VP Finance and Accounting

VP Finance and Accounting

Confidential Search | Greater Los Angeles Area | Hybrid

Company Overview

Our client is a privately held creative services and brand activation business with a strong reputation for producing complex, high-touch client programs. The company operates with a blend of full-time employees and project-based talent, creating a finance environment that requires discipline, flexibility, and strong operational judgment.

The organization has multiple related entities and works in a project-driven environment where finance must support both the core operating business and broader partner-level investment activity. The company is seeking a finance leader who can bring structure, visibility, and scalable processes while remaining close enough to the details to keep the business running accurately and efficiently.

Position Summary

The Head of Finance will lead the company’s finance, accounting, planning, reporting, treasury, risk management, and finance operations. This is a senior leadership role reporting to the company’s ownership / executive leadership team and partnering closely with operational and commercial leaders across the business.

The right candidate will be comfortable moving between strategy and execution. This person must be able to build financial infrastructure, improve reporting, oversee compliance, manage cash flow, support strategic decisions, and lead a small but growing finance and accounting function.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership, Planning & Analysis

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, cash flow planning, and management reporting across the business.

• Create clear financial visibility into project profitability, resource utilization, margin performance, liquidity, and operating risk.

• Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning, growth initiatives, pricing, investment decisions, and operating priorities.

• Develop financial models and data-driven reporting that help leadership make timely, informed business decisions.

• Maintain a strong understanding of the company’s financial position and proactively identify issues before they become larger problems.

  Accounting, Controls & Compliance

• Oversee the close process, financial statements, internal controls, policies, and accounting procedures.

• Manage relationships with outside accounting, tax, audit, banking, insurance, and other professional advisors.

• Ensure compliance with applicable tax, reporting, regulatory, and internal policy requirements, including activity across domestic and international matters as applicable.

• Strengthen documentation, approval workflows, and financial controls to support growth and reduce business risk.

  Operations, Systems & Process Improvement

• Evaluate current finance systems, reporting tools, and workflows; recommend and implement improvements that increase accuracy, speed, and scalability.

• Partner with operations and client delivery teams to improve financial processes related to project setup, billing, cost tracking, vendor management, and profitability analysis.

• Assess gaps within the finance and accounting function and determine where to hire, outsource, automate, or redesign processes.

• Support scalable infrastructure for a project-based business with changing resource needs, multiple stakeholders, and deadline-sensitive work.

  Multi-Entity / Investment Oversight

• Provide financial oversight across related entities, non-core investments, capital projects, and other ownership-level business activities.

• Manage multi-entity accounting, cash flow tracking, intercompany activity, and financial reporting across the broader operating structure.

• Evaluate financial risk, return, liquidity, and governance considerations for new investments or asset-related decisions.

  Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop finance and accounting team members while setting clear standards for accuracy, responsiveness, and accountability.

• Build a practical finance function that can support growth without becoming overly bureaucratic.

• Serve as a trusted partner to ownership, executives, operations, and client-facing teams.

  Ideal Candidate Profile

• 12+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience, including leadership within a founder-led, privately held, project-based, creative services, professional services, agency, events, media, entertainment, production, or similar operating environment.

• Current or recent experience as a Head of Finance, VP Finance, Director of Finance, Controller, or comparable finance leader with broad ownership of accounting, FP&A, cash flow, reporting, and business operations.

• Strong command of GAAP, close processes, internal controls, cash management, forecasting, and management reporting.

• Experience supporting multi-entity environments, partner-owned businesses, holding company structures, investment activity, real estate, or other non-core asset oversight is highly relevant.

• Ability to work effectively with both finance professionals and non-finance business leaders.

• Hands-on operating style; willing to build, fix, document, and execute rather than only direct from a distance.

• Strong analytical capability, practical business judgment, and calm communication under pressure.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, financial systems, reporting tools, and modern workflow / automation tools.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field required; CPA and/or MBA preferred.

  Location & Work Arrangement

  The role is based in the Greater Los Angeles area with a hybrid work arrangement. Candidates should be able to participate in periodic in-person meetings as the company’s operating cadence evolves.

  Compensation

  Target base salary is expected to be in the $225,000 to $250,000 range, with flexibility for a highly qualified candidate. The role is also expected to include a performance-based bonus and company benefits.

  Confidentiality

  This is a confidential search. Company identity and additional details will be shared with qualified candidates at the appropriate stage of the process.