EA Talent Solutions has been exclusively retained by a rapidly scaling, private equity-backed professional services platform to identify their next Chief Financial Officer. Our client is executing an active roll-up/M&A strategy and is seeking a hands-on, metrics-driven finance leader to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and PE sponsor. The client's identity will be disclosed to qualified candidates as the search progresses.
The Opportunity
The CFO will own the organization's financial infrastructure and bring institutional-grade rigor to practice economics, utilization, realization, and profitability across partners, service lines, and offices. This is a high-visibility mandate for a finance leader who understands professional services economics at a granular level and can translate operational data into the KPIs that drive enterprise value, PE reporting requirements, and eventual exit readiness.
Key Responsibilities
PE Sponsor & Board Reporting
- Serve as primary finance liaison to the PE sponsor; manage board reporting, KPI templates, and lender/quality-of-earnings requests.
- Support M&A due diligence, purchase price analysis, and post-close integration across concurrent transactions.
- Own debt compliance, covenant reporting, banking relationships, and the finance function's digital/AI transformation.
Practice Economics & Utilization/Realization Reporting
- Design and own utilization, realization, and profitability reporting (dashboards by partner, service line, office, and client segment), including KPIs for tax, assurance, wealth management, and IT consulting.
- Establish KPIs (utilization, realization, effective vs. standard rates, write-offs, leverage) and partner with leaders to analyze variances and drive corrective action.
- Own monthly WIP/AR review, build engagement-level profitability and capacity-planning models, and standardize reporting across legacy and acquired entities.
Financial Planning & Analysis
- Lead budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning with practice-level P&L accountability.
- Stand up a PE-grade FP&A function; build the firm's financial model and scenario planning for growth, pricing, and M&A.
- Deliver monthly board/sponsor reporting packages, including KPI dashboards and covenant tracking.
Accounting, Controls & Compliance
- Oversee the Controller function ensuring GAAP-compliant close, ASC 606 revenue recognition, and clean audits.
- Design internal controls for a PE-owned, multi-entity structure; ensure compliance with partnership accounting, capital accounts, and multi-state tax matters.
- Oversee cost accounting and financial controls for offshore/global operations.
Systems, Leadership & Strategy
- Partner on practice management, time & billing, and BI systems to enable real-time visibility; drive data integration across acquired firms.
- Build and mentor the finance/accounting team; act as strategic thought partner to the CEO on capital allocation, pricing, and compensation design.
- Represent finance in exit-readiness activities, including sell-side diligence preparation.
Required
- 15+ years of progressive finance/accounting leadership, including 3+ years as CFO, Deputy CFO, or VP Finance in a professional services or CPA firm environment.
- Deep, hands-on expertise in professional services economics: utilization, realization, WIP, billing cycles, and partner profitability.
- Experience within a PE-backed platform, including board/sponsor reporting, covenant compliance, and add-on M&A integration.
- Advanced knowledge of time-and-billing systems and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
- Strong command of GAAP, ASC 606, and multi-entity/partnership accounting; experience standardizing reporting across acquired entities.
- Alternative Practice Structure experience (inter-entity management fees, attest/non-attest cost allocation) a plus.
Preferred
- Experience managing concurrent M&A transactions and sponsor workstreams within a PE-backed Professional services organization.
- Track record supporting a successful exit (sale, recapitalization, or IPO).
- Experience redesigning partner compensation models tied to utilization/realization performance.
