Director of Technical Accounting

Shield • New York, NY

13d • $180,000 - $210,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Technical Accounting leads Shield’s technical accounting function and owns U.S. GAAP positions and policy across the company. This hands-on finance leadership role operates in an acquisition-driven environment, leading acquisition accounting from diligence through the opening balance sheet, serving as a technical resource and educator for controllers, portfolio accounting teams, and business partners, and building the policies, playbooks, and team needed to scale accounting with the deal pipeline.

The role is hybrid, with a minimum of three days per week in the NYC office. Quarterly travel for all-hands and other meetings is required and is not expected to exceed 10%.

Requirements

• CPA required.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including Big 4 or national-firm audit and technical accounting leadership in industry.
• Operational accounting experience in industry, including close, reconciliations, and controllership.
• Deep, hands-on expertise in ASC 805, ASC 606, ASC 842, and debt and equity accounting, including purchase price allocations and contingent consideration.
• 3+ years managing and developing accountants, with a track record of building processes and documentation from the ground up.
• Experience educating accounting teams and non-accountants on complex standards and policy, and writing audit-ready memos that people outside accounting can follow.
• Experience leading external audit work for technical areas.
• Proficiency with NetSuite, FloQast, Excel, and technical research tools such as the FASB Codification.
• Comfort using AI tools to work faster.
• Ability to take ownership, provide recommended answers, escalate judgment calls early, and meet committed dates in a fast-moving environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with M&A accounting at a serial acquirer, PE-backed platform, or roll-up is strongly preferred.
• SOX or internal controls experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own technical accounting for business combinations (ASC 805), revenue recognition (ASC 606), including new revenue streams, leases (ASC 842), including embedded leases, and debt, equity, and deferred financing costs.
• Research complex arrangements, document conclusions in clear technical memos, and bring recommendations to Finance leadership.
• Own Shield’s accounting policy framework and drive consistent adoption across portfolio companies, including policies for capitalized software, inventory, and deferred revenue.
• Own the consolidated cash flow statement and supporting commentary.
• Partner with M&A and FP&A on earnouts to align deal terms, tracking, and contingent consideration accounting.
• Support financial and operational due diligence on prospective acquisitions.
• Lead acquisition accounting, including purchase price allocations and opening balance sheets, and manage third-party valuation and PPA providers.
• Build and maintain the PPA playbook, acquisition-terms repository, and opening balance sheet process.
• Partner with the Integrations team to ensure opening balance sheets and accounting conclusions are handed off cleanly to portfolio accounting teams.
• Review technical entries and schedules for debt, leases, revenue, and equity; deliver technical close items on the close calendar in support of a 10-business-day close.
• Own technical memos and audit deliverables for technical areas and lead technical discussions with external auditors.
• Maintain and strengthen internal controls and SOPs over technical areas, and support control gap and material weakness remediation.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing technical accounting team, including hiring, performance management, and career development.
• Serve as the technical resource for Portfolio Controllers, Accounting Managers, and Senior Accountants.
• Lead stakeholder education across Accounting, FP&A, Integrations, Corporate Development, and portfolio company leadership through training, playbooks, and day-to-day guidance.
• Identify and implement process improvements, including automation and AI tools for schedules, memo templates, and research.
• Own quarterly initiatives set with Finance leadership and drive them to completion.

Benefits

• Base salary of $180,000–$210,000 per year.
• 20% target annual bonus.
• Beginning 1/1/27, Shield pays 100% of the employee share of health insurance premiums, worth up to $17,000+ a year in take-home pay.
• Additional benefits (not specified).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed