Location: Makati City, Philippines (Onsite Makati or BGC), US Eastern Time Zone, Moderate Travel)

The Company

Confidential posting for a regional financial advisory firm (Eastern United States), specializing in loan and investment due diligence, M&A advisory, and other select consulting & advisory services. The Firm has a nationwide footprint, with over 200 professionals engaged in more than 2,100 transactions annually. They serve private equity firms, institutional investors, lower and middle-market businesses, banks and debt providers, business owners, and legal professionals. Service lines include financial consulting, quality-of-earnings, business valuations, technology and integration, collateral examinations, investment banking, and litigation support.

The Division in the Company

The Firm's financial consulting group is hiring for a Supervising Senior Associate fast-track position, ideal for candidates seeking to learn and advance their careers quickly. This group offers M&A and transaction support, interim/outsourced/fractional financial management, financial consulting, advisory services, and staff augmentation to businesses undergoing rapid growth, transactions, financial distress, and/or business transformation.

This position will be a supervisory/managerial, overtime-exempt role and will be the Firm's first offshore hire in the Philippines. The position will be based in Makati City or BGC, will be on-site full-time in a newly sourced shared office space, and will be responsible for hiring and supervising two bookkeepers, as well as supervising junior US-based staff. This role will work in the US Eastern Time Zone (night shift differential pay provided) and you will follow the US Federal Holiday schedule for time off and will work on most Philippine holidays, for which you will receive the legally mandated holiday premium pay.

Successful candidates can expect rapid compensation adjustments and promotions, and will initially lead the development of the Philippines offshore team.

Candidate Aspirations:

This opportunity is ideal for a self-motivated, driven, career-minded finance professional who lives in or would be excited to relocate to Makati City, PH. They are focused on career growth, seeking to transition to an incentive-based compensation arrangement, or eventually being trained to take on CFO/Head of Finance duties in an emerging or lower-middle-market private company. They understand the career value of working in a transaction advisory firm and having the opportunity to work closely with and learn from discerning PE firms/investment professionals. They also thrive in situations that require a high level of commitment and dedication to keep pace during critical transactions. Most importantly, they value career progression based solely on performance, not tenure.

A successful candidate can expect to pursue several career paths:

Lead and grow the Philippine offshore group
Be promoted to the Director level with incentive-based compensation and run a team
Pursue opportunities to work in different divisions (Investment Banking, Quality of Earnings, Commercial Asset-Based Lending, Valuation, Litigation Support, Integration IT Support)
Be groomed to be ready for a CFO role or other high-level financial position; or
Pursue a more balanced work schedule in the consulting group

The Role:

The Supervising Senior Associate (fast track) reports to a Vice President or Director on their respective projects. The Senior Associate will lead and/or support a portfolio of projects and communicate with and help manage client expectations. They will also help hire and supervise two bookkeepers in Makati.

Typical projects involve a company taking on or preparing for its first institutional investment or a transaction (sale, capital raise, acquisition) and will require temporary or permanent oversight of the finance function, transactional accounting support (e.g., opening balance sheet, net working capital adjustment, etc.) conversion to accrual-based accounting for a GAAP audit (balance sheet reconciliations, accrual development), preparation of a month-end financial reporting package for key stakeholders (e.g., PE firm, Investors, Lenders, Board of Directors), and/or financial planning and analysis (e.g., strategic planning, operating model, budgeting, forecasting, 13-week cash flow forecasts, etc.). Alternatively, it may be an existing company that requires remediation and/or oversight of its finance function.

Projects can range from fully outsourced accounting solutions to supplementing an existing team. Success usually requires finance and accounting expertise, project management, and often requires long days and weekend work to achieve the desired results.

The Ideal Candidate:

The following outlines the ideal candidate; however, highly motivated and determined candidates who are prepared to prioritize work and commit to overcoming any lack of experience are encouraged to apply.

The ideal candidate will have 8 + years of progressive finance experience with a mix of public (preferably Big 4 audit or transactional) and private accounting experience and may have worked in or performed a portion of the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) function (e.g., strategic planning, annual budgeting, board deck preparation, etc.). They may have worked with private equity/credit or a similar demanding institutional investor (e.g., family office, venture capital), and have routine experience communicating with and managing executives expectations.

They will have either performed GAAP audits in public accounting or managed/participated in an audit of a company, ideally gaining exposure to all P&L and balance sheet line items. They will have had private-company experience, performing and overseeing reconciliations, developing and calculating accruals (e.g., revenue, COGS, payroll, PTO), booking journal entries, and preparing financial statements.

They may have experience with the FP&A process, specifically participating in parts of the annual budget process and attending monthly budget variance meetings with department heads and executives. They may have updated/consumed a comprehensive monthly reporting package, including KPIs and other company-specific analyses, such as revenue and cost analysis beyond the standard financials. They may also have had experience contributing to month-end and quarterly BOD decks.

They may have had exposure to the treasury cycle, updating a 13-week cash flow forecast, facilitating/approving check runs, and managing day-to-day cash.

Additionally, they may have had experience/exposure to the M&A lifecycle (e.g., diligence, transaction, transition, integration, etc.), including pre & post-transaction workstreams such as due diligence/quality of earnings, opening balance sheet, purchase price allocations, net working capital adjustments, managing escrows, and transition/integration activities (e.g., cash-to-accrual, payroll, ERP conversion, changing bank accounts, etc.).

They should also have best-in-class experience in a recognized firm (e.g., public accounting or consulting) or Fortune-recognized (or Equivalent) Company, or experience working with institutional investors (e.g., PE-backed companies).

Primary Responsibilities:

Hire and supervise the Philippines bookkeeping staff
Supervise US-based junior staff on projects
Help manage the clients expectations and support the project lead
Perform day-to-day tasks required to complete the project scope
Help project manage the overall project
May require travel to the US with relatively short notice

Qualifications & Experience:

Excellent English - Full professional English fluency required for executive-level financial discussions. Candidates must contend with unscripted/spontaneous, technically nuanced, M&A/GAAP/Due Diligence/Executive Board-level financial discussions with US stakeholders in high-pressure private equity environments.
Expert-level Excel efficiency, including fluency with keyboard shortcuts for navigation, formatting, and formula entry
Advanced Excel skills (e.g., x-lookups, pivot tables, sumifs, index match, etc.), required.
An unwavering desire and determination to succeed in high-pressure, time-constrained environments
4-year degree in accounting or finance or a similar degree from a credible university, required.
8+ years of relevant experience in accounting and/or finance, required.
Public accounting (audit or M&A/transaction), or private accounting (for private-equity/institutional investors), or significant, well-rounded FP&A background.
Experience in investment banking, with institutional investors, or in other compelling non-traditional backgrounds is welcome.
Acumen/aptitude to prepare 3-statement models, 13-week cash flow forecasts, dynamic KPI packages, and complex ad hoc analysis.
Ability to deliver and craft articulate, persuasive presentations, with elevated attention to messaging, structuring, formatting and quality control.
Desire to manage, coach, and mentor degreed and non-degreed professionals
Proven ability to build rapport, and desire to influence senior executives, middle managers, line workers, private equity firms, and lenders in challenging environments
Project demands will require after-hours or weekend work
CPA, preferred.

Optional / Enhanced Experience:

Experience in investment banking, consulting, private equity, restructuring or distressed companies
ERP remediation and/or system implementation experience (especially NetSuite and Sage)

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary and Bonus will be competitive and commensurate with experience
13th Month Pay
Government Contributions
Service Incentive Leave
Night Shift Differential
Holiday and Special Non-Working Day pay if working
HMO coverage
Rice Subsidy, Clothing/Uniform Allowance, Laundry Allowance, Medical Cash, Medical Assistance, CPA/Certification Fund
Maternity leave, paternity leave, solo parent leave, VAWC leave

Senior Accountant