CFO Advisory, Senior Associate

Cherry Bekaert•Raleigh, NC

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cherry Bekaert is a leading accounting and consulting firm recognized as a Great Place to Work, providing innovative advisory, assurance, and tax services. We foster shared success through teamwork, energy, and expertise, approaching business challenges with a client-first mindset to create exceptional value. We are committed to making a difference for our people, clients, community, and professions, offering growth and development opportunities. This role is for a Senior Associate in CFO Advisory Services, focusing on delivering accounting advisory engagements to diverse clients including private equity-backed companies, middle-market SEC registrants, state and local governments, higher education institutions, and not-for-profits. The position supports CFOs and senior finance leaders in managing complex financial reporting, operational challenges, and value creation initiatives, blending technical accounting expertise, financial analysis, and business acumen to enhance performance and drive transformational change.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
Minimum 3 years of relevant experience within a public accounting firm, middle-market SEC registrant, private equity-backed portfolio company, or public sector environment performing external audit, consulting, or in the accounting and finance function
Strong knowledge of financial accounting standards (FASB), SEC regulations, or governmental accounting standards (GASB)
Prior experience with audit, accounting, and/or consulting standards (GASB, AICPA, GAS including Yellow Book/Green Book)
Ability to navigate SEC filings and/or Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFRs)
Prior experience with internal controls including documentation and testing of controls
Strong organizational skills; enabling one to multi-task, adapt to dynamic environments, and meet project deadlines with a focus on details
Effective oral and written communication skills
Ability to utilize Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint
Ability to travel up to 40% as needed

Nice To Haves

Licensed CPA
SEC Registrant, State & Local Government or Not-for Profit or experience
Experience with SEC Filings or GFOA’s ACFR Special Review Process
Experience with financial statement close process or proposing / reclassifying journal entries
Ability to troubleshoot and solve account reconciliation issues
Thrives working in a deadline-driven environment with a focus on details and accuracy
Ability to adapt to rapidly changing environments successfully
Solid organizational skills, especially the ability to meet project deadlines with a focus on details
Team player able to move to effectively delegate work assignments as needed
Comfortable and thriving in a hybrid work environment

Responsibilities

Implementation of new accounting standards (ASC 606, ASC 842 / GASB 101 and GASB 103)
Complex financial statement close processes
Drafting and reviewing S-1 / S-4’s, 10-K / 10-Q’s, and Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs)
Cash to modified accrual or full accrual conversions
Process improvement and organizational design
Client interviews and stakeholder engagement to gather insights and validate assumptions
Technology and AI strategy and enablement
Large data set manipulation and problem solving
Internal control and best practice evaluation
Validation of information between multiple sources of financial information