Vice President of Finance
MERU
Vice President of Finance
MERU
Turnaround and restructuring advisory services
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: https://wearemeru.com/meru-way/
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
Monthly, review the firm’s payroll run to ensure accuracy and compliance with state withholding requirements
Partner Compensation
Quarterly: review client receivables withheld from prior year partner compensation and prepare disbursements for amounts cleared for payment
Annually: guide the partner compensation process with the compensation committee and partner group, including scheduling and facilitating the process
Prepare partner compensation statistics for use by the committee; field questions and provide analytical support throughout the process
Calculate preliminary partner compensation by partner, based on agreed metrics and ratings, for committee review and approval
NetSuite Implementation & Systems Integration
Serve as the primary finance stakeholder for Meru’s ongoing NetSuite ERP implementation, driving the project to completion in partnership with the COO and implementation partner (Chartered)
Own integration of NetSuite with Meru’s existing technology ecosystem — Rippling (payroll and HR), Expensify (expense management), Harvest (time tracking), and Power BI (reporting)
Lead migration of historical financial data from legacy systems (Harvest, Xero, and Power BI) into NetSuite, establishing clean data standards going forward
Own ongoing system administration, user training, and continuous improvement post go-live, identifying opportunities to automate and streamline financial workflows
Leadership & Strategic Support
Directly manage and develop the Director of Finance and Staff Accountant; provide functional leadership across the entire Finance team, setting priorities, reviewing work products, and ensuring accountability to deadlines and quality standards
Lead periodic Home Office calls and meetings; identify cross-functional opportunities for collaboration
Act as a strategic financial advisor to the COO and senior leadership on firm growth, profitability, and investment decisions
Review vendor and strategic partner contracts from a risk mitigation and cost optimization perspective; manage contracts and ensure proper storage on the firm’s network
Support the COO’s risk management function, including conflict check processes, engagement risk assessment, and firmwide compliance initiatives
Manage the firm’s Profits Interests Unit (PIU) program, including tracking grants, grant pricing, and ensuring proper contracting at time of grant
Manage the firm’s annual valuation process and create the firm’s 5 to 10 year projection model in conjunction with firm leadership
Support business development and client delivery teams with financial modeling, engagement economics, and ad hoc analysis
Collaborate across the firm’s functional teams and provide support around budget to actual analysis, contracting review, and other assistance required internally
Lead the firm’s conflict and risk mitigation efforts through implementation and management of firmwide conflict check and risk assessment processes
Overview of MERU Service Lines
Performance Improvement
Help companies identify and achieve their full potential by leveraging a value-focused approach to driving sustainable margin expansion impact. Services include MERU 360° Assessment, Transformation Plan Development, Chief Transformation Officer placement, Cash Cycle and Working Capital Optimization, and Implementation Performance Management.
Turnaround & Restructuring
Partner with clients during uncertain times to help stabilize operations and rapidly triage the causes of financial distress, charting a path back to long-term sustainability. Services include Interim Management, Turnaround Plan Development and Execution, Liquidity Management, Stakeholder Negotiations, Strategic Alternatives Assessment, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Case Management.
Transaction Services
Partner with private equity firms across the investment lifecycle, from due diligence to portfolio value creation and exit planning. Services include Due Diligence, Pre-Close Planning, Post-Close Implementation, and Exit Planning.
Data Insights
Work with companies at all stages of their digital transformation journey to automate reporting processes, build scalable data platforms, and leverage predictive analytics to transform data from a liability into an asset. Services include Data Discovery and Analysis, Data Prep and Integration, Self-Service Analytics, Data Visualization and Reporting, Data Science and Advanced Analytics, and Strategy Enablement.
Voluntary Inclusion
It is MERU’s policy to provide and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, pregnancy, marital status, family status, religion, national origin, age or disability or any other non-merit based factor in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Unsolicited Resumes from Third-Party Recruiters
Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters are engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person, or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that MERU will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person, or entity.
MERU fixes middle-market companies through turnaround and restructuring, focusing on operations, finance, and balance sheets during distress. Its services include Transaction Services (operational due diligence, finance function assessment, dashboards/KPIs, initiative delivery, first-100-days planning), Performance Improvement (360 assessment for EBITDA and balance-sheet potential, transformation plans, Interim Chief Transformation Officer, cash-cycle optimization), and Turnaround/Restructuring (liquidity management, strategic options, communications, Chief Restructuring Officer, contingency planning, Chapter 11). It differentiates itself with senior leaders from top turnaround firms, a bench of 150+ operator experts, a flexible performance-based fee aligned to outcomes, and an operator mindset that works hands-on with management. The goal is to deliver superior results for middle-market clients by fixing operations and guiding complex restructurings with practical leadership.
Explore more opportunities at MERU