Director of Accounting

Director of Accounting

Rockford, IL; St. Charles, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Iowa City, IA; Dover, DE; Lewes, DE; Plano, TX; Dallas, TX; or San Antonio, TX

Overview

Salary Range $130,000.00 - $180,000.00 Salary Position Type Full Time Job Shift Day

Description

Are you a strategic accounting leader who thrives on building high-performing teams and delivering exceptional client outcomes? As Director of Accounting at Savant, you'll lead the evolution of our accounting, payroll, and business advisory services, driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence while creating a unified "One Savant" experience for clients and team members alike. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of a rapidly growing practice and leave a lasting impact on both our clients and organization.

The Director of Accounting leads and oversees Savant's accounting and business advisory services, providing strategic direction for a team of accounting professionals dedicated to delivering exceptional client outcomes. This role is responsible for the quality, consistency, and growth of Savant's accounting, write up, payroll, and business consulting service offerings.

This role serves as the senior leader for client relationships within the Tax & Consulting practice, partnering closely with the Tax & Consulting and Wealth Management teams to deliver an integrated, client centered experience. This individual will champion a culture of continuous improvement, mentorship, and excellence in all client and team interactions. This role is responsible for unifying accounting, payroll, and business consulting into a single, streamlined "one team" operating model that delivers a consistent "one Savant way" client experience, and for building a scalable practice structure that supports continued growth, future specialization, and the buildout of niche service lines.

This position will be based out of one of Savant's Tax & Consulting office locations in: Rockford, IL; St. Charles, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Iowa City, IA; Dover, DE; Lewes, DE; Plano, TX; Dallas, TX; or San Antonio, TX.

In this role, you can expect to focus in the following areas:

Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute the strategic vision for the Tax & Consulting practice, aligning with Savant's broader organizational goals and OKRs
• Act as a catalyst for new initiatives, products, and service enhancements within the accounting and business advisory practice
• Partner with executive leadership to execute on the buildout of niche service offerings.
• Own practice level financial performance, including revenue and team utilization targets for the Accounting, Payroll, and Consulting service lines.
• Evaluate staffing needs, capacity, and structure to ensure the team is positioned for growth and exceptional service delivery
• Align departmental policies and procedures with firm wide corporate goals and objectives
• Facilitate and model a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence

Client Service & Advisory

• Serve as a senior advisor for complex client engagements, including multi entity business owners, high net worth individuals, and closely held companies
• Oversee and manage fee only accounting and business advisory engagements from engagement letter through billing and final delivery
• Provide strategic guidance on business structure, compensation modeling, cash flow planning, and financial reporting for business owner clients
• Develop and maintain compensation models for multi owner entities and advise on retirement plan options for various business structures
• Collaborate with the Tax & Consulting and Wealth Management teams to deliver integrated, holistic client solutions
• Participate in and lead client facing presentations, webinars, and educational events

Accounting & Business Operations

• Oversee monthly accounting, financial statement preparation, payroll processing, and business consulting activities across the practice
• Review and sign off on complex financial statements, write up engagements, and advisory deliverables
• Ensure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across all accounting and payroll client deliverables
• Review and analyze new technology, software, and vendor relationships to continuously improve team effectiveness; lead the consolidation and streamlining of existing tools and platforms into a unified "one Savant way" technology stack, and proactively evaluate and adopt AI and automation solutions to drive efficiency, quality, and scalability.
• Consolidate and oversee a unified "one team" accounting and payroll operating model.
• Maintain and enhance best practices, workflows, and standardized procedures across the accounting and payroll functions
• Facilitate communication and responsiveness between the Accounting & Business Advisory team and other internal and external partners

Business Development

• Drive business development efforts for the Tax & Consulting practice, including referrals from the Wealth and Tax & Consulting teams
• Build and strengthen relationships with clients, centers of influence, and prospective clients to grow the practice
• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand service offerings and deepen existing client relationships
• Establish, monitor, and meet business development KPIs and metrics, and report on practice performance against these targets

Team Development & Integration

• Train, mentor, and develop accounting, payroll, and consulting staff in a highly interactive and collaborative team environment
• Facilitate educational and training opportunities that enhance team technical skills and professional growth
• Partner with acquisition integration team on the operational integration of A&P books of business, tools and technology, and team members, ensuring a smooth transition to Savant's "one team" operating model
• Perform other duties as requested; maintain a team approach by assisting and filling in for others

Leadership Responsibilities

• Champion a constructive culture and lead by example to promote an environment where employees are accountable, motivated by success, supported in taking initiatives, and are recognized for their achievements. Regularly engage with team members to ensure that cultural values are integrated into daily operations and decision making processes, enhancing overall engagement and team cohesion.
• Select, supervise, empower, coach, develop, and retain a team of qualified individuals across accounting, payroll, and consulting functions, through effective hiring, employee development, performance management, succession planning, and recognition.
• Align team objectives and individual performance metrics directly with organizational strategic goals, ensuring clear communication and understanding of how team efforts contribute to broader company success.
• Collaboratively set challenging but realistic goals aligned with departmental and organizational objectives. Work with employees on a plan to achieve their goals.
• Oversee and lead staff, including hiring, assigning work, and recommending salary increases, promotions, transfers, demotions, or terminations.
• Maintain open and effective communication, ensuring that team members are informed, engaged, and aligned with firm updates and strategic changes.
• Actively engage in ongoing coaching, providing regular, constructive feedback and guidance to foster professional growth and improvement.
• When managing subordinate supervisors, provide leadership, guidance, and resources needed to ensure they are effective in their management roles.
• Model exemplary conduct by consistently upholding the highest ethical and legal standards, and actively promote adherence to Savant's policies, procedures, and core values.

Please Note: This position is required to be based out of one of Savant's Tax & Consulting office locations, including Rockford, IL; St. Charles, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Iowa City, IA; Dover, DE; Lewes, DE; Plano, TX; Dallas, TX; or San Antonio, TX.

Qualifications

This position typically requires the following qualifications:

Education

• A Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or related field from an accredited college or university is required

Preferred, but not required...

• Active CPA license (highly preferred)
• Master's in Accounting, Taxation, or related field (preferred)
• CFP® certification or Series 65 a plus

Experience

• 10+ years of proven success in accounting and/or business advisory services, including direct client facing experience
• 5+ years of management or leadership experience overseeing accounting or financial services teams
• Demonstrated experience working with business owners, closely held companies, and multi entity structures
• Experience with write up, bookkeeping, payroll, and business consulting services

What Sets Savant Apart

• Collaborative, integrated model across advisory, tax