Chief Accounting Officer

Chief Accounting Officer

Future Public Company | PE-Backed Industrial Technology Platform | Significant Equity Opportunity


Ascension Search Partners has been engaged for a confidential search on behalf of one of the most compelling sponsor-backed industrial businesses in the market today. The company is a highly profitable, rapidly growing manufacturing platform approaching $1 billion in revenue , supported by a blue-chip private equity sponsor and pursuing an ambitious strategy of operational excellence, acquisition-led growth, and public-company readiness.

Over the past several years, the organization has established itself as a market leader within highly engineered manufacturing and mission-critical end markets while consistently delivering exceptional financial performance.

The company now seeks a Chief Accounting Officer to help architect the next phase of the journey.

This is not simply the top accounting seat. This is a strategic leadership position responsible for building a world-class accounting organization, preparing the business for a potential future public-market transaction, and serving as one of the CFO's most trusted partners as the company continues its aggressive growth trajectory.

Why Top Accounting Leaders Are Interested

Build Something Significant


You will inherit a strong foundation while leading the transformation of a complex multi-entity enterprise into a fully scalable, public-company-ready finance organization.

Front-Row Seat to a Potential Liquidity Event


The company is investing meaningfully in infrastructure, controls, systems, and leadership to support future strategic alternatives, creating a rare opportunity to help shape a business at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

Meaningful Equity Participation


This role offers the opportunity to participate directly in the value creation being generated across the enterprise through a meaningful long-term equity component.

Direct Partnership with an Exceptional CFO


You'll work side-by-side with a highly respected CFO who has a demonstrated track record of developing talent, building high-performing organizations, and creating opportunities for strong leaders to expand their impact.

A Business That Rewards Performance


Leadership has consistently exceeded expectations and has created a culture where results are recognized and rewarded.

Enterprise-Wide Influence


You'll have regular interaction with executive leadership, private equity stakeholders, auditors, bankers, and board-level constituents while driving financial stewardship across a rapidly evolving organization.

The Opportunity


As Chief Accounting Officer, you will own the accounting foundation of the enterprise and lead the organization's evolution toward public-company standards.

You will oversee all accounting operations, financial reporting, controls, compliance, audit management, tax oversight, treasury, systems transformation, accounting policy, and acquisition integration activities across a decentralized portfolio of operating companies. In the short term, FP&A oversight will be added to this position.

Success in this role requires a unique blend of technical accounting expertise, operational leadership, transformation experience, and executive presence.

This leader must be equally comfortable discussing SEC reporting requirements with auditors, evaluating ERP strategy, leading SOX implementation efforts, integrating acquisitions, and coaching controllers across a geographically dispersed organization.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Accounting Leadership

• Own all internal and external financial reporting
• Ensure timely, accurate, and GAAP-compliant reporting across all operating entities
• Lead accounting policy development and governance
• Drive consistency and standardization across a complex multi-company structure

Public Company Readiness

• Lead SOX design, implementation, and sustainability efforts
• Enhance controls, reporting processes, and governance frameworks
• Build infrastructure capable of supporting future SEC reporting requirements
• Serve as a key architect of IPO-readiness initiatives

M&A and Integration

• Develop and refine acquisition integration playbooks
• Standardize accounting policies and financial processes across newly acquired businesses
• Support diligence, purchase accounting, and post-close integration activities

Finance Transformation

• Lead ERP and financial systems modernization initiatives
• Improve financial processes, automation, reporting capabilities, and data quality
• Build scalable infrastructure to support continued growth

Leadership and Talent Development

• Lead and develop a geographically dispersed team of accounting leaders and controllers
• Build accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the finance organization
• Create the next generation of accounting leadership within the company

Executive Partnership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CFO
• Partner with executive leadership and private equity stakeholders on critical business initiatives
• Lead relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory stakeholders

Ideal Background


We're interested in leaders whose careers demonstrate a combination of technical excellence, business acumen, and organizational leadership.

The qualified candidate will possess:

• CPA designation required
• 15+ years of progressive accounting leadership experience
• Big 4 foundation (PwC, Deloitte, EY, or KPMG), preferably at the Manager or Senior Manager level
• Extensive public company accounting experience
• Deep expertise in SEC reporting, SOX, and US GAAP
• Experience leading accounting functions, reporting, tax and treasury functions for businesses with $500M+ in revenue
• Proven success managing multi-entity organizations
• Demonstrated experience integrating acquisitions and scaling through growth
• Strong ERP and financial systems implementation experience
• Manufacturing, engineered products, aerospace & defense, or industrial sector experience
• Inventory and cost accounting expertise within complex operating environments
• Prior private-equity-backed company experience
• IPO readiness, public-company transformation, or transaction preparation experience

The Leadership Profile


Beyond the credentials, we're looking for a leader who:

• Operates with urgency and ownership
• Thrives in fast-moving, high-growth environments
• Leads from the front and builds followership naturally
• Can simplify complexity and focus teams on what matters most
• Communicates with confidence, clarity, and credibility
• Balances strategic thinking with a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality
• Enjoys building organizations, not simply managing them