Manager Project Accounting

About Us

Sparks is a leading global brand experience agency, specializing in the design and execution of award-winning experiences that forge deep connections between brands and audiences. Recognized by Adweek as Experiential Agency of the Year, we bring a unique blend of strategic insight and execution excellence to every brand activation, corporate event, trade show exhibit, and immersive experience. Our commitment to creativity, innovation, and flawless execution drives us to craft impactful experiential marketing solutions that deepen relationships, inspire action, and build trust—all around the world.

Summary

We are seeking a detail-oriented, collaborative Project Accounting Manager to join our team. In this role, you will oversee the financial management of projects from inception through completion, ensuring accurate reporting and audit readiness. You will serve as a key financial partner to our Sales, Operations, and FP&A teams while leading and developing an accounting team to perform at their best. This role reports to the Director of Project Accounting.

This position will support our Sparks Accounting team.  It is eligible to work a hybrid schedule, generally requiring work in-office 3 days per week.  This position is based out of Dallas, TX or Philadelphia, Pa.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Financial Management & Reporting

• Manage project-level accounting including revenue recognition, cost tracking, and variance analysis.


• Prepare and distribute timely project financial reports and budget-to-actual comparisons.


• Monitor project profitability and flag risks or discrepancies to leadership proactively.


• Oversee month-end and year-end close processes related to project accounts.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and motivate a team of project accountants.


• Establish clear roles, expectations, and performance goals aligned with department KPIs.


• Conduct regular one-on-ones, team meetings, and performance reviews.


• Deliver training on accounting systems, Excel tools, reporting standards, process & procedures.


• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Sales to support margin reporting and accuracy.


• Collaborate with Operations to align financial tracking with project timelines and deliverables.


• Serve as the primary escalation point of contact for Project Accounting.


• Communicate financial status clearly and concisely to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain and improve financial trackers, and reporting templates.


• Identify opportunities to streamline accounting workflows and improve data accuracy.


• Support system upgrades or ERP implementations as needed.


• Lead change management for process and system improvements by documenting impacts, aligning stakeholders, training users, and monitoring adoption.

Education & Experience

Required

• 5–7 years of progressive accounting experience, including project accounting or job cost accounting.


• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field (CPA or CMA a plus).


• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, etc).


• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).


• Experience managing or mentoring an accounting team.


• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to present financial data to non-financial audiences.


• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred

• Experience in the trade show, events, exhibits, or experiential marketing industry.


• Familiarity with ERP or project management software (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, or similar).


• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales and Operations teams.

What We Offer

The Freeman Company provides benefits that aim to empower our people and their families to thrive mentally, physically, and financially.  These are a handful of the types of programs and benefits our full-time people may be eligible for.  There may be some variances in specific benefits across regions.

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance


• Tuition Reimbursement


• Paid Parental Leave


• Life, Accident and Disability


• Retirement with Company Match


• Paid Time Off

Diversity Commitment

At The Freeman Company, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is helping us to create not only a great place to work, but also an environment where our employees, our customers and our communities around the world can reach their goals and connect with each other. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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