Director, Client Accounting & Advisory Services (Restaurant, Franchise, & Hospitality)

Work with a Top 20 CPA and advisory firm that Accounts for Anything.  Aprio has 40 U.S. office locations, as well as international office locations and more than 3,200 team members that speak 60+ languages across the globe.  By bringing together proven expertise, deep understanding, and strategic foresight for fast-growing industries, Aprio ensures clients are prepared for wherever life or business may take them. Discover a top-rated culture, vast growth opportunities and your next big career move with Aprio.

Job Summary

Aprio is seeking a Director, Client Accounting & Advisory Services to lead a profitable, scalable outsourced accounting practice serving multi-unit restaurant, franchise, and hospitality operators. You will own end-to-end delivery across three technology stacks, lead a team of approximately 40 onshore and offshore professionals, and manage a book of approximately 175 client relationships spanning 1,000+ locations. This is an operator-first leadership role for someone who understands how process and technology transform a service into a business that grows faster than its headcount. You will set the standards, build the team, and shape the future of a practice being redefined by cloud technology and AI.

What You'll Gain/ Impact

• Opportunity to own and scale a high-performing outsourced accounting practice within a growing, specialized industry vertical
• Direct influence over the adoption of automation and AI tools that transform how accounting services are delivered at scale
• A leadership platform to develop managers, build careers, and create clear growth paths for a team of 40+ professionals
• Exposure to cross-functional collaboration across tax, advisory, and technology practices
• Competitive compensation with incentive tied to practice performance and client growth

Key Responsibilities

• Own the P&L for the practice, including job margin, realization, utilization, revenue per FTE, and billing
• Lead three delivery teams operating across distinct technology stacks; standardize where it creates leverage and specialize where platforms demand it
• Design and manage the staffing model to ensure the right work is performed at the right level
• Deliver an accurate, on-time monthly close and financial reporting package backed by documented quality-control and sign-off standards
• Produce restaurant-specific reporting, including prime cost at the unit and group level, multi-entity consolidations, and franchisor-required and lender covenant reporting
• Build repeatable workflows and operational processes that enable practice growth without proportional increases in cost
• Evaluate, implement, and drive adoption of cloud accounting, automation, and AI tools; lead the team through continuous change
• Maintain client data security, access controls, and internal controls across all platforms and automation tools in use
• Own new-client onboarding to ensure every engagement reaches target margin within its first 90 days
• Hold scope and pricing discipline; ensure out-of-scope work is quoted, billed, or declined
• Recruit, develop, and retain managers and staff across onshore and offshore teams with clear career paths and succession planning
• Lead and grow a book of multi-unit restaurant, franchise, and hospitality client relationships for the long term
• Drive relationship expansion through cross-serve opportunities in tax, advisory, and technology, and represent Aprio in the RFH industry community

Candidate Qualifications

Required:

• 10+ years of accounting experience, including 4+ years leading an outsourced accounting, CAAS, or shared-services finance operation; bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated track record of running a profitable delivery operation with direct accountability for margin, utilization, and realization
• Hands-on experience across multiple cloud accounting platforms, including POS, financial back of house, payroll, and bill-pay integrations to the general ledger
• Experience building or rebuilding processes, policies, and standards at scale, and leading the adoption of automation and AI
• Proven ability to develop managers and lead teams through change; strong written and verbal communicator
• Client-facing relationship ownership and business development experience
• Working knowledge of AICPA independence rules for non-attest services

Preferred:

• Restaurant, franchise, or hospitality industry experience, including POS-to-GL integration, tip reporting and FICA tip credit coordination with tax, and franchisor royalty and advertising fund reporting
• CPA; CMA or equivalent considered; relevant platform certifications valued

Leadership Skills

• Building Relationships
• Driving Execution
• Team Development
• Client Focus
• Adaptability
• Communication
• Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical Skills

• Outsourced Accounting / Client Accounting & Advisory Services (CAAS)
• Cloud Accounting Platforms
• Financial Close & Reporting
• Restaurant & Franchise Accounting
• Multi-Entity Consolidations
• Process Design & Automation
• AI & Technology Adoption
• Profit & Loss Management