London Director Transformation

There's a better way to work in finance-and more specifically, a better way to unlock value potential in private equity-backed portfolio companies. Working at the intersection of sponsors and management teams across every stage of the investment lifecycle, our team provides hands-on, execution-oriented support to elevate the office of the CFO.

So, what does it mean to work at Accordion? It means joining 1,000+ finance & technology experts in a high-growth, agile, and entrepreneurial environment while changing the way portfolio companies drive value. It also means making your mark on Accordion's future-by embracing a culture rooted in collaboration and a firm-wide commitment to building something great, together.

With the London office launching our European footprint, London-based Accordionites will have a unique opportunity to flex their entrepreneurial muscles to drive our business forward in the European market whilst working with colleagues who think like owners.

Accordion is headquartered in New York City with 10 offices around the globe. Join us!

With the increase in complexity of the business environment and transactions, CFOs of private equity backed companies are increasingly being looked towards to drive strategic insights for their business. Finance organisations are no longer simply result reporters, but rather, they couple these results with forward looking data to provide strategic insights which are leveraged to make business decisions. Efficiency of process and meaningful control environments allows for speed of financial reporting with increasingly accurate measures, leaving more time for the finance team to add future enterprise value, rather than look backwards.

Accordion's Transformation Practice is comprised of a dedicated team providing strategic advice to support PE backed portfolio companies on a wide range of transactions and events, including profitability improvements, finance process optimisation, liquidity enhancements and digital transformation transaction. We are doers and problem solvers - making sense of complexity and bolstering sponsors' value creation theses.

This role can be based in our London office. Ideal candidates should be local to the desired location, with the flexibility to work remotely 1-2 days a week, blending the best of both worlds for efficiency and collaboration.

• Work closely with other team members to serve clients within the office of the CFO of private equity portfolio companies, in the areas of finance strategy and processes improvements such as:
  • Capability and Maturity assessments
  • Operating Model Design
  • Technology Optimisation and Roadmaps
  • Design and Process Enhancement across areas including order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, record-to-report and FP&A
  • Assess and recommend change management processes
  • Drive initiatives to increase effectiveness, reduce costs and improve profit/shareholder value
  • Develop and implement KPI dashboards and tracking tools
• Bring deep financial expertise and strong experience leading practices to engagements
• Manage multiple client engagements at the same time, ensure projects are on track, manage client expectations and perform course corrections when necessary
• Interact and build relationships with C-suite personnel at portfolio company as well as representatives from Private Equity sponsors
• Regular and extensive travel across Europe to work with clients in the relevant jurisdictions
• Assist in growing the firm by identifying and driving business development activities
• Identify and sponsor internal initiatives

• Minimum 8+ years of relevant professional experience working in a client serving role at a top-tier accounting or financial advisory firm, and/or mix of client service and private industry experience at a senior level
• Proven experience successfully managing multiple projects at the same time, managing not only client/sponsor dynamics but internal team dynamics as well
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field. MBA is a plus
• A strong and up-to date knowledge of strategic finance best practices specifically related to the professionalisation of the finance function
• Subject matter expert in financial business processes including order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, record-to-report, FP&A, as well as other functions within the CFO's portfolio
• Extensive expertise related to the design and implementation of strategies, processes and technology which increase effectiveness, reduce costs and improve profit/shareholder value
• Experience designing and enhancing financial processes including Finance Automation and Technology deployment
• Experience performing financial and operational assessments
• Experience driving strategic finance transformations
• Experience working with Private Equity, with an understanding of the unique requirements of the Private Equity consulting environment
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Strong client service mindset

• A self-starter with a strong work ethic
• A leader of others; you lead by example
• A strong team player, able to work with team members across all levels
• Able to effectively communicate complex issues and solutions, and raise issues to senior team members when necessary
• Comfortable managing projects with multiple complex workstreams while also focused on your single workstream (you are managing and doing).
• Excited to be part of a growing team, with a focus on driving future growth
• Full of entrepreneurial spirit and comfortable in a fluid, flat organization
• Knowledgeable about the relationship between Private Equity sponsors and their portfolio companies
• Passionate about delivering exceptional client service
• Someone who enjoys mentoring others and doing meaningful work
• Willing to get your hands dirty in the details of a project while simultaneously seeing the whole picture