What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President, Finance position at MERU?
Meet the Company
We are MERU. A values-driven, impact-oriented team dedicated to fixing companies. We provide advisory services and data analytics support to middle-market companies ($50M–$2B in annual sales), and our clients include private equity firms, credit funds, investment banks, and law firms. We bring deep turnaround experience, a group of veteran operators, and an incentive-aligned approach to any situation. MERU was founded by professionals from Alvarez & Marsal and McKinsey and has seen rapid growth in the eight-plus years since its founding.
The MERU Way & Valuing Our Team
We’re Partners, not consultants. When you join MERU, you will help our clients solve their most pressing problems, supported by a team of people who will challenge you, support you, and inspire you.
In order to be Partners, we don’t silo people into just one functional area of the business, instead advancing our team’s capabilities by providing training for every service that MERU offers. Additionally, we don’t just focus on technical skills but also leadership style and soft skills, so MERU team members not only know what it means to manage a client engagement but to lead a team to success. In training team members to be well-rounded individuals, we can deliver an overall higher impact to clients, allowing the ability to gain experience in diligence, turnarounds, interim management, data science, and more.
To aid this career advancement and development, MERU provides an internal Coach to each team member in order to guide and maintain their professional development plan goals. Unlike most Firms, we actually focus on the achievement of those goals for each individual team member, providing opportunities that would not usually be offered.
Finally, MERU values personal time, only traveling when necessary in order to celebrate and respect your personal life. We believe that by encouraging and mandating balance, it will lead to happier and longer-tenured team members.
When you come to MERU, you come to further your career and maintain your entrepreneurial spirit, never losing sight of the desire to provide meaningful impact, solutions, and value to clients. Learn more about our colleagues’ core characteristics and culture here: https://wearemeru.com/meru-way/
\nPosition Overview
Meru LLC is seeking an experienced Vice President of Finance to serve as a senior financial leader for the firm. This individual will be responsible for the full scope of the firm’s financial operations, including reporting, accounting, treasury, compensation administration, and systems. The VP Finance reports directly to the COO and has direct management responsibility for the Director of Finance and Staff Accountant, with broader leadership across all finance functions. This role also provides critical support for risk management and contracting across the firm.
The following is a list of areas of focus and is not meant to be exhaustive. Some of these duties may be delegated, and there may be additional tasks and areas of responsibility consistent with a lead finance and accounting role at a professional services firm.
Financial Reporting & Analysis
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Oversee preparation and delivery of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages, including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements
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Maintain and continuously improve the firm’s financial reporting infrastructure within NetSuite and connected BI tools (Power BI)
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Produce variance analyses, KPI dashboards, and executive-level commentary for leadership review
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Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process in partnership with service line leads and the COO
Accounting & Compliance
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Oversee the general ledger, chart of accounts, and month-end close process, ensuring accuracy and timeliness, in close coordination with Aprio (external bookkeeping and tax)
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Manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, and client billing operations across Fixed Fee, T&M, and Capital Advisory engagements
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Ensure compliance with GAAP (future state – revenue recognition under ASC 606 and leases under ASC 842)
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Coordinate federal and state tax filings; manage estimated tax payments, 1099 reporting, and multi-state apportionment requirements
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Maintain robust internal controls, including bank account segregation of duties, and other fraud prevention protocols
Accounts Payable
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Coordinate vendor invoices with the payment processing queue
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Ensure appropriate owner review and approval prior to payment
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Prepare and send weekly AP report to the COO for review and payment authorization
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Ensure effective communication with vendors and strategic partners regarding payment status updates
Accounts Receivable
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Work closely with the COO to follow up with partners on aged receivables and support for collections, including a monthly AR aging review
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Identify and escalate stale accounts receivable
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Reconcile client retainer balances on a recurring basis
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Identify amounts that require a reserve or need to be written off
Treasury & Cash Management
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Monitor daily cash positions and elevate liquidity needs in the operating account to COO/Managing Partners
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Oversee vendor payments and payroll funding in coordination with Rippling (HR/payroll platform)
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Partner with Capital Advisory leadership on firm-level working capital and fee receivable management
Staff Compensation
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Review bonus accrual file, including calculations and applicable tax rates
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Review offer letters for each new hire class to ensure accurate compensation data is captured
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Calculate year-end staff bonus amounts based on offer letter terms and present findings to the firm’s compensation committee
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Provide data and performance statistics to the compensation committee to support staff ratings
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Assist with preparation and distribution of year-end compensation letters firm-wide
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Support review of non-standard offer letter provisions to ensure consistency with firm policy and financial terms
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Monthly, review the firm’s payroll run to ensure accuracy and compliance with state withholding requirements
Partner Compensation
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Quarterly: review client receivables withheld from prior year partner compensation and prepare disbursements for amounts cleared for payment
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Annually: guide the partner compensation process with the compensation committee and partner group, including scheduling and facilitating the process
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Prepare partner compensation statistics for use by the committee; field questions and provide analytical support throughout the process
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Calculate preliminary partner compensation by partner, based on agreed metrics and ratings, for committee review and approval
NetSuite Implementation & Systems Integration
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Serve as the primary finance stakeholder for Meru’s ongoing NetSuite ERP implementation, driving the project to completion in partnership with the COO and implementation partner (Chartered)
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Own integration of NetSuite with Meru’s existing technology ecosystem — Rippling (payroll and HR), Expensify (expense management), Harvest (time tracking), and Power BI (reporting)
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Lead migration of historical financial data from legacy systems (Harvest, Xero, and Power BI) into NetSuite, establishing clean data standards going forward
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Own ongoing system administration, user training, and continuous improvement post go-live, identifying opportunities to automate and streamline financial workflows
Leadership & Strategic Support
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Directly manage and develop the Director of Finance and Staff Accountant; provide functional leadership across the entire Finance team, setting priorities, reviewing work products, and ensuring accountability to deadlines and quality standards
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Lead periodic Home Office calls and meetings; identify cross-functional opportunities for collaboration
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Act as a strategic financial advisor to the COO and senior leadership on firm growth, profitability, and investment decisions
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Review vendor and strategic partner contracts from a risk mitigation and cost optimization perspective; manage contracts and ensure proper storage on the firm’s network
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Support the COO’s risk management function, including conflict check processes, engagement risk assessment, and firmwide compliance initiatives
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Manage the firm’s Profits Interests Unit (PIU) program, including tracking grants, grant pricing, and ensuring proper contracting at time of grant
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Manage the firm’s annual valuation process and create the firm’s 5 to 10 year projection model in conjunction with firm leadership
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Support business development and client delivery teams with financial modeling, engagement economics, and ad hoc analysis
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Collaborate across the firm’s functional teams and provide support around budget to actual analysis, contracting review, and other assistance required internally
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Lead the firm’s conflict and risk mitigation efforts through implementation and management of firmwide conflict check and risk assessment processes
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required; CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred
- 12–15 years of progressive finance and accounting experience; prior CFO, VP Finance, or Controller experience at a professional services or advisory firm preferred
- Advanced proficiency in NetSuite (or comparable ERP); strong Excel and financial modeling skills; familiarity with Rippling, Expensify, Harvest, and Power BI preferred
- Deep knowledge of GAAP, ASC 606 revenue recognition, multi-state tax compliance, and internal controls
- Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a finance team, manage compensation processes, and collaborate with senior leadership and partners
- Detail-oriented, proactive, and comfortable operating in a high-growth, dynamic environment with competing priorities
- Authorization to work in the United States
Overview of MERU Service Lines
Performance Improvement
Help companies identify and achieve their full potential by leveraging a value-focused approach to driving sustainable margin expansion impact. Services include MERU 360° Assessment, Transformation Plan Development, Chief Transformation Officer placement, Cash Cycle and Working Capital Optimization, and Implementation Performance Management.
Turnaround & Restructuring
Partner with clients during uncertain times to help stabilize operations and rapidly triage the causes of financial distress, charting a path back to long-term sustainability. Services include Interim Management, Turnaround Plan Development and Execution, Liquidity Management, Stakeholder Negotiations, Strategic Alternatives Assessment, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Case Management.
Transaction Services
Partner with private equity firms across the investment lifecycle, from due diligence to portfolio value creation and exit planning. Services include Due Diligence, Pre-Close Planning, Post-Close Implementation, and Exit Planning.
Data Insights
Work with companies at all stages of their digital transformation journey to automate reporting processes, build scalable data platforms, and leverage predictive analytics to transform data from a liability into an asset. Services include Data Discovery and Analysis, Data Prep and Integration, Self-Service Analytics, Data Visualization and Reporting, Data Science and Advanced Analytics, and Strategy Enablement.
Voluntary Inclusion
It is MERU’s policy to provide and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, pregnancy, marital status, family status, religion, national origin, age or disability or any other non-merit based factor in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Unsolicited Resumes from Third-Party Recruiters
Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters are engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person, or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that MERU will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person, or entity.