Chief Growth Officer

Schneider Downs is a forward-thinking professional services firm committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients through a wide range of services, including accounting, tax, audit, and consulting. Our client roster includes a diverse blend of well-established national and regional businesses both publicly and privately owned – as well as not-for-profits and exciting start-ups. With a strong team-oriented culture and a clear 2030 Vision, we aim to accelerate growth and achieve sustainable success by leveraging focused, measurable, and scalable strategies. Our firm is at a pivotal moment of transformation, seeking to enhance our sales capabilities, align our growth initiatives, and solidify our competitive position in an evolving market. As we embark on this journey, we are looking for a dynamic leader to drive our ambitious goals forward.

As the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) , you will be a key member of Schneider Downs’ leadership team and Operating Committee, reporting directly to the CEO. This is a new role in the firm designed to spearhead the firm’s growth strategy as we move the sales and growth initiatives of our 2030 Vision into action. This role will be responsible for enabling sales and marketing initiatives for regional and national services, industries and core markets. The CGO must understand the complexities of a professional services firm, navigating the nuances of shareholder dynamics, balancing individual and collective accountability, and fostering collaboration across practices to achieve firm-wide growth objectives.

The CGO will blend strategic vision with hands-on execution, leading the implementation of a comprehensive growth roadmap that addresses critical areas such as sales process optimization, technology enablement, team alignment, and account management. This position requires a transformative leader who can inspire change, align diverse stakeholders in a matrixed environment, and establish a culture of accountability and results while respecting the firm’s shareholder-led model and team-oriented ethos.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Leadership & Vision Development :

• Articulate and champion a compelling “Why” for growth that aligns with our 2030 Vision, inspiring commitment across the organization.
• Finalize and implement a Growth Team organizational structure, defining clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations for shareholders, marketing, and sales teams.
• Evaluate and prioritize high-potential growth channels, calculating revenue potential and defining channel-specific tactics to achieve ambitious targets.
• Formulate and implement strategies to drive growth and expansion, including monitoring and analyzing market trends to inform strategic decisions and adjust growth strategies as needed entering new markets and launching new services.
• Identify new business opportunities and growth areas, leveraging market trends and customer insights.
• Develop and manage a budget for growth initiatives, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Ability to articulate the growth plan and priorities to the Board, Operating Committee, and shareholders.

Planning, Forecasting, & Accountability :

• Strengthen annual planning with data-driven rigor, ensuring buy-in across all practices and implementing uniform pipeline management in CRM for reliable forecasting.
• Drive regular re-forecasting and introduce predictive models to enable proactive decision-making and course corrections.
• Own the growth plan, supporting Practice leaders in holding teams accountable to targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) while navigating shareholder accountability dynamics.

Sales Enablement & Execution :

• Develop and oversee the firm’s sales process and enablement methods for prospecting, lead management, optimal CRM utilization and pipeline tracking that align with the firm’s strategic growth channels and drive consistent execution.
• Lead teams across markets for sales and development activities to execute growth initiatives.
• Track and measure the effectiveness of growth strategies, making necessary adjustments to achieve targets.
• Establish a Business Development Center of Excellence and sales methodology and training to foster collaboration, share insights, and reinforce a growth mindset.

Technology & Process Integration :

• Partner with IT and operational teams to enhance Dynamics CRM adoption, ensuring it supports sales efficiency and data consistency.
• Oversee the deep-dive assessment of CRM capabilities and develop a remediation roadmap to unlock its full potential.

Account Management & Client Growth :

• Build and roll out an Account Management capability for strategic accounts, focusing on retention, expansion, and long-term partnerships through proactive value delivery and relationship-building.

Marketing Strategy & Marketing Team Oversight :

• In addition to leading sales and business development efforts, the CGO will oversee the Marketing team, ensuring alignment between marketing strategies and sales goals to maximize brand impact and lead generation.
• Lead and manage the Marketing team, aligning their efforts with sales objectives to drive brand awareness, demand generation, and increased marketing-qualified leads (MQLs).
• Establish a cohesive strategy that integrates marketing campaigns, content development, and lead follow-up processes to support top-of-funnel growth.
• Optimize marketing resource allocation to prioritize high-impact initiatives that align with the firm’s strategic growth channels.

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Involvement :

• Participate as a member of the leadership team in identifying and evaluating strategic M&A opportunities that enhance Schneider Downs’ service offerings, client base, or geographic reach in support of the 2030 Vision.
• Collaborate with leadership and external advisors to conduct due diligence, assess cultural and operational fit, and develop integration plans for acquired entities.
• Drive post-M&A execution to ensure seamless alignment with the firm’s growth strategy and operational framework.

What You’ll Need

Experience :

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in sales, business development, or growth strategy, with a strong preference for experience in the professional services industry (e.g., accounting, consulting, or legal services).
• Demonstrated success working within a model where equity-holding shareholders manage practices and contribute to sales efforts with varying levels of skill and capacity.
• Proven track record of designing and executing growth strategies that deliver measurable revenue increases in complex, partner-driven environments.
• Hands-on experience with CRM systems (Microsoft Dynamics preferred) and sales process optimization.

Skills & Competencies :

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans and execute with precision.
• Deep understanding of professional services dynamics, including the nuances of partner equity, practice autonomy, and collective accountability for growth.
• Exceptional leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared growth agenda.
• Expertise in sales and marketing strategy and methods, including demand generation, branding, business development to integrate marketing with sales objectives.
• Proficiency in M&A activities, with the ability to assess strategic fit, and drive post-acquisition growth.
• Understanding of the need for change management during a transformational effort and adept at inspiring teams and managing resistance in a shareholder-driven firm.
• Data-driven decision-maker with experience in forecasting, pipeline management, and predictive analytics.

Personal Attributes :

• Results-oriented with a balance of strategic vision and tactical execution.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in a fast-paced, shareholder-led environment.
• Passionate about fostering a growth mindset and building a collaborative, high-performing team culture while respecting shareholder autonomy.

Education :

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.An MBA or advanced degree is preferred.

Why Join Schneider Downs?

This is an opportunity to contribute to the future growth of a respected firm at a transformative moment. As the Chief Growth Officer, you will lead the development of a best-in-class growth engine and work as part of a collaborative and dedicated leadership team. We offer a competitive compensation package, a supportive culture, and the chance to drive meaningful change.