Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO)

Overview:

The Chief Financial and Administrative Officer is a key member of the firm’s executive leadership team, responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of all administrative functions.

This role combines financial leadership with firmwide operational management, ensuring the firm’s financial strength, scalability, and administrative excellence. The CFAO partners closely with the Managing Partners to drive profitability, optimize performance, and support the firm’s continued growth. For more opportunities from KNM Resources, please visit https://www.knmresources.com/all-openings

Key Responsibilities

Firmwide Financial Strategy & Leadership

• Lead financial strategy across all offices, aligning regional performance with firmwide goals
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning
• Analyze profitability by office, practice group, and client
• Advise on partner compensation, lateral hiring, and expansion strategy
• Manage banking relationships, capital structure, and partner distributions

Accounting & Financial Operations

• Direct all accounting functions, including billing, collections, and trust accounting
• Ensure strong internal controls and multi-jurisdictional compliance
• Oversee financial reporting, audits, and tax coordination with Citrin
• Drive improvements in billing efficiency, realization, and collections

Human Resources & Talent Management

• Oversee HR strategy and execution
• Guide recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and retention for the Finance and Adminstrative Staff
• Ensure compliance with employment laws across NY, CA, and DC
• Support leadership in organizational design and workforce planning
• Oversee management of the Administrative staff

Information Technology Oversight

• Direct IT strategy and execution through internal IT staff and external vendors
• Ensure cybersecurity, business continuity, and data protection
• Oversee legal and administrative systems (practice management, DMS, finance tools)
• Drive technology-enabled efficiencies across the firm

Operations & Administration

• Oversee day-to-day operations across all offices
• Ensure consistent administrative policies and service delivery
• Manage facilities, vendors, and office infrastructure
• Implement scalable processes to support growth
• Risk Management (Insurance)

Leadership & Governance

• Serve as a senior advisor to firm leadership
• Present financial and operational performance insights
• Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing administrative team
• Foster cross-functional collaboration and accountability
• Align administrative functions with firm strategy

Qualifications

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field (required)
• CPA, MBA, or equivalent preferred

Experience

• 12–15 years of senior leadership experience
• Law firm or professional services experience required
• Demonstrated success managing multi-office operations

Core Competencies

• Strategic financial leadership
• Law firm economics expertise
• Strong people leadership across functional disciplines
• Executive presence and decision-making capability