Sr. Director of Accounting, Americas

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

WHAT TO EXPECT

As an innovation leader, we look for ambitious, forward thinking, open-minded and well-rounded individuals to join our global team. Located in our Denver, Co or Rochester Hills, MI office, you will be Director of Accounting, Americas, reporting to the Vice President, Americas CFO. This role has responsibility for the end‑to‑end financial close for the Americas region, supporting nearly $2B in annual revenue, and will lead finance transformation and process‑improvement initiatives across the accounting and finance function. The position will also define and execute the strategy supporting Gates accounting policies, oversee the internal controls over financial reporting, and serve as a key technical accounting leader ensuring compliance with US GAAP and Gates accounting policies.

The successful candidate will bring deep expertise across accounting and finance, paired with a strong understanding of end‑to‑end business processes and information flows. This individual will be a trusted partner who collaborates effectively with senior stakeholders across operations, IT, HR, commercial, product, distribution, and executive leadership. The role requires a self‑directed, entrepreneurial leader with a hands‑on approach, capable of operating seamlessly at both strategic and operational levels. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, technically strong, strategic and confident in navigating complexity while providing effective financial leadership.

Key Responsobilities

Key responsibilities:

• Lead all accounting and controllership activities across the Americas region, overseeing regional accounting teams and ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting while supporting business performance and scalable growth; maintain oversight of treasury coordination, tax compliance, shared services governance, and controllership processes.
• Own and lead the monthly financial close process in partnership with FP&A, plant controllers, shared services, and regional finance teams, driving accountability, standardization, and continuous improvement in close execution and timelines.
• Ensure financial reporting complies with US GAAP, company accounting policies, SOX requirements, and applicable statutory and regulatory standards.
• Serve as the senior accounting authority for the region, providing technical accounting leadership and guidance on accounting policy interpretation, complex transactions, and application of accounting standards.
• Drive consistency and standardization of accounting policies, close procedures, controls, reporting methodologies, and financial governance across the Americas organization.
• Oversee consolidated close activities including journal entries, reconciliations, reserves, balance sheet governance, analytical reviews, inventory accounting, and identification of financial reporting risks and opportunities.
• Lead accounting assessments for revenue arrangements, procurement agreements, restructuring initiatives, acquisitions, legal entity changes, and other complex business transactions to ensure appropriate accounting treatment.
• Act as the primary liaison with internal and external auditors and partner with Corporate Accounting, Internal Audit, and Internal Controls teams to manage audits, strengthen controls, remediate deficiencies, and maintain an effective financial control environment.
• Continuously assess risk areas and implement best practices that improve governance, reporting reliability, operational efficiency, and business decision support.
• Lead finance transformation initiatives and system implementations, including ERP transitions and process standardization, to reduce manual work, improve data quality, accelerate close timelines, and modernize accounting operations.
• Establish and monitor key accounting performance metrics, including close cycle time, reconciliation quality, audit outcomes, control effectiveness, and automation adoption.
• Manage functional SG&A and drive operating efficiency across the accounting organization, including ownership of controllership budgets and forecasts.
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing accounting organization through talent development, coaching, succession planning, and organizational design while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives as required, including finance transformation programs, ERP implementations, close optimization, standard costing initiatives, M&A integration activities, and other enterprise priorities.

Requirements and Preferred Skills

ABOUT YOU

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration
• 15+ years of progressive financial accounting experience including 5+ years in a Big 4 public accounting firm
• CPA certification is required
• Experience within a large global manufacturer
• Strong technical accounting and internal control skill set
• Experience driving finance transformation and process improvement initiatives
• Automotive, commercial and industrial supplier experience within a large global manufacturer required
• Preferred experience with OneStream
• Demonstrated willingness to lead process improvements. Quick learner, with strong capacity to multi-task; results-oriented, able to meet deadlines under structured timelines.
• Exceptional presentation and writing skills and the ability to convey a message that is understandable and relevant, linking business issues, financial results, and strategy
• Be a role model for the company's values and demonstrate the highest professional integrity and ethics
• Proven experience in developing and managing a team of accounting professionals; Strong ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Experience with accounting for complex transactions and new accounting standards
• In-depth knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC regulations, and SOX compliance. IFRS knowledge is beneficial.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship.