Vice President, Finance

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: ### Role Responsibilities **Position 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 - Oversee preparation and delivery of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages, including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements - Maintain and continuously improve the firm’s financial reporting infrastructure within NetSuite and connected BI tools (Power BI) - Produce variance analyses, KPI dashboards, and executive-level commentary for leadership review - Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process in partnership with service line leads and the COO Accounting & Compliance - 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) - Manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, and client billing operations across Fixed Fee, T&M, and Capital Advisory engagements - Ensure compliance with GAAP (future state – revenue recognition under ASC 606 and leases under ASC 842) - Coordinate federal and state tax filings; manage estimated tax payments, 1099 reporting, and multi-state apportionment requirements - Maintain robust internal controls, including bank account segregation of duties, and other fraud prevention protocols Accounts Payable - Coordinate vendor invoices with the payment processing queue - Ensure appropriate owner review and approval prior to payment - Prepare and send weekly AP report to the COO for review and payment authorization - Ensure effective communication with vendors and strategic partners regarding payment status updates Accounts Receivable - Work closely with the COO to follow up with partners on aged receivables and support for collections, including a monthly AR aging review - Identify and escalate stale accounts receivable - Reconcile client retainer balances on a recurring basis - Identify amounts that require a reserve or need to be written off Treasury & Cash Management - Monitor daily cash positions and elevate liquidity needs in the operating account to COO/Managing Partners - Oversee vendor payments and payroll funding in coordination with Rippling (HR/payroll platform) - Partner with Capital Advisory leadership on firm-level working capital and fee receivable management Staff Compensation - Review bonus accrual file, including calculations and applicable tax rates - Review offer letters for each new hire class to ensure accurate compensation data is captured - Calculate year-end staff bonus amounts based on offer letter terms and present findings to the firm’s compensation committee - Provide data and performance statistics to the compensation committee to support staff ratings - Assist with preparation and distribution of year-end compensation letters firm-wide - Support review of non-standard offer letter provisions to ensure consistency with firm policy and financial terms