Chief Accounting Officer (CAO)

Gateway Search Associates, Inc.; West Chester (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Gateway Search Associates, Inc. in West Chester, PA, seeks a strategic Chief Accounting Officer to lead accounting policies, internal controls, financial reporting, and audits for a rapidly growing financial services firm.

Reporting to the CFO, the CAO partners with executive leadership to scale accounting infrastructure, oversee ERP changes, and build a high‑performing team to support expansion.

Qualifications

• CPA license is required.
• 12–15+ years of progressive accounting experience with at least 5 years in senior/executive roles.
• Experience in specialized financial services, banking, leasing, or commercial lending.
• Big Four or premier regional firm background preferred.
• Experience leading ERP implementations and lender reporting frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation and delivery of comprehensive corporate financial statements and reports.
• Review and approve high‑level journal entries, complex reconciliations, and period ends.
• Establish and maintain enterprise‑wide accounting policies and procedures.
• Design and monitor internal control and governance framework; ensure proper segregation of duties.
• Oversee audits, tax provisions, and regulatory interactions; liaise with external auditors.

Skills

CPA license

Executive leadership

ERP implementations

GAAP knowledge

ASC 842

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting

Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or MBA

Job description

• Work Model onsite for the first 90 days. After 90 days, then remote one day a week.
  
• City West Chester
  
• Country United States
  
• State/Province Pennsylvania
  

Job Description

Our client, a rapidly growing and dynamic organization in the specialized financial services sector, is seeking an accomplished and strategic Chief Accounting Officer (CAO). Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, the CAO will serve as a senior executive leader responsible for the oversight of all accounting policies, internal controls, financial reporting, and audit activities.

The ideal candidate will act as a strategic partner to executive leadership, driving the scalability of accounting infrastructure, leading financial system transformations, and fostering a high-performing accounting team to support the company's long-term expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Oversight: Lead the preparation and delivery of comprehensive corporate financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, cash flow reporting, and executive management packages.
  
• Accuracy & Compliance: Review and approve high-level journal entries, complex reconciliations, and period-end adjustments to guarantee complete alignment with U.S. GAAP and internal corporate benchmarks.
  

Accounting Operations & Technical Expertise

• Policy Architecture: Establish, implement, and maintain enterprise-wide accounting policies and standard operating procedures designed for maximum consistency and operational scalability.
  
• Subject Matter Expert: Serve as the authoritative internal expert on complex U.S. GAAP guidelines, specifically focusing on complex lending and lease accounting structures (including ASC 842), advanced credit loss methodologies (ASC 326/CECL), revenue recognition, business combinations, and fair value measurements.
  
• Transaction Memoranda: Author and evaluate technical accounting memoranda for intricate, high-value corporate transactions.
  

Internal Controls & Corporate Governance

• Framework Design: Architect, implement, and monitor a robust internal control and compliance framework.
  
• Risk Mitigation: Manage the ongoing documentation, testing, and remediation of controls, ensuring proper segregation of duties and robust reconciliation governance across all business lines.
  

Audit Management & Regulatory Compliance

• Stakeholder Relations: Serve as the primary liaison for external auditors, specialized tax advisors, internal audit teams, regulatory examiners, and parent-company financial leadership.
  
• Audit Execution: Orchestrate annual financial statement audits, tax provisions, and financial due diligence requests, proactively addressing and resolving any audit findings.
  

Systems Innovation & Process Optimization

• Executive Sponsorship: Provide strategic leadership and deployment oversight for major technology initiatives, including core ERP/general ledger upgrades, chart-of-accounts redesigns, data warehousing, and financial reporting automation.
  
• Efficiency Cultivation: Aggressively reduce organizational dependency on manual processes and disconnected spreadsheets by championing modern workflow automation.
  

Capital Markets & Treasury Support

• Strategic Partnership: Collaborate closely with the CFO on corporate liquidity reporting, capital management strategies, and strict debt covenant compliance.
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting is strictly required; a Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or an MBA is highly preferred.
  
• Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license is required.
  
• 12 to 15+ years of progressive, climbing accounting experience, featuring at least 5 years in a dedicated executive or senior accounting leadership capacity.
  
• Proven background within specialized financial services, banking, corporate leasing, or commercial lending environments.
  
• Prior experience operating as a Corporate Controller, Assistant Controller, VP of Accounting, or Chief Accounting Officer is highly preferred.
  
• Background in public accounting with a Big Four or premier regional firm is strongly preferred.
  
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide ERP implementations and managing complex lender reporting frameworks.