Youth Enrichment Brands is the nation’s leading youth activities platform, providing camps, leagues, classes, and other programs that reach nearly 1 million kids worldwide each year. Our mission is to help kids discover and develop their passions by connecting and supporting a network of best‑in‑class youth enrichment brands. We are guided by a commitment to building communities where kids develop confidence, resilience, and joy through safe, inclusive, and engaging experiences. Backed by Roark Capital, our portfolio includes School of Rock, i9 Sports, SafeSplash Swimming, US Sports Camps, and other premier youth activity brands.

The role

Youth Enrichment Brands is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Accounts Payable (AP) Assistant Controller to join its accounting leadership team. Reporting to the Vice President, Corporate Controller, this is a highly visible role within the accounting shared services organization, offering broad exposure across the business and a meaningful opportunity to drive impact. The position will initially lead the end-to-end Accounts Payable shared services function in a hands-on capacity, from invoice intake through payment execution, across the entire Youth Enrichment Brands enterprise. Over time, this role offers a clear pathway to increased responsibility and advancement to AP Assistant Controller, with the scope expected to expand in a phased and well‑supported manner to include ownership of additional shared service areas such as fixed assets, payroll accounting, and the corporate holding companies.

Primary responsibilities include leading and supervising a team of onshore and offshore Accounts Payable professionals. The role partners closely with cross‑functional business unit stakeholders to ensure expenses are accurately coded, payments are processed timely, and vendor relationships are managed professionally and effectively. The AP Assistant Controller will oversee day‑to‑day operations as well as key projects and process initiatives, ensuring adherence to internal controls, established standards, and best practices, while continuously evaluating opportunities for process improvements and scalability.

The ideal candidate will bring deep functional expertise in Accounts Payable, strong project and people leadership skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively with multiple stakeholders across the organization. This role requires a proactive, self‑starting professional who is highly organized, analytically strong, and advanced in Excel, with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. The AP Assistant Controller will play a critical role in maintaining financial integrity, promoting transparency, and supporting the continued growth and success of Youth Enrichment Brands across its portfolio of subsidiaries.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on leadership and subject matter expertise to a team of onshore and offshore AP professionals across the end-to-end Accounts Payable and procure to pay (P2P) lifecycle, applying broad knowledge of AP methods, controls, and best practices.
• Drive process standardization, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, scalability, and control.
• Develop, monitor, and report key performance indicators (KPIs), service level metrics, and operational analytics to assess performance, identify trends, and support management decision making.
• Oversee all AP activities, including vendor onboarding, invoice processing and coding, payment approvals, and disbursements, ensuring adherence to company policies and internal controls.
• Lead, develop, and manage onshore and offshore AP teams, providing direction, training, performance management, and escalation support.
• Ensure accurate recording of expenses to the appropriate legal entities, subsidiaries, and cost centers, including management of intercompany allocations.
• Partner with business unit leaders, procurement, treasury, vendors and other internal stakeholders to resolve issues, optimize payment processes, and balance service levels with cash flow objectives.
• Manage the payment process, including payment scheduling, review of payment runs, and optimization of payment methods.
• Support month-end and year-end close activities related to AP, including accruals, reconciliations, and journal entries.
• Prepare and analyze expense related reporting, track and monitor spend trends, and contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis as needed.
• Ensure compliance with tax regulations (including 1099 reporting), vendor agreements, and internal and external audit requirements.
• Maintain strong oversight of internal controls and fraud prevention, proactively identifying and mitigating AP related risks.
• Support special projects, system implementations, and other shared services initiatives as needed.
• Protect organizational value by maintaining confidentiality of sensitive financial and business information.

Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required. CPA or CMA certification and/or a master’s degree strongly preferred.
• We are looking for candidates who can come into either office location in Canton, MA or San Rafael, CA at least 2 days per week.
• 8+ years of progressive operational accounting experience, including 2+ years of significant hands-on leadership and supervising an Accounts Payable team of three or more professionals, preferably within a shared services or multi‑entity environment.
• Demonstrated experience supporting operational accounting and high‑volume Accounts Payable functions within growth‑oriented, PE‑backed, or complex organizations (ideally $75M+ in revenue and payment activity).
• Proven ability to operate effectively in fast‑paced, changing environments, with a track record of building scalable processes and infrastructure to support growth, acquisitions, and evolving business needs.
• Strong capability to build relationships, influence outcomes, and partner cross‑functionally with operations, procurement, treasury, and senior leadership.
• Highly effective organizer and problem solver with strong analytical skills; able to manage competing priorities, execute with urgency, and drive results with limited structure.
• High standards of integrity with a disciplined approach to internal controls, risk management, and financial accuracy, balanced with a practical, business‑driven mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate risks, opportunities, and recommendations to both finance and non‑finance stakeholders.
• Proven self‑starter who thrives with ownership and accountability and can work independently in a remote or hybrid environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, including superior‑level Excel skills for data analysis, reporting, and process optimization.
• NetSuite experience strongly preferred; experience leveraging AI‑enabled finance tools is desirable, and direct experience with Ramp, Tipalti, and Power BI is a significant plus.
• Experience supporting franchise‑based, multi‑location, or multi‑brand business models is a plus.

Leadership & Personal Attributes

• Hands‑On, Development‑Focused People Leader – Demonstrates a strong ability to lead and develop teams, including professionals with varying levels of experience and technical skill by setting clear expectations, establishing structured processes, and providing practical coaching and training. Balances empathy with performance discipline, effectively managing productivity, quality, and morale while addressing performance gaps promptly and constructively.
• Analytical and Insight‑Driven – Synthesizes complex financial and operational data into clear insights and actionable process improvements.
• Results‑Oriented Problem Solver – Proactively identifies issues, assesses risk, and drives timely, practical solutions in fast‑paced, changing environments.
• Cross‑Functional Partner – Builds trust with business unit leaders, procurement, treasury, and finance partners while fostering accountability and alignment across shared services.
• Strong Business and Financial Acumen – Understands the impact of accounting and operational decisions on profitability, cash flow, and enterprise value.
• Change and Execution Focused – Effectively leads process transformation initiatives, manages priorities, and drives projects to completion with speed and discipline.

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