Chief Financial Officer

Plona Partners; California; Hybrid; USD 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Plona Partners is seeking a seasoned CFO to partner with the Chair, Managing Partner, and Board to guide financial strategy, profitability, and growth initiatives. This executive will shape long-term plans, optimize capital allocation, and lead enterprise risk management across multi-jurisdictional operations.

The role requires 15+ years of senior financial leadership, experience advising governance bodies, and strong knowledge of professional-services economics.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible financial leadership experience.
• Experience advising executive leadership or governing boards.
• Significant experience in AmLaw 100 or comparable professional-services firms strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of law firm economics: profitability, leverage, realization, working capital and partner compensation.
• Led FP&A, accounting, treasury, tax, billing, collections, financial systems and internal controls.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal financial advisor to executive leadership on strategy, capital allocation and risk.
• Shape annual and long-term strategic plans aligned with growth objectives.
• Evaluate investments in practice expansion, recruitment, office growth and tech.
• Present actionable financial insights to partners and senior management.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, scenario modeling and performance reporting.
• Improve profitability, working capital and resource allocation.
• Lead governance, banking relationships, liquidity planning and risk mitigation.
• Modernize financial systems, data architecture, BI, and process automation.
• Drive organizational transformation and financial technology implementation.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic thinking

Financial planning

FP&A

Operational discipline

Business partnering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration

MBA preferred

CPA designation preferred

Tools

Job description

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the CFO will serve as a trusted financial advisor to the firm's Chair, Managing Partner, Executive Committee, and Board. The successful candidate will bring the commercial judgment, operational discipline, and executive presence required to guide financial strategy, optimize profitability, strengthen financial infrastructure, and support major investment and growth decisions.

• Primary Location: Nashville, Tennessee
• Alternative Locations: New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Palo Alto
• Work Arrangement: Hybrid, three days onsite per week
• Standard Workweek: 35 hours, with flexibility appropriate to an executive leadership role
• Travel: Periodic travel to other firm offices and leadership meetings

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Serve as the firm's principal financial advisor, partnering with executive leadership on strategy, financial performance, capital allocation, and enterprise risk.
• Help shape annual and long-term strategic plans, aligning financial priorities with firmwide growth objectives.
• Evaluate investments in practice expansion, lateral partner recruitment, office growth, technology, real estate, and potential strategic combinations.
• Present actionable financial insights to partners, management committees, and senior executives.

Financial Planning, Performance & Profitability

• Oversee annual budgeting, multiyear financial planning, rolling forecasts, and scenario modeling.
• Drive improvements in profitability, working capital, financial performance, and resource allocation.
• Establish meaningful KPIs, executive dashboards, and financial reporting frameworks.
• Partner with practice and office leadership to evaluate financial performance and growth opportunities.

Global Finance Operations & Governance

• Direct accounting, financial reporting, tax, treasury, audit, payroll-related accounting, and internal controls.
• Ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Oversee banking relationships, liquidity planning, capital management, and financial risk mitigation.
• Maintain rigorous governance standards and protect confidential partner, client, and firm financial information.
• Provide executive oversight of billing, collections, accounts receivable, work in progress, and revenue realization.
• Improve cash conversion and financial efficiency through stronger controls, reporting, and accountability.
• Lead modernization of financial systems, data architecture, business intelligence, and process automation.
• Evaluate opportunities to leverage AI, predictive analytics, and emerging technologies responsibly within finance operations.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead and develop a sophisticated, multidisciplinary global finance organization.
• Establish clear performance expectations, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives.
• Build strong relationships across the firm's offices, practice groups, and administrative functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, service excellence, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related discipline; MBA preferred.
• CPA designation strongly preferred, although equivalent executive financial leadership experience will be considered.
• Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible financial leadership experience, including substantial experience advising executive leadership or governing boards.
• Significant experience within an AmLaw 100 firm, international law firm, partnership, or comparably complex professional-services organization strongly preferred.
• Comprehensive knowledge of law firm economics, including profitability, utilization, leverage, realization, working capital, and partner compensation structures.
• Demonstrated success leading finance functions encompassing FP&A, accounting, treasury, tax, billing, collections, financial systems, and internal controls.
• Experience driving organizational transformation, financial technology implementation, and operational improvements.