Dir, Accounting

The Director of Revenue Accounting is a senior leadership role with focused ownership of royalty expense and revenue accounting, reporting and the accounting for complex strategic deals and partnerships. Reporting to the Head of Revenue Assurance & Accounting, this individual serves as both a technical accounting expert and a hands-on operational leader—equally comfortable presenting deal structure analysis to senior stakeholders and working side by side with their team to resolve nuanced
accounting issues.The ideal candidate is an active CPA with expertise in ASC 606 and royalty accounting, a strong commercial instinct for evaluating strategic transactions, and a proven track record managing and developing large accounting teams of 20 or more professionals. This leader brings a combination of the rigor of a technical accountant, the mindset of a business partner, and the drive to get things done.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing accounting team of 20+ professionals spanning royalty expense, royalty revenue, revenue reporting and strategic deal accounting functions
• Set clear performance expectations; foster a culture of accountability, intellectual curiosity, and continuous improvement through regular coaching and structured performance reviews
• Recruit and retain top accounting talent; proactively build team capabilities to support business growth, new deal structures, and evolving accounting standards
• Champion cross-functional collaboration with Revenue Assurance, Legal, Business Development, FP&A, Tax, and IT to ensure accounting considerations are integrated into deal-making and operational planning

Royalty Expense Accounting
• Oversee the end-to-end accounting for royalty expense obligations, including accruals, payments, and reconciliation of royalty payable balances across content, licensing, and partner agreements
• Ensure accurate and timely recording of royalty costs in accordance with U.S. GAAP; establish and maintain policies for consistent treatment across agreement types
• Partner with Legal and Business Development to review new and amended royalty agreements, assess accounting implications, and determine appropriate expense and revenue recognition methodology
• Manage royalty audit processes—both inbound (from rights holders) and outbound (of licensees)— and oversee resolution of royalty disputes and adjustments
• Drive process improvements and system enhancements to increase the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of royalty expense operations

Royalty Revenue Accounting
• Own the accounting for royalty revenue streams, including recognition, reporting, and reconciliation of amounts earned under licensing, and distribution arrangements
• Apply deep knowledge of ASC 606 to evaluate and document the proper recognition of royalty revenue, including assessment of performance obligations, usage-based licensing, variable consideration, and contract modifications
• Coordinate with Revenue Assurance, Sales Operations, and Technology teams to ensure complete and accurate capture of royalty revenue data from source systems through the general ledger
• Prepare and review royalty revenue schedules and disclosures for internal management reporting and external financial statement purposes
• Monitor the royalty revenue portfolio for changes in contractual terms, deal structures, or business practices that may affect accounting treatment; proactively communicate impacts to leadership

Complex Strategic Deal Accounting
• Serve as the primary accounting lead for complex, non-standard, and high-value strategic transactions
• Engage early in the deal structuring process to advise Business, Procurement and Legal Teams on
the accounting implications of proposed contract terms, ensuring deals are structured to achieve intended financial outcomes
• Draft and own technical accounting position papers and memoranda documenting the company's accounting conclusions for complex transactions under U.S. GAAP
• Coordinate with external auditors on complex deal accounting positions; manage timely resolution of audit inquiries related to strategic transactions
• Maintain a deal review framework that ensures consistent, well-documented, and auditable accounting treatment for non-routine arrangements

Technical Accounting, Controls & Operations
• Maintain deep current knowledge of U.S. GAAP, with particular expertise in ASC 606 (revenue recognition)
• Support the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process for all areas within scope; ensure journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting schedules meet quality and timeliness standards
• Design and maintain a strong internal control environment over royalty and deal accounting;
• Evaluate and champion technology solutions—including royalty management platforms, ERP enhancements, and automation tools—that improve the acc racy, speed, and scalability of the team's work
• Leverage data analytics to provide meaningful insights into royalty trends, deal performance, and financial exposures; present findings clearly to senior leadership

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At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans.  Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

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