Financial Planning and Close Manager

WORK TYPE: Onsite

LOCATION DETAILS: Varsity Brands HQ, Farmers Branch, TX

WORK HOURS: Full-time, Exempt

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

Varsity Brands is looking for a Manager, Financial Close Management to join our team in Dallas, TX.

We are seeking a Manager/Senior Manager of Financial Close Management to serve as the internal owner and strategic lead for our financial close and reconciliation technology ecosystem, with primary responsibility for Blackline and related Record-to-Report (R2R) solutions.

This role is ideal for a hands-on financial systems leader who thrives in both project-driven transformation work and day-to-day platform administration. You will be accountable for the design, configuration, stability, governance, optimization, and long-term roadmap of the financial close platform, primarily Blackline, while partnering closely with Accounting, Finance, Internal Audit, and IT.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Own and Administer the Financial Close Platform

• Act as the primary internal owner and administrator for Blackline Financial Planning & Close Management and related R2R tools.
• Lead the implementation and configuration of Blackline modules across the organization, ensuring successful deployment and adoption.
• Responsible for system configuration, establishing interfaces, workflows, calendars, reconciliations, tasks, certifications, user roles and security.
• Establish and maintain governance standards to support close consistency, audit readiness, and SOX compliance.
• Serve as the escalation point for system issues, data integrity concerns, and close-related risks.

Provide Day-to-Day Operational Support

• Support Accounting and Finance users with system questions, troubleshooting and enhancements.
• Coordinate with IT, ERP teams, and vendors on integrations, releases, upgrades, and issue resolution.
• Maintain system documentation, operating procedures, and training materials.
• Monitor system health, usage, and adoption to ensure effective and consistent use across the organization.

Lead Financial Close Projects and Enhancements

• Lead internal initiatives related to Blackline and financial close optimization, including:
  • New functionality enablement
  • Process standardization and redesign
  • ERP or data source changes
  • Post M&A or organizational close integration efforts
• Translate accounting and operational requirements into scalable system solutions.
• Manage project timelines, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communications.

Drive Process Improvement and Automation

• Identify opportunities to reduce close cycle time, manual effort, and reconciliation exceptions.
• Apply industry best practices to improve transparency, controls, and efficiency across the close process.
• Perform periodic system and process health checks and recommend improvement initiatives.
• Partner with stakeholders to continuously evolve the financial close roadmap.
• Work closely with the business to understand processes and recommend how Blackline solutions can be utilized to increase efficiency and accuracy.

Partner Across Finance and Audit

• Act as the Record-to-Report subject matter expert for internal stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Accounting, Internal Audit, IT, Finance and Operations.
• Support change management efforts related to system updates, process changes, and adoption.
• Deliver training and enablement to drive consistent and effective use of the financial close tools.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong understanding of Record-to-Report processes, reconciliations, close controls, and audit requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to bridge finance and technology teams.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives while supporting ongoing operational responsibilities.
• Strong analytical and data management skills, including advanced spreadsheet capabilities.
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and adaptable to changing business priorities.
• Self-motivated, proactive team player with a continuous improvement mindset.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in financial close, accounting operations, financial systems, or related roles
• 5+ years of hands-on Blackline experience (administrator, system owner, or power user) and certified by Blackline in configuration/building of the solution
• 5+ years of hands-on Blackline experience (administrator, system owner, or power user) and certified by Blackline in configuration/building of the solution
• Experience supporting or leading internal financial systems initiatives.
• Project and/or change management experience.
• Experience serving as a system owner in a complex or multi-entity environment preferred.
• Familiarity with Workiva, Anaplan, Snowflake, Tableau, SAP and other R2R platforms.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This job operates in a professional office environment. Largely a sedentary role with some filing requiring the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bending as necessary. This role is expected to be fully in office.

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