Transaction Accountant, Finance & Accounting Advisory Services

About this role

The Role
Every acquisition a PE sponsor closes creates an immediate accounting event with lasting financial consequences. The Opening Balance Sheet and purchase price allocation don't just satisfy a compliance requirement. They establish the foundation for how a portfolio company reports earnings, measures goodwill, and communicates financial performance to investors and auditors for years to come.
This role exists at that critical intersection. As a Manager in our Finance & Accounting Advisory Services (FAAS) practice, you will own the technical execution of ASC 805 purchase accounting and Opening Balance Sheet preparation for PE-backed portfolio companies navigating post-close accounting. You'll be the person sponsors and controllers depend on to translate complex deal structures into clean, defensible, audit-ready financial records, on a timeline that doesn't wait.
This is not a staff augmentation seat. You will manage workstreams independently, collaborate directly with portfolio company finance teams and third-party valuation specialists, and ensure every deliverable meets the standard of precision that PE investors and their auditors demand. You'll also contribute to shaping how our growing FAAS practice approaches transaction accounting, building methodology, templates, and intellectual capital as we scale.
Why Intrinsic
Technical depth over breadth: you'll specialize in work that carries real consequence, not shuffle between generic advisory tasks.
Direct access to sponsors and portfolio leadership: no layers between you and the stakeholders who depend on your work.
Hybrid flexibility: based in Denver or Chicago with remote options and meaningful work-from-anywhere policies.
Growth trajectory: a clear development path from Manager to Director within a high-impact practice at an inflection point.
What You'll Do
ASC 805 Purchase Accounting and Opening Balance Sheet Execution
You are the technical lead on post-close accounting for acquisitions. You ensure that every OBS bridge, journal entry, and technical memo is accurate, well-documented, and defensible under audit scrutiny:
Lead purchase price allocation (PPA) execution under ASC 805, including fair value measurement, goodwill calculation, and identification of acquired intangible assets.
Prepare and reconcile Opening Balance Sheet bridges for acquisitions and divestitures, translating deal mechanics into GAAP-compliant financial records.
Draft and review technical accounting memoranda for business combinations and divestitures, ensuring conclusions are clearly reasoned and audit-ready.
Book acquisition-related journal entries and post-close adjustments with precision; coordinate with controllers to ensure proper integration into the general ledger.
Develop and maintain GAAP-compliant calculations for purchase accounting, bargain purchase assessments, measurement period adjustments, and related disclosures.
Coordinate with third-party valuation specialists to align fair value inputs with accounting conclusions and ensure consistency across deliverables.
Hands-On Post-Close Accounting Execution
This role requires comfort operating inside a portfolio company's accounting function, not just advising from the outside:
Work directly in client ERPs and close processes to support timely booking of acquisition accounting entries.
Help management teams translate deal terms into practical journal entries, reconciliations, and close checklists.
Make judgment calls when information is imperfect, documenting conclusions while keeping the close moving.
Bridge the gap between technically correct and operationally executable accounting in lean finance environments.
Technical Guidance and Stakeholder Coordination
You don't just execute; you advise. When portfolio company controllers encounter unfamiliar deal structures or ambiguous GAAP treatment, you provide the technical clarity they need to move forward with confidence:
Serve as a technical resource on complex accounting issues arising from business combinations, including contingent consideration, earn-outs, step acquisitions, and carve-out transactions.
Collaborate with controllers, FP&A teams, and external auditors to ensure accurate post-close financial reporting and smooth audit cycles.
Partner with controllers and CFOs to evaluate accounting alternatives, explain implications, and support informed decision-making under tight timelines.
Serve as a thought partner to management teams who may be encountering ASC 805 complexity for the first time.
Provide guidance on ASC 805 compliance requirements, emerging standards, and practical application in middle-market PE environments.
Anticipate audit questions and prepare supporting documentation proactively, not reactively.
Project Management and Practice Contribution
Manage multiple concurrent workstreams independently, setting timelines, tracking deliverables, and communicating progress to engagement leadership and client stakeholders.
Deliver high-quality work under tight deal-driven deadlines without sacrificing accuracy or documentation standards.
Contribute to FAAS practice development: help refine OBS/PPA templates, build internal playbooks, and share knowledge that raises the team's technical capability.
Provide coaching and feedback to Associates and Senior Associates on transaction accounting methodology and workpaper quality.
What Makes You a Fit
You bring deep transaction accounting expertise
5 or more years of progressive experience in Big 4 FAAS/Deals, national advisory, or in-house technical accounting with significant exposure to ASC 805 purchase accounting in PE-backed or acquisitive environments.
Proven track record leading PPA execution, OBS preparation, and technical accounting memoranda for business combinations and divestitures. You have done this work, not just reviewed it.
Authoritative command of US GAAP as applied to business combinations: fair value measurement, goodwill, intangible asset identification, contingent…