Senior Director of Finance

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role

The Senior Director of Finance is a newly created role leading the financial management of the firm. The position reports to the Executive Committee (the Managing Partner and two Deputy Managing Partners) and works alongside the Senior Director of Operations as an equal peer.

The Senior Director of Finance takes responsibility for the firm-wide budget, partner compensation, practice-area and client-level profitability, and the financial controls, compliance, and reporting that make firm performance legible at the leadership layer. The role builds the financial management capability the firm needs for its current size and complexity. It brings vision and business judgment to the firm’s economics, setting the goals and key metrics that protect margin as the firm grows, and it owns the discipline of measuring return on the firm’s investments, including business development spend.

Transition Phase (through December 31, 2026)

The successful candidate joins while the current Managing Director remains in place through December 31, 2026. That overlap supports direct knowledge transfer, completion of the financial process inventory and risk audit, and establishment of the Executive Committee operating rhythm alongside the incoming Senior Director of Operations.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Executive Committee (Managing Partner and two Deputy Managing Partners)

• Day-to-day partner contact: Managing Partner

• Counterpart role: Senior Director of Operations. The two roles report equally to the Executive Committee.

• Direct reports: The finance team (the Staff Accountant, billing and collections, partner compensation administration, and financial reporting) and the Senior Manager of Business Development. The incoming Senior Director will assess the finance team and recommend the structure needed to deliver.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership with the Executive Committee

• Own the firm’s annual budget process, from development through partner adoption and ongoing management

• Build and maintain the firm’s financial planning and forecasting capability

• Establish firm-level KPIs and the year-over-year metrics that protect margin and net revenue as costs rise

• Provide financial decision support to the Executive Committee on growth investments, lateral acquisitions, multi-office expansion, and capital projects

• Develop and present the financial dashboards and reporting cadence that make firm performance visible to the Executive Committee

• Coordinate closely with the Senior Director of Operations on shared accountabilities, including workforce planning, major vendor contracts, and growth-related expenditures

Practice Economics and Profitability

• Build and own the firm’s practice-area and client-level profitability analysis

• Surface profitability issues to the Executive Committee with recommendations on client mix, pricing, staffing, and practice-area resource allocation

• Bring a data-driven view of which areas of business strengthen the firm’s margins, and support the partnership in acting on it

• Support practice group leaders with the financial insight to manage their books of business

Partner Compensation

• Oversee the administration of the firm’s partner compensation structure, including the credits-based allocation among originating, working, and supervising attorneys

• Model the financial implications of decisions affecting compensation, including lateral hires, new partner admissions, and practice-area changes

• Lead analysis and, if directed by the Executive Committee, redesign of the partner compensation model

• Ensure transparency and partner understanding of the compensation system

Business Development Oversight

• Supervise the Senior Manager of Business Development, setting the expectation that marketing and business development spend is measured against strategy and ROI

• Evaluate the strategy behind proposed spend, not dollars alone, recognizing that some investments may have a delayed or indirect ROI

• Partner with the Senior Director of Operations on the implementation and relationship dimensions of business development

Financial Operations and Controls

• Oversee the firm’s complex financial architecture, including its bank accounts, partner credits, 401(k), trust accounts, and self-insured benefit plans

• Maintain three-way financial controls and ongoing compliance with banking, tax, and regulatory requirements

• Own the firm’s billing and collections function, including the relationships with the firm’s accounting, audit, and banking partners

• Drive process documentation and continuous improvement across financial operations

People and Team Development

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing finance team, including the billing department and the roles that report into finance

• Directly manage the Staff Accountant, who performs the firm’s day-to-day accounting and the monthly partner-compensation calculations

• Establish performance management standards and development pathways for finance staff

• Partner with the Senior Director of Operations and the HR function on cross-functional workforce planning

Risk and Compliance

• Own financial risk management and the firm’s relationships with audit, tax, and compliance partners

• Maintain business continuity and disaster recovery planning for financial systems and data

• Manage the firm’s exposure on trust accounting, safe harbor, and other regulated financial obligations

Year One Transition Priorities

• Complete direct knowledge transfer from the departing Managing Director

• Finalize the financial process inventory and risk audit

• Stand up the firm-wide budget process

• Establish the practice-area and client-level profitability framework

• Assess the finance team, including billing, and recommend the structure needed to deliver

• Establish a working rhythm with the Senior Director of Operations

• Develop the multi-year roadmap for partner compensation review

Decision-Making Authority

This role carries clear decision rights, structured in three tiers, parallel to the Senior Director of Operations. The role manages its own team with real independence and brings hiring, termination, and firm-level commitments into collaboration with the Executive Committee.

Decides independently (within budget and policy)

• Day-to-day management of the finance team, including performance coaching and development

• Day-to-day financial operating priorities

• Vendor selection and contracts up to $10,000

• Process and policy changes within the finance function

Decides in collaboration with the Senior Director of Operations and/or the Executive Committee

• Hiring and termination of finance staff within span of control

• Expenditures from $10,000 to $50,000

• Role redesigns and organizational changes within the finance function

• Significant changes to financial systems or vendors

• Compensation philosophy changes for finance staff

Recommends to the partnership for vote

• Expenditures above $50,000

• Anything affecting partner compensation

• Anything affecting firm-wide strategic direction

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive financial leadership experience, including at least 3 years in a senior finance management role

• A demonstrated record of financial vision and business judgment: setting KPIs and goals, evaluating practice and client economics, and informing leadership decisions, beyond maintaining the books

• Direct experience in a law firm or other partnership-structured organization, or cross-industry financial leadership with demonstrated fluency in professional services culture

• Demonstrated experience with complex compensation structures, ideally partnership credits-based or formula-driven models

• Track record of building financial management infrastructure: budget processes, profitability analysis, financial controls, and reporting

• Strong project management discipline, particularly in regulated or compliance-driven environments

• Experience working with senior leaders in settings where authority is earned through judgment and influence

• High emotional intelligence and political astuteness across multiple senior stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct law firm senior finance experience at a firm of comparable size and complexity

• Experience standing up new functions or capabilities, particularly in succession or growth contexts

• CPA or equivalent professional credential

• Familiarity with self-insured benefit administration, trust accounts, and multi-entity financial structures

A growing, progressive law firm with 33 attorneys, 17 paralegals, and 40+ support staff working together in a collaborative environment.
About Gross McGinley
Founded in 1976, Gross McGinley is a full-service law firm headquartered in Allentown, with additional offices in Easton, Stroudsburg, and Philadelphia. The firm includes 43 attorneys and a non-attorney staff of approximately 57, serving regional and national clients across a broad practice mix. The firm has grown meaningfully over recent years, and in 2026 it marks both its 50th anniversary and a generational leadership transition.

Company Description

A growing, progressive law firm with 33 attorneys, 17 paralegals, and 40+ support staff working together in a collaborative environment.\nAbout Gross McGinley\nFounded in 1976, Gross McGinley is a full-service law firm headquartered in Allentown, with additional offices in Easton, Stroudsburg, and Philadelphia. The firm includes 43 attorneys and a non-attorney staff of approximately 57, serving regional and national clients across a broad practice mix. The firm has grown meaningfully over recent years, and in 2026 it marks both its 50th anniversary and a generational leadership transition.