Accounting and Financial Outsourcing Director

About the role

The Accounting and Financial Outsourcing (AFO) Director is responsible for the direction, performance, and continued development of Dean Dorton's AFO practice within the Business Consulting Group (BCG). Reporting to the BCG Service Group Leader, this role leads the AFO team in delivering scalable, technology-enabled accounting, controllership, and advisory solutions that create measurable value for clients. Working in alignment with the BCG Service Group Leader, the AFO Director translates BCG strategy into an annual operating plan and is accountable for execution across client service, quality, financial performance, people, growth, and innovation. The role is based within an existing Dean Dorton market and collaborates with other BCG service-line leaders, firm support functions, and market and industry team leaders. This position serves as the service-line leader for AFO within BCG, with primary responsibility for AFO strategy, operations, people, growth, and client delivery.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the annual AFO operating plan and budget in alignment with BCG priorities and approved financial targets.
• Own practice performance, including revenue, profitability, realization, utilization, capacity, pricing, pipeline conversion, client retention and satisfaction, employee retention, and other agreed-upon key performance indicators.
• Establish scalable delivery models, engagement workflows, staffing practices, and service standards that support consistent quality, efficiency, and an exceptional client experience.
• Monitor engagement economics and the client portfolio; address scope, pricing, staffing, or collection issues that could affect client outcomes or practice performance.
• Use data and operating dashboards to identify trends, anticipate resource needs, and hold AFO team members accountable for timely corrective action.
• Lead the evaluation, selection, implementation, integration, governance, and ongoing optimization of accounting platforms, automation, artificial intelligence, resource models, and workflow tools that improve service delivery while meeting firm security, data privacy, and risk requirements.
• Standardize core processes across industry verticals to promote consistency, scalability, efficiency, and service quality.
• Create, document, maintain, and periodically review standard operating procedures for client data and security, client onboarding and offboarding, core accounting processes, quality control and review, technology and systems, team management, communication protocols, risk management, and year-end close; assign clear ownership and monitor consistent adoption.
• Define and reinforce the AFO client service model, including expectations for communication, responsiveness, reporting, advisory insight, and issue resolution.
• Serve as a client contact for selected strategic clients and support engagement leaders in managing complex relationships, transitions, and escalations.
• Ensure engagements are appropriately scoped, staffed, and managed, with clear accountability for deliverables, deadlines, quality, and client satisfaction.
• Maintain appropriate quality, confidentiality, independence, and risk-management practices applicable to AFO engagements and promptly elevate significant concerns through BCG and firm leadership channels.
• Promote a trusted-advisor approach that connects accurate and timely accounting information to forward-looking business decisions.
• Establish collaborative and trusted relationships with internal team members.
• Clarify roles, career paths, and performance expectations; ensure team members receive timely feedback, coaching, mentoring, and development opportunities.
• Identify and develop emerging leaders, create succession depth, delegate meaningful ownership across the CAAS practice structure, and establish clear decision rights for client service, operations, people, technology, and growth.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and inclusive culture that reflects Dean Dorton's values and supports high performance across locations and teams.
• Serve as the AFO ambassador when interfacing with BCG leaders, firm leaders, and participants at firm-sponsored events.
• Lead change initiatives with clear communication, sound judgment, and appropriate consideration of client, team, and business impacts.
• Collaborate with other BC