Job Description

About the Company

BMI is a mission-driven organization at the forefront of music rights and creator advocacy. Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, BMI is a global leader in music rights management. Currently representing the public performance rights in over 25 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.5 million artists. BMI negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are publicly performed.

About the Role

POSITION SUMMARY: Leads the Licensing Accounting function through a Licensing Accounting Manager and Senior Accountant, owning revenue recognition and technical accounting for the company and ensuring compliance with ASC 606 across all revenue streams. Sets team direction, standards and workflow while remaining directly engaged in the highest-judgmental technical matters, the revenue close, review, reporting, controls and audit processes and keeps revenue accounting diligence-ready to support transactions and builds scalable revenue and billing processes as the company grows. Builds scalable revenue and billing processes as the company grows, identifies and implements process improvements pertaining to area of responsibility and works directly with financial accounting, FP&A, licensing, legal, operations, collections services, IT and other departments to uphold company best practices, ensure proper controls are in place and deliver excellent customer service.

FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB

Essential Functions: representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.

Revenue Recognition & Technical Accounting

• Owns revenue recognition policies and ensures compliance with ASC 606 across all revenue streams, applying judgment appropriate to the company's size and complexity, and reviews and updates related company policies and procedures.
• Reviews customer contracts, including non-standard terms, bundled arrangements, variable consideration, and contract modifications and determines the correct accounting treatment.
• Writes clear technical memos documenting key revenue judgments for auditors, investors and future diligence.

Revenue Close, Reporting & Controls

• Oversee the monthly revenue close performed by the Manager and staff, personally reviewing and approving the most complex or judgmental entries (deferred revenue, unbilled receivables, contract asset balances), and ensuring successful coordination and completion of the month-end process.
• Prepares revenue schedules and footnote disclosures for annual GAAP audited financial statements.
• Designs and maintains a practical internal controls framework over the revenue cycle, scaled to the company's stage and ready to mature toward SOX if needed.
• Leads the fiscal year-end audit and manages the revenue portion of the annual external audit, including PBC requests and auditor inquiries, maintaining relations during the audit.

Diligence, Transactions & M&A

• Keeps revenue accounting "diligence-ready" to support fundraising, debt financing, a potential sale, or IPO, including quality of earnings (QoE) reviews.
• Supports M&A activity through due diligence and integration of acquired revenue streams.

Team Leadership & Development

• Builds and leads the Licensing Accounting team, setting direction and standards while empowering the Manager to own day-to-day execution; remains directly hands-on engaged with the Senior Accountant on complex technical matters, and available for escalation on staff-level, ensuring proper internal control and delivering excellent customer service.
• Ensures the manager provides proper on-boarding, cross training and coaching to staff specific to Licensing Accounting; directly coaches and develops senior accountant and periodically reviews the manager's coaching effectiveness with the staff.
• Develops the Licensing Accounting Manager's leadership capability, delegating operational ownership of the team's day-to-day work while providing guidance on complex technical or personnel matters.
• Schedules, coordinates and leads broader team meetings and regular 1:1 with manager and senior accountant to ensure successful communication and collaboration; ensures the Manager runs effective staff level meetings and communication.

Cross functional partnership

• Works directly with Licensing, Legal, Operations, Collections Services, IT and other departments to review deal terms before signing, flag revenue impacts early, uphold company best practices, ensure proper controls are in place and deliver excellent customer service.
• Educates non-finance teams on how contract terms affect revenue.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Ensures CRM, ERP and other financial systems function properly (as related to area of responsibility), and lead or support the selection and implementation of new systems, coordinating with Accounting Technology and IT, as needed.
• Accesses and analyzes data to answer business questions and improve processes, leveraging available technology tools.
• Builds or rebuilds revenue processes, often moving from spreadsheets toward automation as the company scales, researching, recommending and implementing process and procedural improvements by coordinating with management, team members and internal/external customers.
• Acts as project manager for Licensing Accounting projects when appropriate

Supervisory Responsibilities: Directly supervises a licensing accounting manager and accountant and indirectly oversees additional team members in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning, directing and ensuring reliability of work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining team members; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

POSITION QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance required.

Experience: Minimum 8–10+ years' progressive accounting experience, with significant hands-on ASC 606 work. Three (3) or more years' people management experience required. Comfort operating in a fast-paced, less-structured environment.

Skills and Abilities: which may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.

• Experience with ERP and revenue/billing systems, plus advanced Excel skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Experience with Oracle Financial modules and Salesforce preferred
• Familiarity with AI-powered tools for data analysis and process improvement preferred
• Ability to write clear technical memos, reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional literature and technical procedures. Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP, particularly ASC 606, with the ability to apply technical guidance to non-standard or complex transactions
• Effective communication skills, including presenting to executives and effectively responding to questions from groups of managers, vendors, internal and external customers
• Must be capable of building, fostering and working in a team environment focused on quality and customer service
• Excellent time management, analytical, decision making and organizational skills
• Ability to develop and lead a multi-tiered team, delegating prioritized operational execution to a Manager while maintaining accountability for team output and quality
• Ability to establish good working relationships and interact competently with others at all levels of management
• Experience in a PE-backed or multi-entity company preferred

License(s)/Certifications Required: None; CPA license (active or inactive) preferred.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying the position. Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws.

“Commonly associated” is not intended to mean always or only. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits & Perks

We take care of our people, here’s what you can expect when joining the team:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401K with employer match on 100% of the first 4%.
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Hybrid Office Schedule & Remote Friday's
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Benefits
• Paid Vacation & Sick/Personal Time
• Paid Volunteer Time Off
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Summer Half-Days
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Up To 12 weeks Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Commuter Benefits (New York)
• Employee Resource Groups
• Entertainment discounts and access to BMI concerts and events in our offices
• Employee appreciation events and holiday parties hosted at all office locations