Director of Client Accounting & Financial Operations

Company Overview

Every firm has a culture – the values, beliefs, methodology, attitudes and standards that reflect an organization’s DNA. But the truly inspiring firms – the game-changers, the industry leaders and the disruptors – have cultures that propel them to innovate and stand out. At Brown Advisory, we aim to be one of those inspired firms. Over the years, we have purposefully built and nurtured our client-first culture.

Brown Advisory is an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm committed to delivering a combination of first-class performance, strategic advice and the highest level of client service. The firm’s clients—including individuals, families, family offices, endowments, foundations, charities, institutions, consultants, and financial intermediaries—are served by over 1,000 colleagues worldwide, all of whom are equity owners of the firm.

Job Summary

The Director of Client Accounting and Financial Operations is responsible for leading the accounting, financial and operational delivery of services to the office’s clients, including the primary anchor family. As the existing single-family office transitions into a multi-family office within Brown Advisory (Company), this role will provide financial and operational leadership to support the integration of the office into the Company’s broader platform, standards, systems, processes, and service model.

A successful hire will bring strong accounting and financial expertise to oversee financial operations and outsourced accounting and tax providers, ensuring that financial activities are accurate, timely, well-controlled, and aligned with company standards. Working closely with the Head of Family Office Advisory, the Director will have primary internal oversight of accounting, tax coordination, financial reporting, cash management, banking, and related financial operations.

The role will coordinate with outsourced accounting and tax providers, banks, custodians, investment professionals, and other external advisors. While technical accounting and tax matters may be performed by external specialists, the Director will retain internal ownership of financial workflows, quality control, provider relationships, reporting, deliverables, and follow-through.

The position also serves as the senior leader for client relationships and financial service delivery, including supporting new client onboarding and ensuring that client-specific needs and requirements are effectively incorporated into the office’s operations.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting and Financial Operations:

Maintain and enhance accounting policies and internal controls to support the evolving needs of clients.

Serve as the day-to-day liaison with outsourced financial and technology partners to ensure smooth operations and data integrity.

Master and administer accounting systems and tools to support consistent workflows and visibility into financial data for management reporting and individualized reporting to clients.

Monitor compliance with accounting standards and best practices, escalating issues and updates, as needed.

Lead the preparation of accurate and timely financial statements, including reports tailored to family member preferences.

Manage cash flow, budgeting, and forecasting processes across entities in coordination with the clients’ goals and planning.

Provide detailed financial reporting and analysis to support executive-level decision-making and long-range planning.

Serve as an internal resource for accounting matters and identify issues, requiring additional technical expertise.

Ensure financial records and supporting documentation are maintained in an organized and appropriate manner.

Banking and Treasury Management:

Oversee banking, treasury, and other cash management activities, in collaboration with outsourced service providers.

Oversee cash positions and inter-entity transfers to ensure liquidity, in support of overall financial positioning.

Maintain banking relationships and implement controls to safeguard assets, manage authorized signers, account administration, and service matters.

Maintain visibility into recurring and significant cash obligations and upcoming funding requirements.

Ensure all stakeholders and providers are aligned in processes, workflows, oversight, administration, authorities, etc. maintain appropriate oversight of bank accounts, authorized signers, and banking documentation.

Legal and Risk Oversigh t:

Coordinate with legal counsel on matters of entity structure, compliance, and insurance.

Periodically review risk exposures and present findings to facilitate timely action and approvals.

Technology Oversigh t:

Supervise implementation and maintenance of accounting, reporting, and operational systems in partnership with outsourced providers.

Act as the internal administrator of financial technology tools, ensuring the team and clients (when appropriate) have access to timely and accurate reporting dashboards, document retention, etc.

Provide recommendations for technology enhancements that support greater operational efficiency and security.

Tax and Estate Coordination :

Oversee client’s tax compliance and tax-related activities in coordination with external tax advisors.

Monitor tax filings, estimates, extensions, and other significant tax deadlines to ensure timely completion.

Coordinate trust and estate administration tasks, ensuring compliance and documentation are in place, in support of outsourced providers and the PFTC.

Maintain visibility into significant tax matters and facilitate resolution of tax-related questions and issues, involving external tax advisors, as appropriate.

Outsourced Partner Management :

Serve as the primary internal relationship manager for outsourced accounting, tax, trust, and other key financial service providers.

Maintain ongoing communication with custodians, banks, insurance brokers, outsourced accounting firm, software vendors, and other service providers to ensure execution is coordinated and aligned.

Ensure all partner relationships are effectively managed and ensure there is visibility into key activities and outcomes.

Establish clear expectations for service levels, deliverables, timelines, quality, communication, and accountability.

Investment Support :

Partner with the OCIO team to assist in operational efficiencies and workflows in support of client investment portfolios.

Track investment-related account activity and reporting cycles to ensure integration with broader financial reporting.

Identify data gaps and address compliance or tracking needs.

Private Family Trust Company (PFTC) :

Collaborate with outside trust administration service provider and support needs for information.

Work with service provider to maintain the budget and reporting needs for the PFTC legal entity.

Coordinate meetings, communications with Committee Members, and each stakeholder.

Regularly meet with all stakeholders to ensure dialogue, productive workflows and needs are met.

Client Relationship Management :

Provide senior-level oversight of client relationships and the delivery of financial and operational services, ensuring a consistent, responsive, and high-quality client experience.

Maintain direct relationships with clients and serve as a senior point of contact for significant financial, accounting, tax, banking, reporting, and operational matters.

Maintain a strong understanding of client needs, financial structures, priorities, preferences, and service requirements.

Oversee the timely resolution of significant or complex client requests and ensure appropriate follow-through across the office and external advisors.

Oversee coordination of accounting, tax, banking, reporting, and other financial deliverables to ensure client requirements are met accurately and on a timely basis.

Participate in client meeting