Chief Accounting Officer

Opportunity ID

10024

Department

Practice Management

Location(s)

Charlotte

State

North Carolina

Function

Finance

Job Description

YOUR TEAM.

CohnReznick is looking for a Chief Accounting Officer who can operate as the technical and operational backbone of the finance organization. This is a build-and-elevate mandate across talent, systems, and processes for a firm operating with private equity ownership and the reporting rigor, deal cadence, and growth trajectory that comes with it. The right person will have both the technical depth to get into the weeds of complex accounting and the executive presence to sit across the table from the CFO, the deal team, and external stakeholders as a peer.

YOUR ROLE.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Financial close and reporting. Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process end to end. Accuracy, speed, and a control environment that holds up to scrutiny from auditors, lenders, and equity investors.
• Technical accounting. Serve as the firm's authority on complex and judgment-heavy areas. Revenue recognition, business combinations, partnership/equity accounting, and PE-specific structures.
• External audit and compliance. Be the primary relationship owner with external auditors; manage the annual audit to a clean, efficient outcome with no surprises for the CFO or the Board.
• Controls and process. Build and continuously improve a control environment appropriate for a PE-backed platform, with an eye toward future transaction readiness (refinancing, add-on M&A, eventual exit).
• M&A and integration accounting. Lead purchase accounting, opening balance sheets, and post-close integration for acquisitions.
• Team leadership. Recruit, develop, and retain a high-caliber accounting team.
• Systems and scalability. Partner with FP&A and IT on ERP and close-automation investments that let the accounting function scale without linearly scaling headcount.
• Partner to the CFO. Be a direct, candid, load-bearing counterpart to the CFO on anything requiring technical accounting judgment, audit strategy, or Board/Audit Committee materials.

YOUR EXPERIENCE.

The successful candidate will have:

• CPA, required. Big 4 or top national firm audit training as a foundation - ideally with time spent in a technical accounting or National Office capacity.
• 12-18+ years of progressive experience, including prior service as a Controller, CAO, or similar at a PE-backed or PE-sponsor-adjacent organization.
• Has run a real close. Can speak fluently about days-to-close reduction, control remediation, and what actually breaks during a fast month-end.
• Deep technical fluency in ASC 606, ASC 805 (business combinations), equity/partnership accounting, and the accounting specifics of professional services and partnership-adjacent structures.
• Audit committee-ready communicator. Can walk into a Board or Audit Committee meeting and explain a technical accounting position in plain English, defend it under questioning, and know exactly when to flag something proactively versus handle it quietly.
• M&A mindset. Has been through multiple acquisitions or add-ons from the accounting side (due diligence, opening balance sheet, first close post-acquisition, integration)
• A builder, not just an operator. Has stood up or meaningfully rebuilt a control environment, an ERP migration, or a close-automation initiative, and can point to the before-and-after.
• Talent magnet. Has built and retained strong accounting teams before and can attract a strong team
• Low ego, high standards. Comfortable being the person who says "no, that's not how we're going to book this" to someone more senior, and does it in a way that builds trust rather than friction.

• PE fluency beyond accounting - understands the nuances of PE controlled businesses and their reporting standards (for both equity and debt holders)

In addition, please take a moment to review our

Studies have shown that we are less likely to apply to jobs unless we meet every single qualification. At CohnReznick, we are dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our other roles.

Salary is one component of the CohnReznick total rewards package, which includes a discretionary performance bonus, generous paid time off, expanded and inclusive parental benefits, and access to best-in-class learning and development platforms, to name a few. To learn more about life at CohnReznick, visit

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