Chief Financial Officer – Briefly Legal - Remote
Who We Are
Briefly is the first of its kind managed services organization for distributed law firms. The company manages all back-office functions on behalf of its partnered law firms. Supporting attorneys across 45 offices in 14 countries and five continents, the opportunity to join us is both vast and compelling. We seek world-class leaders to drive us to even greater heights. Learn more at www.brieflylegal.com
Opportunity & Why this Role is Exciting
The CFO will have the opportunity to optimize the finance function in close partnership with the CEO. As the company grows organically and inorganically, the CFO will oversee scaling an efficient supporting finance team. This position will lead financial strategy, FP&A, accounting, and M&A integration as a strategic finance executive.
Enjoy Start-Up Benefits with PE Backing: Experience the entrepreneurial rewards of a start-up environment, supported by the financial stability of an established private equity firm.
Build a Dynamic Finance Department: Take the opportunity to establish and refine the financial department and processes for a continually growing portfolio of companies.
Innovate at the Intersection of Private Equity and Legal Industry: Engage in a unique role that sits at the crossroads of private equity and the legal sector, an industry ripe for innovation and transformation.
What You’ll Do
Optimize and sustain a world-class finance function
Optimize/establish all required finance functions, including hiring finance talent as required for Briefly and the firms we support.
Leverage/select the appropriate technology solutions to facilitate day-to-day financial management, KPI reporting and improvement of financial operations.
Build and manage a team of A+ Players.
Streamline financial performance and reporting for Briefly and our partner firms
Successfully manage financial 3rd party related operating processes and audits, including the development of appropriate internal controls.
Select a common set of KPIs for which to talk about the business & coach Briefly to speak in these terms.
Automated, real-time dashboard of KPIs to empower leaders across Briefly to constantly optimize performance.
Lead the budgeting/forecasting processes with a keen eye on accuracy, transparency, risk/reward opportunities, and critical decision making.
Disciplined Cost Management: Briefly operates prudently from a spending perspective; opportunities for savings are identified and captured. Optimized and renegotiated pricing/contracts with all vendors. Implemented and propagated a culture of strong financial cost controls across entire organization.
Disciplined Liquidity/Cash Management: Optimized cash management and net working capital strategy.
-Cash Flow Forecast: Maintains consistent 13W forward-looking cash projections and manages the treasury function effectively. Proactively communicates any cash tightness to the board with 13W+ of lead time.
-AR/AP: Ensure on-time collections and cash management by establishing the right processes, policies, and systems. Improve AP via systematic renegotiations.
Be a right hand to the CEO in influencing the strategic direction of the business, resulting in wins at company performance at the Briefly and firm levels
Partner with the CEO on strategic decisions to drive growth. Together, run the business while supporting (as appropriate) weekly/monthly/quarterly meetings with the finance staff, operations teams, leadership teams and the Board.
Take acountability in achieving eNPS biannually >40.
Drive the business to a high net return on exit.
Contribute to the thinking around important financial decisions regarding capital allocation and revenue growth vs. EBITDA.
Partner in crafting vision and strategy for near term and 5-year planning execution, etc.
Supports a high velocity inorganic expansion and M&A function to drive growth
Collaborate with the M&A team and firm Recruiting Teams/Managing Partners to structure accretive deals that are consistent with equity returns and model projections.
Ensures efficient and thoughtful financial integration of all acquired companies within 90 days.
Form and maintain successful relationships with external constituencies
Integration with Alpine X finance teams to leverage their systems and processes, and meet all external reporting, audit and other compliance requirements.
Provide support for deal negotiations and/or demonstrating financial stability of the company.
Provide support to raise debt capital to support investment strategies and objectives. This includes a strong understanding of debt markets, financing structures, and negotiation skills to secure favorable terms.
Manage debt covenants.
Exit Storyteller: Validates the communication of Briefly’s vision to the next buyer via proof points in financial results and KPIs.
What You’ll Bring
Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance; MBA preferred.
8+ years of progressive experience within finance roles.
Proven experience as a CFO in a private equity-backed company, successfully leading the organization through a full exit strategy.
Experience in public accounting, consulting, or law firms preferred.
Experience within an operating company, preferably high growth.
FP&A experience; deep understanding of working capital management and forecasting.
Demonstrated history of streamlining processes, implementing strategic data dashboards, and optimizing efficiency.
M&A financial integration exposure; experience with financial integration in under 90 days.
Deep understanding of strategic finance and accounting; experience managing an audit.
History of strong relationships with lenders, auditors, investment bankers; experience managing debt covenants.
Deep understanding of strategic levers and KPIs to affect top and bottom line.
Track record of ability to attract, evaluate, retain, and develop A+ talent.
Personal Attributes
Adaptable; able to thrive in ambiguity.
Enthusiastic, personable, positive attitude, and high integrity.
Strong communication skills; even better listening skills.
Detail-oriented; deadline oriented with a sense of urgency.
People centric leadership style; ability to inspire confidence and create trust.
Propensity to clear roadblocks, mediating disputes, and celebrate successes.
Accountable – takes ownership for business performance; answers for challenges/failures.
Intellectual horsepower.
Willingness to roll up sleeves. Can plug into different parts of the business, being hands-on/an individual contributor.
Diligence and stamina. Ability to get things done and run through walls to achieve results
Scrappiness. Creative problem-solver, understands when to 80/20 vs. when to click deeper. Ability to achieve results with limited resources.
Can prioritize & juggle.
Bias for action. Generates outcomes and results even if it’s not perfect.
Focuses on the end result. No analysis paralysis.
Compensation & Benefits
● Competitive salary with company- sponsored benefits
● Bonus and equity
● Great medical and health benefits, vision, dental, and 401(k)
● Fully remote role with unlimited PTO
Briefly Legal anticipates the base salary to range from $250,000 - $325,000+ and will depend on current market data and the candidate’s qualifications for the role, including education and experience. The compensation described above is subject to change and could be higher or lower than the range described based on several factors. This role is also bonus and equity-eligible.
At Briefly Legal, we believe a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is integral to hiring exceptional people and creating enduring businesses. To inspire growth at our firm and throughout our portfolio, we strive to create an organization where every individual is celebrated, heard, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential. We will continuously look for ways to improve and evolve in our ever-changing world and we are committed to ensuring Briefly Legal is one of the best places to work for all by creating diverse teams, strengthening our culture of inclusion, and giving everyone an equitable opportunity to succeed.
Briefly Legal is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, breastfeeding, and conditions related to breastfeeding), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age (40 or over), physical or medical disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military and/or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable state or federal law. As an equal opportunity employer, we offer competitive compensation packages, robust benefits and professional growth opportunities aimed at helping to improve our employees' lives and careers.
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