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NextPlay Jobs

Chief Financial Officer

NextPlay Jobs, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290

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Base pay range $175,000.00/yr - $250,000.00/yr

Additional compensation types Annual Bonus

NextPlay Jobs is proud to be partnering with a national property tax law and consulting firm that integrates legal, tax, and valuation expertise to help clients strategically minimize property tax liabilities. Its affiliated management division delivers comprehensive portfolio oversight, administrative tax services, and continuous monitoring for large institutional real estate owners across the United States. The organization serves a broad client base including REITs, financial institutions, pension funds, insurance companies, and owners of high‑value commercial portfolios throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The CFO will play a pivotal leadership role, driving financial strategy, ensuring operational scalability, and collaborating with senior leadership to guide growth and profitability.

Financial Strategy & Planning

Lead the firm’s long‑term financial strategy, including capital allocation, growth investments, profitability targets, and scenario planning

Oversee annual budgeting and multi‑year financial forecasting for the whole enterprise (legal + operations sides)

Partner with the Managing Partner / Executive Committee on strategic initiatives (e.g., acquisitions, geographic expansion, product / service innovation)

Monitor key performance metrics (revenue per client, case ROI, recurring revenue, portfolio margins, utilization) and provide strategic insights to leadership

Finance, Accounting & Reporting

Oversee all accounting operations (general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, financial close)

Ensure timely and accurate financial reporting (monthly, quarterly, annual) for internal and external stakeholders

Manage audit relationships, tax filings (corporate, state, local), regulatory compliance, and external financial reporting

Ensure proper allocation of costs across business lines and maintain transparency between the litigation and tax operations segments

Treasury, Cash & Working Capital

Manage cash flow, forecasting, liquidity, and working capital to support variable revenue cycles

Lead decisions around capital structure, funding, credit facilities, banking relationships

Oversee collections, client advances / retainers, refund processing, and appeals recoverables

Develop policies to mitigate cash volatility and ensure sustainable operational funding

Pricing, Profitability & Cost Control

Drive pricing strategy, margin management, and profitability analysis by client portfolio, service line, region

Partner with operations leadership to control costs, optimize resourcing (staff, technology, third parties)

Evaluate ROI of new investments (e.g., technology, product development, geographic expansion)

Risk, Compliance & Controls

Ensure internal financial controls are robust, aggregated risk is monitored, and compliance with relevant laws / ethical standards

Oversee risk management, professional liability, compliance audits, fraud prevention, contracting financial terms

Lead financial diligence for potential M&A or partnerships

Collaborate with legal counsel to ensure contractual, vendor, lease, and client terms align with financial goals

Team Leadership & Systems

Lead, mentor, and build out the finance & accounting organization

Drive improvements in financial systems, automation, dashboards, data analytics, and reporting tools

Collaborate cross‑functionally (legal, operations, IT, business development) to integrate systems and processes

Maintain best practices in financial controls, process optimization, and scalable workflows

Qualifications / Experience

CPA or equivalent professional accounting qualification strongly preferred

Proven experience building and scaling an accounting department from the ground up, including developing team structure, hiring key personnel, implementing processes, and establishing effective leadership and delegation frameworks.

Ideally 10+ years of progressive leadership in finance roles, including experience as a CFO, VP Finance, or equivalent, preferably in professional services, legal / consulting, or a family office

Strong experience managing dual or mixed revenue models (project fee, recurring service, contingent success fees)

Prior exposure to law firms / legal operations, tax / compliance, or professional service firms is highly desirable

Strong acumen in financial planning & analysis, cash flow management, cost optimization, and strategic investments

Experience managing audits, external reporting, treasury, risk & compliance

Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management skills

Strong analytical, systems / tech orientation, comfortable implementing or upgrading financial systems / dashboards

Ability to operate in a dynamic, growth‑driven environment with evolving service lines and business models

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status.

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