Director of Accounting

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategic vision for the Tax & Consulting practice, aligning with Savant’s broader organizational goals and OKRs.
• Partner with executive leadership to execute on the buildout of niche service offerings.
• Evaluate staffing needs, capacity, and structure to ensure the team is positioned for growth and exceptional service delivery.
• Own practice level financial performance, including revenue and team utilization targets for the Accounting, Payroll, and Consulting service lines.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

• 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, Master’s in Accounting, Taxation, or related field, CFP® certification or Series 65.
• 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.