Senior Client Accountant

Job Summary

To hold ultimate accountability for the delivery of best in class financial reporting to Greystar's institutional clients across a defined portfolio of assets. This client relationship and business partnering role focuses on quality oversight of outsourced financial reporting, translating performance into narrative and insight, and ensuring every client deliverable is accurate, insightful and delivered to the highest standard.

Key Responsibilities Reporting Oversight, Quality Assurance & Accountability

• Hold ultimate accountability for the accuracy, quality and timeliness of all financial reporting delivered to clients across the portfolio, notwithstanding that detailed preparation is performed by the outsourced provider.
• Act as the primary business partner and quality controller for the outsourced client accounting team, reviewing and challenging all financial outputs - P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, reconciliations and supporting schedules - before client delivery.
• Set, document and maintain the reporting standard, review protocols and communication rhythms that the outsourced team follows, ensuring output is right first time and delivered on schedule.
• Provide clear, constructive feedback to the outsourced team, developing shared standards and escalation pathways, and driving continuous improvement where recurring errors or process gaps arise.
• Own the end to end reporting timetable for the portfolio, coordinating across teams so all client deadlines are met without compromising quality.

Site Team Engagement & P&L Validation

• Engage proactively with on site property management teams to obtain the operational context required to validate and finalise the monthly reporting prepared by the outsourced team.
• Query, challenge and validate site level costs, accruals and income lines, ensuring the financials accurately reflect operational activity before sign off.
• Act as the bridge between the outsourced accounting team and site operations, translating financial queries into operational language and back, thereby ensuring the outsourced team receives the information it needs.
• Support site teams in understanding reporting requirements, fostering accountability for the accuracy and timeliness of the information they provide.

Client Relationship Management & Reporting Delivery

• Serve as the primary point of contact for institutional clients on all financial reporting matters, building trusted, long term advisory relationships.
• Lead client reporting meetings and calls, presenting monthly, quarterly and annual financial packs with confidence and clarity, and owning the client relationship as its senior finance representative.
• Share insightful variance analysis and management commentary that explains performance drivers, highlights risks and opportunities, and supports client decision making.
• Add genuine value through a deep understanding of asset performance, translating financial data into strategic narrative that goes beyond the numbers.
• Anticipate client needs, responding proactively with bespoke analysis, tailored reporting or ad hoc support, ensuring all outputs comply with UK GAAP/IFRS and relevant lease or fund requirements.

Internal Business Partnering

• Develop effective working relationships with the Asset Management team, ensuring financial reporting supports asset level decision making and performance monitoring.
• Work closely with Mobilisation teams during onboarding of new properties, ensuring reporting frameworks, systems and data flows are established correctly from day one - including clean set up with the outsourced provider.
• Partner with other HQ functions to resolve cross functional matters that impact client reporting.
• Maintain strong relationships with Property Management to support service charge reconciliations, RICS compliance and operational cost management.
• Represent the finance function positively across all internal interactions, contributing to a culture of collaboration and shared accountability.

Audit Management & Compliance

• Support the annual statutory audit across the portfolio and manage the auditor relationship end to end.
• Oversee the timely provision of audit evidence, resolving auditor queries efficiently and escalating material issues to senior leadership where necessary.
• Ensure all client financial records and reporting outputs comply with UK GAAP, IFRS and internal control frameworks, and maintain a robust control environment over the outsourced reporting process.
• Monitor changes in accounting standards and regulatory requirements, assessing their impact on client reporting and updating processes accordingly.

Reporting Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Own and continuously raise the reporting standard across the portfolio, developing and maintaining standardised templates, commentary frameworks and best practice guides that the outsourced provider delivers against.
• Lead or contribute to projects that enhance the efficiency and quality of financial reporting, including automation, system development (Yardi) and refinement of the outsourced operating model.
• Share best practice across the wider finance function and support group level reporting requirements.
• Support the wider finance team during peak periods, contributing to a culture of high performance, continuous improvement and professional development.

Key Skills & Experience

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with demonstrable post qualification experience in property or real estate finance.
• Proven ability to manage, review and hold to account the work of outsourced, offshore or shared service finance teams, with a collaborative and solution focused approach.
• Experience in an institutional client facing or fund accounting environment, with a track record of building trusted advisory relationships and owning client relationships directly.
• Strong understanding of UK GAAP and/or IFRS, with experience preparing or reviewing statutory financial statements.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills - able to translate complex financial data into clear, meaningful narrative for non finance and client audiences.
• Strong stakeholder management, with the confidence to engage effectively with clients, site teams, outsourced providers and senior leadership.
• Highly organised, able to manage multiple client reporting cycles simultaneously and maintain quality under deadline pressure.
• Experience of audit management and statutory reporting processes.
• Proficient in financial reporting software and advanced Excel; experience with Yardi, MRI or similar property management systems advantageous.