Fractional Chief Financial Officer

Fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

As an integral member of the executive leadership team, the fractional CFO will drive financial performance, steward corporate governance, mitigate design-industry risk, and support long-term growth for a multi-office design practice operating under a C-corporation structure. This leader must successfully combine global experience with strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a passion for supporting a creative, project-based environment.

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team to shape firmwide strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, and support long-range planning while ensuring alignment with the firm's risk appetite.
• Provide financial insight that enables strong business decisions across planning, landscape architecture, and design services, including evaluation of contractual, operational, and market risks.
• Lead M&A activities including diligence, valuation, deal structure, and integration with attention to regulatory, tax, contractual, and liability exposures inherent in design firms.
• Support firm risk planning, including scenario modeling, business continuity strategies, and mitigation approaches for global operations.

Financial Management

• Own global budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance management across all studios and regions, ensuring financial risks are identified early and addressed proactively.
• Partner with the COO to improve project profitability, resource utilization, backlog visibility, fee estimation, and realization, while strengthening controls around scope management, subconsultant oversight, and change-order discipline.
• Further implement KPIs, dashboards, and reporting that enhance predictability, highlight emerging risks, and empower operations and project managers.
• Monitor financial exposure tied to client billing terms, accounts receivable aging, cash flow, and credit risk across global clients and markets.

Accounting, Reporting & Controls Oversight

• Oversee consolidated financial statements under U.S. GAAP with strong internal controls, compliance, and audit readiness that reduce financial and operational risk.
• Ensure accurate application of ASC 606 revenue recognition for landscape architecture and planning work (T&M, fixed fee, reimbursable costs, milestones), mitigating revenue-recognition risk common in project-based work.
• Strengthen the internal control framework, including fraud prevention, procurement discipline, and project-level documentation standards, to reduce exposure across global offices.
• Oversee annual audits and ensure clean audit outcomes through disciplined compliance, documentation, and risk-aware accounting practices.

Tax, Treasury & Corporate Structure

• Direct global tax planning and compliance for a C-corporation, ensuring mitigation of tax exposure, regulatory risk, and compliance gaps across U.S. and international jurisdictions.
• Manage transfer pricing, intercompany agreements, and cross-border financial structures with focus on tax-efficient and risk-controlled operations.
• Oversee cash management, treasury operations, FX exposure, and banking relationships while monitoring liquidity risk, currency volatility, and global cash position.

Firmwide Systems, Data & Transformation

• Guide modernization of financial systems, ERP/PSA, project accounting, BI tools to support project workflows common to architecture, planning, and design practices, with strong internal controls built into system workflows.
• Champion data integrity, automation, and process improvement to reduce operational risk, improve accuracy, and shorten cycle times.
• Ensure finance processes and technology systems scale securely and compliantly with global expansion, including cybersecurity considerations related to financial data.
• Leverage AI to create departmental and firmwide efficiencies of reporting, processes and procedures.

Leadership, Culture & Governance

• Lead and develop a global finance team across FP&A, accounting, tax, treasury, and regional practice finance, ensuring consistent financial controls and risk-aware decision-making across all offices.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, transparency, accountability, and sound judgment consistent with a creative professional services environment.
• Partner closely with design, operations, HR, marketing, and client leaders to strengthen firmwide performance, reinforce compliance with professional licensure and QA/QC standards, and reduce professional liability exposure.
• Support alignment with contractual risk policies, insurance requirements, regulatory standards, and project delivery protocols that protect the firm and its licensed professionals.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive finance leadership, ideally within architecture, engineering, planning, design, consulting, or other professional services firms.
• Deep understanding of project accounting, utilization metrics, fee structures, and financial dynamics specific to the design industry.
• Experience managing contractual, operational, and financial risks within a global professional services environment.
• Expertise in U.S. GAAP, ASC 606, multi-entity consolidations, and global operations.
• Background with C-corporation tax strategy, treasury management, transfer pricing, and risk-informed corporate structuring.
• Successful track record leading systems transformation (ERP/PSA preferred: Deltek Vantage Point).
• Strong strategic acumen paired with hands-on operational leadership.
• Bachelor's degree required; CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred.

Travel

• Periodic global and domestic travel required to visit offices, partners, and project locations.