- Salary
- $130k – $175k
- Location
- Towson, MD
- Type
- Full-time
- Department
- Operations
- Seniority
- Director
- Source
- ApplicantPro
Description
Director of Operations & Integration
We're building a CPA/tax platform designed to roll up practices - and we need the operator who runs the firm and integrates what we buy.
You will:
- Own the weekly operating cadence (scorecard, priorities, accountability)
- Protect CPA billable time (utilization, WIP, billing, AR discipline)
- Build one operating system the whole firm runs on
- Lead Day-1 → Day-90 integration for every practice we acquire
- Partner with a Visionary owner and a precision-focused CPA partner - you are the person who makes the plan real
You're a fit if you are structured, assertive in service of the mission, allergic to dropped balls, and proud when other people become more effective.
You're not a fit if you want a book of business, need to be told every step, or go quiet when work is in progress.
We are building an operating platform that can absorb other tax/accounting practices, standardize how work runs, protect CPA billable time, and scale without chaos.
You are the person who makes the vision real.
- Follow the set direction, major bets, and the roll-up thesis.
- You own the machine - cadence, accountability, throughput, people ops for the firm, and integration of every practice we bring in.
If you have ever wanted to be the operator who turns a good firm into a repeatable growth engine, this is that opportunity.
Core responsibilities
- Run the operating cadence
- Own the weekly leadership meeting (scorecard, Rocks, to-dos, etc.)
- Publish a same-day written summary
- Keep Rocks to a short list; every Rock has one owner, one date, one definition of done
- Maintain the Issues List; solve the vital few completely
- Protect meeting discipline: on time, phones down, decide on data
- Protect CPA capacity
- Drive utilization toward 85–90% billable target (or the board-approved number)
- Own WIP aging, billing coordination, and AR follow-up cadence (with CSA / admin support)
- Keep non-billable work off CPA plates - Client Services / admin owned and measured
- Spot capacity cliffs before they hit tax season
- Own the accountability chart and people system
- Keep a living accountability chart: who owns what, Level of delegation clear
- Role scorecards written before we hire (never hire into fog)
- Hire, onboard, and performance-manage ops/admin seats
- Weekly 1:1 rhythm with directs; written expectations; no silent underperformance
- Build the firm operating system
- One system of record for client status, tasks, deadlines, documents, billing status
- SOPs that a newly acquired team can adopt in weeks, not years
- Quality checklists and handoffs that survive busy season
- "If it isn't written and assigned, it doesn't exist"
- Lead roll-up / practice integration
For every acquisition or tuck-in, you own the integration playbook:
- Day-1 / Day-30 / Day-90 integration plan
- Systems cutover (files, portals, billing, calendar, communications)
- Role mapping: who stays, who reports where, what gets standardized vs. left local
- Client communication plan (no surprise drops)
- Culture + cadence install: scorecard, Rocks, meeting rhythm
- Synergy tracking: utilization, realization, turnaround time, client retention
- Escalate to the Principal only on Visionary-level decisions (price, brand, major bets); you run the rest
- Communication loop
Quiet competence is a fail here.
- Got it on receipt
- Status while in progress
- Done summary on completion
- Daily brief to Principal: done / in progress / today / needs from you / risks
- Confirm verbal asks from Principal in writing within 24 hours
Must-have experience
- 5+ years running operations in a professional services firm (CPA, legal, advisory, healthcare practice, or PE-backed roll-up strongly preferred)
- Proof you built an operating cadence (meetings, scorecards, accountability) - not only "kept things organized"
- At least one meaningful integration story (acquisition, office merge, system cutover, or multi-entity consolidation)
- Comfortable holding professionals accountable without being a technician yourself
- Excellent writing; lives in the communication loop
- Clean background check; references from prior principals / CEOs / MPs