Assurance Strategy Execution & Operations Leader

BDO USA, LLP; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Total Rewards benefits

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

BDO USA, LLP is seeking an Assurance Strategy Execution & Operations Leader to partner with the National Managing Principal of Assurance. You will translate strategy into priorities, operating rhythms, and action plans while driving accountability across the national practice.

You will coordinate with Assurance leaders, surface risks, manage cross‑market initiatives, and ensure timely decisions. The role requires senior‑level finance and strategy experience, CPA preferred, and a proven ability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, required; focus in Accounting or Finance, preferred.
• 10+ years in finance, project management, strategy, or operations, required.
• Experience supporting executive leadership on strategic planning and cross‑functional work.
• Experience leading complex initiatives with multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• CPA, PMP, or other strategy/finance leadership certs preferred.

Responsibilities

• Translates strategic priorities into practical workplans, milestones, and routines.
• Represents Assurance in firmwide strategic initiatives and coordinates priorities.
• Links strategy to execution, identifies gaps, risks, and decision points.
• Acts as strategic advisor to the National Managing Principal of Assurance.
• Builds relationships with Assurance leaders to share best practices.
• Maintains visibility into priorities, owners, deliverables, and timelines.
• Coordinates with third‑party consultants and translates recommendations into actions.
• Attends leadership meetings, drafts agendas, and summarizes decisions and actions.

Skills

Strategic coordination

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Cross-market collaboration

Project management

Communication skills

Operations leadership

Education

Bachelor's in Accounting/Finance

CPA certification, preferred

PMP, preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Oracle/PeopleSoft/Hyperion

Job description

Job Summary:

The Assurance Strategy Execution & Operations Leader serves as a strategic operations partner and chief-of-staff-type resource to the National Managing Principal of Assurance. The role helps translate Assurance strategy into clear priorities, operating rhythms, action plans, and measurable progress by driving coordination, follow-through, execution, and accountability across the consolidated Assurance practice. This leader supports the Assurance executive team in advancing strategic priorities, fostering national alignment across Assurance business lines, and surfacing alignment concerns to appropriate stakeholders to promote a centralized approach to the practice. The role also helps the National Managing Principal anticipate priorities, risks, decisions, and opportunities, ensuring the right leaders are engaged, and the practice remains focused on key strategic and operational objectives.

Job Duties:

Strategic Execution and Operations

• Translates Assurance strategic priorities into practical workplans, milestones, operating routines, and accountability mechanisms that support execution across the practice
• Represents the Assurance practice in firmwide strategic initiatives and coordinate deployment of priorities, decisions, and action items within Assurance
• Connects strategic priorities to operational execution and identify gaps, dependencies, risks, and decision points that affect desired outcomes
• Serves as a strategic advisor to the National Managing Principal of Assurance by pressure-testing ideas, surfacing implications, and anticipating operational and strategic needs
• Builds and maintains strong working relationships with Assurance Operational Leaders to promote sharing of successful practices across markets and geographies
• Maintains visibility into key priorities, timelines, owners, deliverables, and dependencies and provide leadership with a clear view of progress, risks, and upcoming decision points
• Supports coordination of third-party consultants by aligning workstreams to Assurance priorities, tracking deliverables, facilitating communication, and translating recommendations into actionable next steps

Meetings and Strategic Forums

• Collaboratess with leadership to develop and maintain the Assurance meeting cadence, including operational leader meetings, all-hands calls, principal meetings, and live strategic forums
• Develop strategic agendas in partnership with leadership and ensure meeting topics align with Assurance priorities and intended outcomes
• Captures meeting notes, decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines and monitor follow-through on commitments and unresolved items
• Attends meetings on behalf of the National Managing Principal of Assurance, when appropriate, and summarize key themes, risks, decisions, and follow-up actions
• Analyzes stakeholder feedback and synthesize data-based recommendations to support planning and design of town halls, business segment forums, and practice-wide meetings

Communication

• Serves as a critical communication partner to the NMP, helping shape, draft, and coordinate clear, consistent, and strategically aligned messaging to Assurance leaders, principals, managing directors, and other key stakeholders.
• Writes first drafts of proposals, emails, leadership messages, talking points, and other communications for NMP review and distribution.
• Ensures communications reinforce Assurance priorities, reflect the voice and intent of the NMP, and help leaders understand the why, what, and expected actions behind key strategic and operational initiatives.

People

• Supports monitoring of principal and managing director goal setting to maximize practice performance and evaluate alignment of goals across the practice
• Reviews Pulse Survey results, including employer net promoter scores, and support development and monitoring of root cause analysis and remediation plans by market and geography
• Maintains visibility into key accounts across the consolidated Assurance practice, including relationship status, ownership, planned touchpoints, satisfaction levels, and follow-up needs
• Supports leadership in managing key account relationships by monitoring relationship plans, tracking client communications and visits, and surfacing relationship risks and service concerns
• Plans, coordinates, and manages internal and external principal and managing director promotion processes
• Other duties as required.

Support and Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supports the National Managing Principal of Assurance and Assurance leadership team in planning and executing the fiscal year strategic plan
• Helps keep the National Managing Principal of Assurance current on critical strategic priorities, progress, risks, and decisions across business segments and practices within Assurance
• Fosters alignment across business lines nationally and raise alignment concerns to appropriate stakeholders to support a centralized approach across the practice
• Fosters alignment with Operations teams to support consistent and standardized approaches across assigned functional areas
• Provides coaching and support to project teams
• Other duties as required

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree, required; focus in Accounting or Finance, preferred

Experience:

• Ten (10) or more years of experience in finance, project management, consulting, strategy execution, operations, or practice management, required
• Experience supporting executive leadership on strategic planning, operational execution, and cross-functional coordination, required
• Experience leading complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, priorities, and deadlines, required
• Experience in Assurance operations, preferred
• Experience within a professional services firm, preferred
• Experience managing promotion processes, leadership communications, or strategic meeting cadences, preferred

License/Certifications:

• CPA certification, preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP), preferred
• Other professional certifications applicable to strategy, operations, finance, or leadership, preferred

Software:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, required
• Experience with CRM systems, preferred
• Experience with financial systems including Oracle, PeopleSoft, or Hyperion, preferred

Language:

• N/A

Other Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Advanced organizational and project coordination skills
• Strong analytical, research, critical thinking, and decision-making skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness to collaborate with and learn from stakeholders on AET. Collaboration skills are critical
• People-focused approach and ability to work effectively with varied working styles and personalities
• Proactive mindset and ability to think ahead, identify issues and anticipate problems before they arise
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations, communications, and action plans
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with a high level of accuracy and follow-through
• Ability to build strong relationships across leadership levels and functional teams
• Ability to identify risks, dependencies, and emerging issues and elevate appropriately
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to influence without direct authority and drive alignment across stakeholders
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion
• Commitment to the mission and the strategic direction of the consolidated Assurance practice

At BDO, how we show up matters. We build strong relationships by supporting one another, our clients, and our communities with care, curiosity, and a commitment to helping one another grow and succeed. Here, you'll find meaningful work, leaders invested in your success, and opportunities to build a career around what matters most to you.

Our purpose is to be the people our clients count on to grow with confidence and achieve what matters most. Our values guide how we bring that purpose to life each day. Together, they shape how we work with one another, serve our clients, and create meaningful impact.

BDO provides assurance, tax, and advisory services to clients across the U.S. and around the world. No matter your role, you'll be part of a team helping clients navigate complexity and move forward with clarity.

We are proud to be an ESOP company, offering participants a stake in the firm's success through beneficial ownership and a unique opportunity to enhance their financial well-being. As a qualified retirement plan, the ESOP is a meaningful addition to our comprehensive compensation and Total Rewards benefits* offerings. It also reinforces an ownership mindset that strengthens our connection to one another, our clients, and the future we're building together.

Learn more about our benefits: BDO Total Rewards encompass more than traditional benefits.

Benefits may be subject to eligibility requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets