Vice President of Accounting

Juniper is Growing! We are seeking a VP of Accounting that builds and scales a standardized, efficient accounting function to support growth, multi-entity complexity, and acquisitions. This role ensures financial integrity, scalable processes, and strong controls, while driving system optimization and automation. The position partners with the CFO, FP&A, and operations to deliver accurate, timely financial insights that support decision-making and leads the integration of acquisitions into standardized systems, processes, and reporting. Success requires strong technical expertise, systems thinking, and leadership to build sustainable processes, reduce manual work, and develop a high-performing team.Responsibilities:Leadership and DevelopmentSupport efforts in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees. Foster a culture of continuous learning by providing training and development opportunities to enhance team skills and performance.Effectively manage employee performance by clearly communicating expectations, providing regular and constructive feedback, and addressing both positive contributions and areas for improvement and foster a culture of accountability and continuous growth.Promote a positive and inclusive work environment by actively recognizing achievements, addressing employee concerns promptly, and using approaches to maintain high levels of employee satisfaction and retention.Accounting OperationsDesign and standardize accounting processes and workflows across all operating entities and acquiredbusinesses, reducing reliance on manual work, tribal knowledge, and inconsistent practices.Establish, document, and enforce a robust internal controls environment that protects company assets, ensures financial accuracy, and prepares Juniper for increasing investor and audit scrutiny.Identify and mitigate financial and operational risk across the accounting function, building a controls framework that scales with the business.Ensure the accounting function can support continued growth in headcount, revenue, geographic footprint, and acquisition volume without proportional increases in manual effort or error rate.Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process, driving accuracy, timeliness, and consistency across all entities and states.Maintain the general ledger and ensure all financial transactions are recorded accurately and in compliance with GAAP across all accounting functions, including AP, AR and treasury.Oversee fixed asset accounting, capital expenditure tracking, and depreciation schedules, as well as lease accounting and inventory management where applicable, ensuring accurate balance sheet representation across all entities.Oversee cost accounting functions, including job costing, labor and equipment cost allocation, WIP reporting, and entity-level profitability analysis, ensuring operational leaders have accurate, timely cost data to support decision-making.Establish and enforce accounting policies, standards, and chart of accounts governance to ensure consistency across all branches and acquired entities.Prepare and deliver consolidated financial statements and management reporting packages that give executive leadership clear, reliable visibility into financial performance.Manage all multi-state tax and compliance obligations, including income tax, sales tax, and state specific statutory requirements across the Company’s operating footprint.Lead the annual audit process, serving as the primary point of contact for external auditors and ensuring the company maintains audit-ready financials at all times.Support with debt compliance reporting, lender deliverables, and all PE sponsor-required financial packages.Systems, Automation & Process ImprovementLead Juniper’s accounting systems strategy, owning Acumatica as the system of record and driving optimization, proper configuration, and full utilization across all entities.Drive automation across the accounting function, with priority focus on AP, AR, close processes, and reconciliations, reducing manual effort and improving speed, accuracy, and scalability.Lead or support the migration of disparate legacy financial systems from acquired businesses onto Juniper’s common accounting platform, ensuring clean data and process continuity.Partner with the SVP of Operational Transformation on integration points where operational systems (Aspire, field operations platforms) flow data into the financial ledger, ensuring clean handoffs and clear ownership at the intersection of operational and financial data.Establish and monitor accounting process metrics that provide leadership visibility into close cycle times, error rates, and functional efficiency.Acquisition IntegrationOwn how acquisitions are onboarded from an accounting standpoint, including Day 1 readiness, Day 90 integration milestones, and full financial consolidation into Juniper’s reporting structure.Perform or oversee purchase accounting, opening balance sheet preparation, purchase price allocation, goodwill, and intangible asset recognition in accordance with GAAP.Standardize the accounting integration playbook across all acquisitions, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and the systematic cleanup of inherited financial issues.Ensure acquired entities are transitioned onto Juniper’s accounting systems, processes, policies, and controls within defined integration timelines.Support financial due diligence by providing historical financial analysis, accounting assessments, and quality of earnings support for target companies.Performs other related duties as assigned.Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required; CPA required.Minimum of 10 years of progressive accounting experience with at least 7 years in a senior accounting leadership role. Experience within a PE-backed, distributed services company of relevant size ($300M+ revenue) and complexity strongly preferred.Demonstrated success owning, building out, and streamlining accounting management processes, including GAAP compliance, AP/AR, cost accounting, financial reporting, tax, and treasury, across a multi-entity, multi-state environment.Proven track record leading an accounting function through significant growth, systems change, or transformation, with measurable improvements in close cycle time, accuracy, and scalability.Big 4 or large regional public accounting firm background is a strong plus; prior experience in industrial services, field services, environmental services, landscaping, or construction preferred.Experience with legacy financial systems and migrating disparate systems onto a common platform; Acumatica, Aspire and RAMP experience is a strong plus.Prior experience leading or supporting M&A integration from an accounting standpoint, including purchase accounting, opening balance sheet preparation, and onboarding acquired entities onto standardized systems and processes, is strongly preferred.Empathetic, people-developing leader with the credibility and presence to influence across a high-growth, high-change organization capable of operating both tactically in the details and strategically at the leadership table.Deep technical accounting knowledge, including consolidations, purchase accounting, multi-entity close, internal controls, and GAAP compliance.Prior experience supporting external audits, PE sponsor reporting, and debt compliance reporting in a PE-backed environment.Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and financial reporting tools; demonstrated ability to leverage data and reporting platforms to improve visibility and decision-making.Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively influence, align, and drive accountability across leadership levels and cross-functional stakeholders.Juniper is a full-service landscape design, build, and management company servicing the Southeast. Our family of companies proudly includes Juniper, Davis Landscape, Elegant, Shooter & Lindsey, and Rip's. We are recognized as award-winning leaders in our industry with over 30 locations and 2,000+ team members. At Juniper, the foundation of who we are, how we perform, and how we treat others is guided by our core values. We are committed to a culture that welcomes, grows, and celebrates people who share in our mission to design, build, and maintain the best landscaping in the industry.We offer career growth opportunities and excellent benefits (health/dental/vision insurance, 401K, and PTO plans). Join our company, where we Welcome/Grow/Celebrate you at Juniper! #J-18808-Ljbffr