SVP of Accounting

(Job ID: 2023)

Greater Los Angeles, California

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Retail

$275,000 – $300,000 base

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Overview

A publicly traded fashion company rooted in sustainable design is elevating its accounting leadership to meet the rigor of public company standards. This senior finance role reports directly to the CFO and leads a 48-person accounting organization through a critical phase of technical and operational maturity. The position offers a chance to shape financial reporting, inventory accounting, and cross-functional collaboration within a brand known for eco-conscious apparel and a complex product cycle.

Title: SVP of Accounting
Industry: Sustainable Fashion Apparel
Location: Greater Los Angeles

Responsibilities

Oversee the full spectrum of accounting operations, ensuring compliance with public company reporting requirements and GAAP standards.
Lead month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes with a focus on accuracy and timeliness of financial statements.
Manage inventory and product accounting practices aligned with the fashion industry’s seasonal drop cycles and evolving business needs.
Drive improvements in technical accounting rigor, bridging gaps between private company practices and public company expectations.
Collaborate closely with FP&A, HR, marketing, and merchandising teams to support integrated financial planning and operational decision-making.
Coach and develop senior managers and directors, fostering a high-performing team culture within a relatively flat organizational structure.
Ensure robust controls and audit readiness, partnering with internal and external auditors to uphold transparency and compliance.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Experience in public accounting or within a publicly traded company environment, with a strong grasp of financial reporting and audit procedures.
- Proven leadership managing mid-sized accounting teams, including senior managers and directors.
- Deep knowledge of inventory and product accounting, particularly relevant to retail or fashion sectors.
- Demonstrated ability to elevate accounting functions from private to public company standards.
- Comfortable working cross-functionally with finance, HR, and commercial teams to align accounting with broader business goals.
Nice-to-Have:
- CPA certification or equivalent professional accounting credential.
- Experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite or SAP in a retail or consumer goods context.
- Background in managing accounting teams through periods of organizational change or growth.
- Familiarity with sustainability-focused business models or eco-conscious product lines.

SVP of Accounting — Greater Los Angeles, California | Pacific Executive Search

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Accounting Manager hires fail?
Because companies hire for close execution when the real need is issue ownership and team leadership. Many candidates can manage a checklist. Far fewer can stabilize the function under pressure, improve weak processes, coach staff, and hold the line during audit, turnover, or reporting stress.
What are strong Accounting Manager candidates evaluating during the interview process?
They are usually trying to understand whether they are walking into a stable environment, a cleanup situation, or an under-resourced function. Strong candidates do not just evaluate title and compensation. They assess whether success is realistically achievable and whether leadership understands what the accounting team actually needs.
Why does ERP experience matter so much in roles like this?
Because many accounting and finance roles are really process-and-systems roles disguised as job titles. A candidate may know the accounting, but if they cannot operate effectively inside the company's environment, ramp time becomes risk. Exact system match is not always mandatory, but comparable complexity often is.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.
Is the CPA really required for roles like this?
Sometimes yes, and often functionally yes even when the posting says "preferred." At leadership levels especially, the CPA frequently acts as a credibility signal for hiring managers, auditors, lenders, investors, or boards. There are exceptions, but in many accounting searches it remains one of the clearest markers of technical foundation.