Key Responsibilities:

1. Client Portfolio Leadership

• Act as the primary relationship owner for a portfolio of Virtual CFO clients, including the group’s largest and most complex engagements
• Hold the CFO seat for clients — attend board and management meetings, present financial performance, and provide commercial recommendations to owners, boards and management teams
• Own the annual engagement cycle for each client: scoping, budgeting, reporting calendar, board pack cadence and review points
• Anticipate client needs and issues ahead of them arising, maintaining the proactive engagement standard the portfolio is built on
• Manage escalations and sensitive client matters, engaging the Service Line Lead only where the matter warrants it

2. Technical & Advisory Delivery

• Oversee delivery of core CFO outputs: management reporting and board packs, three-way financial models, budgets, rolling forecasts, cash flow and working capital management, and KPI/performance reporting
• Lead client financing and banking workstreams, including facility reviews, term sheet analysis, covenant monitoring and lender relationships
• Provide commercial input on structuring, remuneration and incentive design, shareholder and governance arrangements, and succession planning, coordinating specialist input from Tax, Corporate Advisory and legal referral partners
• Support transaction activity across the portfolio — due diligence, financial modelling, earn-out and completion mechanics — in conjunction with the Corporate Advisory service line
• Maintain technical currency across Australian accounting, tax and corporate compliance matters relevant to privately held groups

3. Delivery Model & Offshore Team Leadership

• Lead delivery of the full function finance team model across the portfolio — CFO, financial controller and treasury, data and analysis, payroll and bookkeeping
• Direct the Pune-based delivery pods supporting the portfolio: allocation, capacity planning, quality control, escalation and career development, in partnership with the India operations leadership
• Own the onshore/offshore work split for each engagement to protect both client outcomes and engagement margin
• Drive adoption of the standard technology stack and workflow automation across the portfolio, and identify processes suited to automation or AI-enabled delivery
• Maintain and improve standard templates, working papers and delivery procedures so that engagements are repeatable and transferable between team members

4. Financial & Commercial Accountability

• Accountable for revenue, margin and recoverability across the client portfolio
• Set and negotiate fees, prepare engagement letters and scope variations, and manage scope creep and out-of-scope work
• Monitor and manage WIP, lock-up, billing and debtor outcomes for the portfolio
• Manage team utilisation and resourcing to meet portfolio commitments
• Contribute to service line budgeting and forecasting, and provide the portfolio-level input the Service Line Lead requires for planning
• People Leadership & Capability Building
• Lead, mentor and develop Senior Managers, Managers, Controllers and Analysts across onshore and offshore teams
• Own workflow allocation, review standards and turnaround expectations across the delivery team
• Build depth beneath the role so that client relationships are held by more than one person, and support progression aligned with Acclime job levelling and career pathways
• Support performance reviews, remuneration discussions and talent decisions in collaboration with the Service Line Lead and People & Culture
• Foster a high performance, inclusive and values driven culture across a distributed team

6. Governance, Risk & Quality

• Ensure engagements comply with professional standards, independence requirements, regulatory obligations and internal policies
• Provide final technical review on client deliverables issued from the portfolio, including advice provided verbally in board and management settings
• Apply appropriate scope, reliance and disclaimer positions on valuation, forecast and advisory outputs
• Monitor legislative and compliance change affecting portfolio clients and ensure the team responds proactively
• Act as first escalation point for high risk or sensitive client matters, referring to the Service Line Lead where the matter carries firm-level risk

7. Business Development & Group Contribution

• Originate new Virtual CFO engagements, building and owning a client book alongside the portfolio held on behalf of the service line
• Develop and maintain referral relationships
• Convert opportunity within the existing portfolio through additional services and scope, including introductions to Acclime Tax, Corporate Services, Corporate Advisory, Funds and R&D
• Capture and convert inbound referrals from other Acclime business units
• Lead scoping, pricing, proposals and pitches for self-originated opportunities, and support those led by the Service Line Lead
• Represent the practice at client forums, industry events and professional networks
• Contribute to service line initiatives across Australia and New Zealand, including integration, offshoring and automation projects

What are we looking for?

Essential

• 3 -5 years in-house CFO or Financial Controller experience alongside a professional services background
• 12+ years’ experience across business advisory, virtual/outsourced CFO, or senior commercial finance roles
• Demonstrated experience at senior leadership level or a Senior Manager ready to step up with evidence of holding client relationships independently
• Proven ability to hold the CFO relationship with business owners, boards and family groups, and to present and defend a commercial position in the room
• Strong financial modelling capability, including three-way models, scenario analysis and forecasting
• Commercial acumen with demonstrated responsibility for engagement or portfolio revenue, margin and recoverability
• Proven ability to lead, develop and retain high performing teams