RED Hospitality & Leisure is seeking a seasoned, hands-on accounting leader to own the technical accuracy and integrity of the department's monthly close, drive the team's financial discipline, and serve as a trusted senior partner to the CFO. This is a leadership role first and a technical accounting role second: the right candidate has both the depth to catch and correct errors before they surface, and the directness to coach staff through difficult performance and technical conversations. Equally important, this candidate is genuinely energized by process optimization and AI/automation — someone who instinctively looks for the manual, repetitive, or error-prone step in a process and asks how it should be redesigned or automated, rather than simply absorbing more manual work. This role is best suited to a candidate who has already operated at this level elsewhere and is looking to lead, not to grow into leadership on the job.
Reviews balance sheet reconciliations and monthly close checklists across all business units to ensure closed and reported financials are accurate — this is a core, non-delegable function of the role
Provides direct oversight of the accounting team (controllers, senior accountants, bookkeeping staff), including regular 1:1 coaching, technical redirection, and performance management
Ensures the accounting team is cross-trained across core functions to maintain adequate coverage during PTO, leaves of absence, and other planned or unplanned absences
Shares departmental budget oversight with the VP of Finance & Corporate Development — collecting, analyzing, and consolidating financial data
Partners with market and operational leadership, through the controller team and alongside the VP of Finance & Corporate Development, to evaluate financial performance and address key profitability and variance drivers
Leads the department's role in the annual financial audit (January–April), including managing document/support requests, timelines, and auditor relationships
Serves as the department's liaison for the Ashford Inc. (AINC) monthly close process, including AINC-specific reporting requirements and deadlines
Owns fixed asset and capital expenditure accounting, including capitalization decisions, construction-in-progress tracking, posting depreciation, disposals, and reconciliation of the consolidated fixed asset ledger to the general ledger
Owns lease accounting and related financial reporting, including lease schedules, recurring journal entries, and supporting documentation for financial statement disclosures
Maintains visibility into accounts receivable and accounts payable aging and overall health across all markets through a weekly review cadence with the controller team, ensuring collection and payment risk is identified and addressed early
Maintains strong working knowledge of the payroll processing cycle and related accounting entries, given payroll is processed directly by the accounting team, to ensure accuracy and appropriate review controls
Coordinates recurring tax, licensing, and regulatory compliance requirements across operating jurisdictions, partnering with internal teams and external advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings
Serves as controller reference point on the weekly performance report prior to consolidation and distribution
Guides financial decisions by establishing, monitoring, and enforcing accounting policies and procedures
Possesses strong knowledge of and practices strict adherence to GAAP; serves as the team's technical resource on GAAP questions
Assists in development and implementation of financial systems, automation, and a strong internal control environment — including active use of AI/automation tools to improve departmental efficiency
Proactively identifies manual, redundant, or error-prone accounting processes and leads their redesign or automation — this is an ongoing, expected part of the role, not a one-time project
Champions AI and automation tool adoption within the department, including evaluating new tools, piloting use cases, and driving team-wide adoption of approved technology and platforms
Communicates directly and proactively with the CFO on department health, risks, and personnel issues — does not defer or escalate issues that are within scope to resolve
Protects operations by keeping financial information and plans confidential
Other projects and/or duties as assigned
Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field, and a minimum of seven to nine years of progressive accounting experience, including direct supervisory experience
Active CPA license required
Prior experience managing or reviewing month-end close across multiple entities or business units required
Prior direct people-management experience required — including demonstrated experience having difficult performance and technical-correction conversations
Multi-jurisdiction accounting experience strongly preferred (multi-state or multi-territory)
Hospitality, tourism, or multi-location service industry experience a plus
Experience working with or reporting into a parent/public company accounting close process a plus
Demonstrated track record of leading process improvement initiatives and/or implementing accounting automation or AI tools required — candidates should be prepared to speak to specific processes they've redesigned or automated
Superior technical accounting judgment — able to independently identify and resolve reconciliation and close errors without escalation
Demonstrated ability to have direct, candid conversations with staff about performance and technical gaps, and to redirect work before it compounds
Comfortable owning outcomes rather than attributing gaps to corporate or upstream decisions
Genuinely tech-forward — actively curious about AI and automation tools, quick to learn new platforms, and driven to eliminate manual work rather than tolerate it
Superior analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to prepare and maintain accurate and complete financial records and reports
Considerable knowledge of GAAP, applicable territorial/state code requirements, and internal financial policies and procedures
Proficiency with modern accounting software and a demonstrated interest in process automation and AI-enabled efficiency tools
Ability to exercise sound, independent judgment on accounting and reconciliation matters
Ability to communicate clearly and confidently, both orally and in writing, across all levels of the organization
Ability to handle sensitive matters on a confidential basis
Skilled in working under pressure of deadlines while maintaining a professional demeanor and strong working relationships with employees, ownership, and outside parties
Strong interpersonal skills and a positive, solutions-oriented attitude
