decades, Lightspeed empowers over 4,500+ dealers across North America with the tools and technology they need to manage their dealerships. **Position Summary:** We're looking for a Senior Accountant who brings equal parts accounting rigor and a native fluency with AI. This is not a head-down, spreadsheet-only role. You will own significant portions of our close and reporting cycle while actively developing and improving the processes behind them, reaching for LLMs and automation tools the same way others reach for a calculator. You ask questions constantly: of the data, of the process, of the technology, and of yourself. You'll be expected to think in process flows, not just transactions, and to bring a builder's mindset to everything you touch. Our Private Equity (PE) backed environment moves quickly. Month-end deadlines are rigorous, and investor reporting must be of the highest quality. We are seeking someone that has a high-bias for action, is intellectually curious, solutions-oriented, and enjoys working in a fast-paced environment. Lightspeed's Finance team is lean and fast-paced. We need people who operate at a high level independently, escalate the right things at the right time, and stay calm and sharp when PE reporting deadlines are bearing down. If that kind of accountability energizes rather than intimidates you and if you're the type who's already experimenting with AI before anyone asks you to, this may be the ideal role for you. **What you’ll do:** 1. **Accounting & Close:** - Own assigned areas of the monthly, quarterly, and annual close with precision and on time delivery for multi-entity subsidiaries - Prepare and post journal entries including accruals, prepaid amortization, intercompany, deferred costs, significant reserves, and other recurring entries - Own the end-to-end accounting for a portfolio of complex technical areas, including: - Software capitalization, goodwill, and intangible assets - Manage balance sheet account reconciliations in FloQast, maintaining current status and clean documentation throughout the close cycle - Maintain rigorous workpaper standards in support of external audit, PE and lender reporting requirements - Prepare monthly fluctuation analyses to explain period-over-period changes in key accounts - Support quarterly and annual audit by delivering timely, well-organized audit evidence to fulfill PBC requests - When necessary, review contracts including third party MSAs, lease agreements, SOWs, and other B2B agreements and document technical accounting memoranda **Reporting & Analysis** - Support Workiva-based financial reporting packages, supporting schedules, board materials, and PE deliverables in collaboration with Senior Manager of Financial Accounting - Support Procure to Pay processes and ensure alignment with Financial Operations and FP&A regarding recognition and coding across all workstreams - Conduct variance analysis with clear, concise commentary for finance leadership and ownership leveraging AI in the design and execution - Contribute to quarterly and annual reporting packages prepared in Workiva for private equity stakeholders - Prepare quarterly debt reporting package - Draft position papers and other technical memoranda as needed **Process Development & Automation** - Design, document, and continuously improve accounting process flows from data entry to close to reporting - Design and maintain automation workflows to reduce manual effort and improve data integrity across systems - Use Claude, Claude Cowork, and Claude Code effectively for financial analysis, reporting narratives, process documentation, data transformation, recurring financial entries and other areas where AI makes the work faster, more accurate, and timely - Bring genuine intellectual curiosity to every workflow: ask why things are done the way they are, experiment with LLMs and emerging tools, and push for better answers - Identify opportunities to replace manual processes with scalable, technology-driven solutions and take full ownership of seeing them through **Systems and Tools** - Serve as a power user for NetSuite including report building, saved searches, chart of accounts maintenance, and system enhancements - Administer and optimize FloQast for close management, reconciliation tracking, and task ownership - Support reconciliations and revenue data integrity in partnership with Revenue Accounting and FinOps-Accounts Receivable - Utilize RAMP for corporate card and expense management including coding, reconciliation, and policy compliance in partnership with FinOps-Accounts Payable - Use Workato and other integration tools to maintain reliable, automated data flows between financial systems - Contribute to implementation, improvement, and documentation of other systems as needed **Partner Across the Business** - Partner with FP&A, Revenue Operations, and HR on reporting, headcount, and compensation accruals - Collaborate with the Payroll Accounting team on payroll journal entries, headcount reporting, and related reconciliations - Work with Product Development teams to support capitalized software development cost tracking and R&D accounting - Support external audit and provide organized, audit-ready workpapers and schedules ### What you should have: ### Required - Masters's degree in Accounting - 6+ years of progressive accounting experience - SaaS software company experience - Multi-entity or multi-currency accounting experience - Hands-on experience in a PE-backed company with exposure to investor reporting, board packages, and rigorous close timelines - Strong working knowledge of GAAP and IFRS - Demonstrated proficiency with NetSuite - Native or advanced proficiency with AI tools and LLMs — Claude, Claude Cowork, Claude Code, or equivalent. Must demonstrate ability to apply in real-world financial setting, not just casual prompting - Intellectual curiosity as a professional trait: you ask more questions than most, you challenge assumptions, and you actively seek better ways to do things - High attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills - Proven ability to develop, document, and continuously improve accounting process flows - Clear, direct communicator who can translate numbers into a story Preferred - CPA license or active candidacy - Mix of public/private hands-on experience - Hands-on experience with FloQast, Workiva, RAMP or other expense management platform, Salesforce, and Workato - Proficiency with Slack and Microsoft Office Suite for collaboration and reporting - Experience implementing contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems What Sets You Apart - **Process-Driven Mindset**: You design efficient, scalable systems and thrive on bringing structure to ambiguity. Prioritization, proactive problem-solving, and a bias for action are second nature. - **Business Partnership**: You’re collaborative, trustworthy, and skilled at building strong relationships with operational leaders across an organization. - **Strategic Influence**: You translate contractual and financial insights into strategic recommendations that align stakeholders and drive decisions. - **Exceptional Communication** You simplify complex legal and contractual concepts into clear, accessible language that anyone can understand. - **Naturally curious Y**ou question how things work, wonder if there's a faster path, and then go find out. You were using AI tools before it was on the job description, and you think in prompts and process flows as readily as you think in journal entries. You don't wait to be handed a better process, you build one. - **You ask good questions** of the data, of your systems, of your colleagues. You bring the same inquisitiveness to your relationships that you bring to your work. You listen to understand, communicate with clarity when the stakes are high, and have a knack for raising the bar on what good looks like while bringing others along with you. **Inclusion and Diversity at Lightspeed:** At Lightspeed, we celebrate the uniqueness of every individual and encourage diverse perspectives. We believe that inclusion drives innovation and fosters meaningful connections. We are committed to building an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to make an impact. **Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:** Lightspeed is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category. **Important Note:** Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. **Ready to apply?** Take the next step in your career—apply today and join a team where your skills will make an impact!