SPA - Senior Associate

CohnReznick; Los Angeles (CA); Remote; USD 90,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

CohnReznick's SPA Advisory practice seeks a Senior Associate to join the Restructuring & Dispute Resolution group in California. The role centers on SPA financial analysis, reading agreements, and delivering client-ready work with managers and directors.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years in transaction advisory, strong US GAAP knowledge, Excel proficiency, and CPA considerations. California salary range is $90,000–$145,000 with total rewards beyond salary.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in transaction advisory, M&A due diligence, audit, or related.
• Solid working knowledge of U.S. GAAP; exposure to ASC 606, ASC 450 or similar is a plus.
• Demonstrated analytical ability and attention to detail; ability to read dense financial definitions.
• Strong written communication skills; able to produce clear, structured written analysis.
• CPA candidate or CPA qualified (or actively pursuing designation).
• Proficiency in Excel; ability to build and review financial models and closing statements.

Responsibilities

• SPA Review & Pre‑Signing Advisory – lead SPA financial review engagements.
• Analyze Accounting Principles schedules and reconcile definitions with operative language.
• Review Sample Calculations and contribute to client deliverables.
• Develop familiarity with closing mechanism structures and related accounting implications.
• Support closing statement calculations and post‑closing dispute engagements.

Skills

Analytical ability

Strong written communication

Excel proficiency

Team collaboration

Education

CPA candidate or CPA qualified

Tools

Excel

Job description

As CohnReznick grows, so do our career opportunities. As one of the nation's top professional services firms, CohnReznick creates rewarding careers in advisory, assurance, and tax with team members who value innovation and collaboration in everything they do! CohnReznick helps organizations optimize performance, manage risk, and maximize value through CohnReznick LLP (assurance services) and CohnReznick Advisory LLC (advisory and tax services). Together, the firm provides leaders with deep industry knowledge and relationships, solutions to address clients' unique business goals and risks, and insight on how emerging market forces can drive opportunity. With offices nationwide, the firm serves organizations around the world as an independent member of Nexia.

We currently have an exciting career opportunity for a SPA−Senior Associate to join our Restructuring and Dispute Resolution Advisory practice.

CohnReznick is a hybrid firm most of our professionals are located within a commutable distance to one of our offices. This position is considered remote which means it does not require job duties be performed within proximity of a CohnReznick office location. However, as a remote employee, you may be required to be present at a CohnReznick office with scheduled notice for client work, team meetings, or trainings.

YOUR TEAM.

This position will support our Restructuring & Dispute Resolution group. This group provides a wide suite of services to clients, giving you the opportunity to learn, grow, and build out your skills. As a member of this team, you'll interact with team members across all levels within the practice.

WHY COHNREZNICK?

At CohnReznick, we're united by a common mission to create opportunity, value, and trust for our clients, our people, and our communities. Whether it's working alongside your peers to solve a client challenge, or volunteering together at the local food bank, there are so many ways to find your "why" at the firm. We believe it's important to balance work with everyday life - and make time for enjoyment and fun. We invest in a robust Total Rewards package that includes everything from generous PTO, a flexible work environment, expanded parental leave, extensive learning & development, and even paid time off for employees to volunteer.

YOUR ROLE.

CohnReznick's SPA Advisory practice advises buyers, sellers, and their counsel on the financial mechanics embedded in M&A transactions. The core of what we do is SPA review - reading agreements with technical precision, identifying how financial definitions interact, and advising clients on where the language creates risk before a deal is signed. We are seeking a Senior Associate to join the practice and build deep expertise in SPA financial analysis. This is a hands‑on role centered on SPA review work: reading draft agreements, analyzing Accounting Principles schedules and Sample Calculations, and contributing to written deliverables that go directly to clients and counsel. Senior Associates at this level work closely with Managers and Directors on engagements, taking responsibility for substantive analytical work while developing the judgment and communication skills that define this practice. Closing statement and post‑closing dispute work also form part of the role, with exposure increasing as capability develops.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• SPA Review & Pre‑Signing Advisory – Primary Focus
  • Assist in and progressively lead SPA financial review engagements, covering purchase price definitions, working capital target methodology, Accounting Principles schedules, Sample Calculations, and dispute resolution mechanics.
  • Analyse Accounting Principles schedules to identify the hierarchy between GAAP, historical practice, and Sample Calculation constraints, and flag where the ordering or language creates ambiguity or post‑closing risk.
  • Review Sample Calculations line by line, reconcile the methodology against the defined terms, and identify discrepancies between the illustration and the operative agreement language.
  • Contribute to written client deliverables, including SPA commentary memoranda, marked‑up agreements, and issue summaries, under the supervision and review of senior team members.
  • Develop working familiarity with closing mechanism structures (closing accounts vs. locked box) and the accounting implications of each.
• Closing Statement Advisory
  • Support the preparation and review of closing statement calculations, including net working capital, cash, indebtedness, and transaction expenses, working within the Accounting Principles as drafted.
  • Assist with GL-level analysis to support or challenge specific line items in closing statement calculations.
  • Help prepare Objection Notice schedules and supporting workpapers under direction from senior team members.
• Post‑Closing Dispute Support
  • Support post‑closing purchase price dispute engagements, including working capital true‑up disputes and earn‑out disagreements.
  • Prepare financial schedules, analysis, and supporting workpapers for use in dispute submissions to Independent Accountants or arbitrators.
  • Research relevant accounting standards and industry practice to support the development of technical positions.
• Development & Teamwork
  • Work collaboratively within engagement teams, taking clear ownership of assigned workstreams and delivering to the quality and timeline expected by senior reviewers.
  • Begin to develop client communication skills through participation in calls, meetings, and written correspondence under senior supervision.
  • Actively build technical knowledge of SPA mechanics, purchase price adjustment structures, and relevant accounting standards.

The successful candidate will have: Required:

• 3-5 years of experience in transaction advisory, M&A due diligence, audit, or a related discipline at a public accounting firm or advisory boutique.
• Solid working knowledge of U.S. GAAP, with the ability to apply accounting standards to practical fact patterns; prior exposure to ASC 606, ASC 450, or similar standards in a transactional context is a plus.
• Demonstrated analytical ability and attention to detail - this role involves reading dense financial definitions and identifying issues that are not always obvious on first read.
• Strong written communication skills; candidates should be able to produce clear, structured written analysis and be willing to develop that capability further as a core professional skill.
• CPA candidate or CPA qualified (or actively pursuing designation).
• Proficiency in Excel; ability to build and review financial models and closing statement workpapers.

Preferred

• Prior exposure to SPA financial terms, purchase price adjustment mechanics, or working capital analysis in a deal context.
• Experience reading or working with transaction documents, even in a supporting capacity.
• Familiarity with post‑closing dispute processes or Independent Accountant proceedings.
• Prior Big 4 or mid‑market advisory firm background.

In addition, please take a moment to review our Universal Job Standards. Studies have shown that we are less likely to apply to jobs unless we meet every single qualification. At CohnReznick, we are dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our other roles.

In California, the salary range for an Advisory Senior Associate is $90,000 to $145,000. Actual compensation within the range will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications and location, and applicable employment laws.

Salary is one component of the CohnReznick total rewards package, which includes a discretionary performance bonus, generous paid time off, expanded and inclusive parental benefits, and access to best‑in‑class learning and development platforms, to name a few.

To learn more about life at CohnReznick, visit Life at CohnReznick.

"CohnReznick" is the brand name under which CohnReznick LLP and CohnReznick Advisory LLC and their respective subsidiaries provide professional services.

CohnReznick LLP and CohnReznick Advisory LLC (and their respective subsidiaries) practice in an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations, and professional standards.

CohnReznick LLP is a licensed CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients.

CohnReznick Advisory LLC provides tax and business consulting services to its clients.

CohnReznick Advisory LLC and its subsidiaries are not licensed CPA firms.

CohnReznick is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive team to drive business results and create a better future every day for our team members, clients, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

For more information, please see Equal Employment Opportunity Posters.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note: This email address is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and are not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.

CohnReznick does not accept unsolicited resumes from third‑party recruiters unless such recruiters are currently engaged by CohnReznick Talent Acquisition Team by way of a written agreement to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that CohnReznick will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.