About the role:

Acclime is looking for a dynamic leader to join as CFO within our Virtual CFO Services line.

The role holds primary day-to-day leadership of Acclime’s Virtual CFO client portfolio in Australia and is accountable for the quality, commerciality and profitability of CFO engagements across a portfolio of SME groups, family offices and high net worth family businesses, and for leading the onshore and offshore delivery teams that support them.

The role is the senior client-facing owner of delivery. It carries the relationship, technical and team leadership responsibilities of a Partner-level engagement lead, without carrying service line strategy, group representation or service line P&L; ownership, which remain with the Service Line Lead.

It is a deliberate succession and capacity role: freeing service line leadership to focus on growth, integration and new market development, while ensuring existing clients experience no reduction in seniority or continuity.

Key Responsibilities:

- Client Portfolio Leadership

- Act as the primary relationship owner for a portfolio of Virtual CFO clients, including the group’s largest and most complex engagements
- Hold the CFO seat for clients — attend board and management meetings, present financial performance, and provide commercial recommendations to owners, boards and management teams
- Own the annual engagement cycle for each client: scoping, budgeting, reporting calendar, board pack cadence and review points
- Anticipate client needs and issues ahead of them arising, maintaining the proactive engagement standard the portfolio is built on
- Manage escalations and sensitive client matters, engaging the Service Line Lead only where the matter warrants it

- Technical & Advisory Delivery

- Oversee delivery of core CFO outputs: management reporting and board packs, three-way financial models, budgets, rolling forecasts, cash flow and working capital management, and KPI/performance reporting
- Lead client financing and banking workstreams, including facility reviews, term sheet analysis, covenant monitoring and lender relationships
- Provide commercial input on structuring, remuneration and incentive design, shareholder and governance arrangements, and succession planning, coordinating specialist input from Tax, Corporate Advisory and legal referral partners
- Support transaction activity across the portfolio — due diligence, financial modelling, earn-out and completion mechanics — in conjunction with the Corporate Advisory service line
- Maintain technical currency across Australian accounting, tax and corporate compliance matters relevant to privately held groups

- Delivery Model & Offshore Team Leadership

- Lead delivery of the full function finance team model across the portfolio — CFO, financial controller and treasury, data and analysis, payroll and bookkeeping
- Direct the Pune-based delivery pods supporting the portfolio: allocation, capacity planning, quality control, escalation and career development, in partnership with the India operations leadership




- Own the onshore/offshore work split for each engagement to protect both client outcomes and engagement margin
- Drive adoption of the standard technology stack and workflow automation across the portfolio, and identify processes suited to automation or AI-enabled delivery
- Maintain and improve standard templates, working papers and delivery procedures so that engagements are repeatable and transferable between team members

- Financial & Commercial Accountability

- Accountable for revenue, margin and recoverability across the client portfolio
- Set and negotiate fees, prepare engagement letters and scope variations, and manage scope creep and out-of-scope work
- Monitor and manage WIP, lock-up, billing and debtor outcomes for the portfolio
- Manage team utilisation and resourcing to meet portfolio commitments
- Contribute to service line budgeting and forecasting, and provide the portfolio-level input the Service Line Lead requires for planning
- People Leadership & Capability Building
- Lead, mentor and develop Senior Managers, Managers, Controllers and Analysts across onshore and offshore teams
- Own workflow allocation, review standards and turnaround expectations across the delivery team
- Build depth beneath the role so that client relationships are held by more than one person, and support progression aligned with Acclime job levelling and career pathways
- Support performance reviews, remuneration discussions and talent decisions in collaboration with the Service Line Lead and People & Culture
- Foster a high performance, inclusive and values driven culture across a distributed team

- Governance, Risk & Quality

- Ensure engagements comply with professional standards, independence requirements, regulatory obligations and internal policies
- Provide final technical review on client deliverables issued from the portfolio, including advice provided verbally in board and management settings
- Apply appropriate scope, reliance and disclaimer positions on valuation, forecast and advisory outputs
- Monitor legislative and compliance change affecting portfolio clients and ensure the team responds proactively
- Act as first escalation point for high risk or sensitive client matters, referring to the Service Line Lead where the matter carries firm-level risk

- Business Development & Group Contribution

- Originate new Virtual CFO engagements, building and owning a client book alongside the portfolio held on behalf of the service line
- Develop and maintain referral relationships
- Convert prospect within the existing portfolio through additional services and scope, including introductions to Acclime Tax, Corporate Services, Corporate Advisory, Funds and R&D;




- Capture and convert inbound referrals from other Acclime business units
- Lead scoping, pricing, proposals and pitches for self-originated opportunities, and support those led by the Service Line Lead
- Represent the practice at client forums, industry events and professional networks
- Contribute to service line initiatives across Australia and New Zealand, including integration, offshoring and automation projects

What are we looking for?

Essential

- 3 -5 years in-house CFO or Financial Controller experience alongside a professional services background
- 12+ years’ experience across business advisory, virtual/outsourced CFO, or senior commercial finance roles
- Demonstrated experience at senior leadership level or a Senior Manager ready to step up with evidence of holding client relationships independently
- Proven ability to hold the CFO relationship with business owners, boards and family groups, and to present and defend a commercial position in the room
- Strong financial modelling capability, including three-way models, scenario analysis and forecasting
- Commercial acumen with demonstrated responsibility for engagement or portfolio revenue, margin and recoverability
- Proven ability to lead, develop and retain high performing teams

Desirable

- Established referral relationships within the professional and financial services market
- Demonstrated ability to originate new work — converting personal networks and referral relationships into fee-paying engagements
- Experience leading or working with offshore delivery teams
- Experience with SME groups, family offices and high net worth family businesses, including intergenerational and succession dynamics
- Exposure to complex structuring, transactions, debt and equity raising, and business sale readiness
- Strong systems capability across cloud accounting, financial modelling and reporting platforms, and an appetite for automation and AI-enabled workflow

Qualifications & Professional Memberships

- Tertiary qualification in Accounting, Commerce, Business or a related discipline
- CA ANZ or CPA Australia membership — preferred
- Commitment to ongoing professional development

What do we offer:

- Be part of a global and expanding company with ample growth opportunities, professional development and the chance to build a meaningful network
- Flexible work arrangements that empower you to perform at your best
- Work on a portfolio of clients spanning across various industries and growth stages
- Play a key role in shaping and expanding the Virtual CFO offering, mentoring team members and contributing to business growth
- Work alongside an established onshore and Pune-based delivery team, allowing you to focus on the CFO relationship and high-value advisory work
- A competitive base salary, with additional reward for originating new clients
- Access to a modern cloud technology stack and ongoing investment in automation and AI-enabled delivery
- Exposure to transactions, capital raising, structuring and succession matters, supported by Acclime’s Tax, Corporate Advisory, R&D; and Funds specialists

📌 CFO – Virtual CFO Services (Melbourne)
🏢 Acclime
📍 Melbourne