ESOP Transaction Consultant, CPA

JOB TITLE: ESOP Transaction Consultant

DEPARTMENT: ESOP Consulting

REPORTS TO: Director of ESOP Consulting

About ESOP Partners, Inc.

ESOP Partners, Inc. is a third-party administration and consulting firm dedicated to providing a liquid business transition solution for owners of closely held businesses through the establishment, maintenance, and sustainability of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Our mission is to maximize the financial and cultural benefits of employee ownership by helping ESOP companies build strong, informed, and engaged employee ownership cultures.

We aspire to be nationally recognized as the leading ESOP firm in the country. We pursue this vision through our Core Values:

Seek to Understand – We identify the underlying reasons behind questions and actions and take ownership of continuous learning and improvement.

Manage Expectations – We proactively communicate clear, specific, and achievable objectives to create alignment and accountability.

Collaborate – We work together through constructive discussion and teamwork to achieve win-win outcomes.

Get Things Done – We prioritize, organize, and execute efficiently to deliver accurate and timely results.

Practice Professional Skepticism – We apply a questioning mindset to objectively analyze information for quality and accuracy.

Exhibit Mental Strength – We manage challenges with professionalism, resilience, and a solutions-oriented attitude.

Position Summary

The ESOP Transaction Consultant is a senior, client-facing role on the ESOP Consulting team responsible for converting completed ESOP feasibility studies into executed ESOP transactions.

This role assumes ownership of the client experience during the ESOP Partners Comprehensive ESOP Feasibility Study. Through this ESOP Partners’ proprietary process, the ESOP Transaction Consultant creates and presents financial modeling, advises on transaction structure, drives client commitment to proceed with an ESOP transaction and acts as the lead sell-side advisor once the commitment is obtained.

Position Details

Location: In-office position based in Appleton, Wisconsin

Position Type: Full-time | Exempt

Work Schedule: Average of 45 hours per week

Travel: Occasional travel may be warranted for clients desiring in-person presentations.

Key Accountabilities

Feasibility Creation, Presentation & Advisory

Manage and build client relationships

Understand your clients’ business and industry.

Prepare clear analytical outputs, schedules, and summaries for use in client-facing presentations.

Company valuation assumptions and transaction sizing

Cash flow and debt service capacity analysis

Repurchase obligation forecasts

Tax impact and contribution modeling

Run multiple transaction scenarios and sensitivity analyses to evaluate sustainability and risk.

Identify financial constraints, red flags, and limiting factors in proposed ESOP structures.

Document assumptions, methodologies, and conclusions to support defensibility and consistency.

Coordinate with valuation, tax, and administration teams to align assumptions and inputs.

Present and explain financial models, assumptions, scenarios, and conclusions to owners, management, boards, and advisors.

Translate complex modeling into clear, decision-oriented recommendations.

Guide clients through ESOP structure options, risks, and sustainability considerations.

Travel to client location for presentation, as needed.

Feasibility-to-Transaction Conversion

Own and be accountable for converting feasibility engagements into ESOP transaction sales.

Maintain momentum post-feasibility and manage objections, delays, and decision hurdles.

Coordinate scope, pricing, and engagement terms for ESOP transaction services.

Track and report feasibility-to-transaction conversion outcomes.

Sell-Side Advising

Manage client expectations throughout sale to ESOP

Lead negotiation to sell company to an ESOP

Collaborate with other ESOP Professionals to memorialize and facilitate agreed terms of sale, including post-transaction accounting advisory services.

Consult with client and their trusted advisors regarding preparation of financials prior to, and after the sale.

Client Relationship Management

Build trust and confidence through consistent, accurate communication.

Align client expectations with transaction timelines and requirements.

Internal Collaboration

Partner with other consultants to fully understand modeling outputs and assumptions and execute transaction.

Coordinate with valuation, legal, administration, and lender partners, prior to and during the transaction.

Act as Subject Matter Expert in sales meetings

Present ESOP educational material to trusted advisors in collaboration with sales team

Strategic Growth

Actively build partnerships with professional partners.

Provide subject matter expertise in various sales situations and professional presentations.

Consistently perform all duties in alignment with ESOP Partners’ Core Values

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Economics, or related field.

10+ years of experience in accounting, transaction advisory, or complex financial services for small businesses.

Demonstrated ability to present and defend financial models to executive-level audiences.

Proven success driving client decisions in multi-stakeholder environments.

Preferred

CEPA, CFA, CPA, ASA, or similar credentials.

Experience working with closely held businesses and ownership transition planning.

Core Competencies

Organized, detail-oriented and comfortable managing deadlines.

Proactive problem-solver who is focused on bringing forward solutions.

Collaborative, positive and comfortable working as part of a team.

A strategic and logical thinker who can provide council to our clients in delivering best in class solutions for ESOPs

Confident communicator and presenter, able to build strong, trusted relationships with clients.

Strong attention to detail with the ability to multitask and deliver in a high-pressure environment.

A curious and entrepreneurial mind with a focus on strategy for our clients.

Strong executive-level communication & presentation

Ability to educate around a variety of complex topics

Consultative transaction selling

Financial Acumen

Client decision facilitation

Cross-functional leadership

Physical and Cognitive Requirements

Ability to sit for extended periods and work at a computer

Ability to analyze complex information and exercise sound judgment

Ability to maintain focus and accuracy in a deadline-driven environment

Performance Expectations

Performance in this role will be evaluated based on:

High conversion rates from completed feasibility studies to executed ESOP transactions.

Clients who clearly understand their ESOP options and confidently commit to next steps.

Client satisfaction rate for both feasibility and transaction consulting, as measured by NPS.

Provide a streamlined and smooth process for all feasibility and transaction clientele.

Strong collaboration across consulting, sales, and execution teams.

Accountability and ownership of assigned responsibilities

Adherence to ESOP Partners’ Core Values

Effectiveness of communication and collaboration