About the Role

Supporting Strategies works with clients who rely on us to keep their financial operations clear, organized, and running smoothly. A strong client relationship starts with a strong implementation.

The Director, Client Implementation owns the process of moving new clients from signed agreement into active delivery. This role makes sure each client is set up correctly, expectations are clear, systems and access are ready, workflows are documented, and the receiving Portfolio Manager has what they need to support the client successfully.

This role also manages internal client transitions between portfolios, making sure clients experience continuity and teams have the information they need before taking ownership.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone with strong accounting experience, good project discipline, and the ability to work across Sales, Delivery, Technology, and internal support teams. The goal is simple: clients should start clean, teams should be prepared, and portfolios should be built in a way that supports long-term service quality, retention, and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

New Client Implementation

• Own the client implementation process from sales handoff through transition into active delivery.
• Make sure scope, expectations, systems, contacts, access, and recurring workflows are clearly understood before the client moves into steady-state service.
• Keep the client informed during implementation, maintain clear expectations, communicate progress, and work with the right internal teams to remove blockers before they create confusion or delay.
• Coordinate with Sales, Portfolio Managers, and internal teams to make sure the implementation plan reflects what was sold and what the client actually needs.
• Identify gaps, risks, or unclear expectations early and work with the right people to resolve them.
• Make sure each implementation follows Supporting Strategies’ delivery standards while allowing for reasonable client-specific needs.
• Confirm that the receiving Portfolio Manager has the information, documentation, and setup needed to support the client successfully.

Client Transitions

• Manage internal client transitions between portfolios or delivery teams.
• Make sure the outgoing and incoming teams complete a clean handoff.
• Preserve important client history, workflow details, system access, deadlines, and known issues.
• Help make transitions feel seamless to the client.
• Reduce disruption, rework, and avoidable confusion during account moves.

Portfolio Readiness

• Support Portfolio Managers as they take on new clients or grow their books of business.
• Help new Portfolio Managers understand the implementation approach, client setup, workflow design, and handoff expectations.
• Make sure clients are not handed off before the receiving team is ready.
• Look for patterns across implementations that may create downstream delivery issues.
• Help improve the way portfolios are built so they are sustainable for the team and profitable for the business.

Accounting Systems and Workflow Setup

• Review client books, workflows, and accounting systems during implementation.
• Help identify cleanup needs, chart of accounts issues, access gaps, workflow concerns, or system setup problems before handoff.
• Coordinate setup and support for client-facing tools such as QuickBooks Online, Ramp, Bill.com, Rippling, and related platforms.
• Lead implementation support team members and coordinate with internal specialists, contractors, or technology resources when complex setup, cleanup, transition work, or integration support is needed.
• Make sure system setup and workflow decisions are documented clearly for the delivery team.

Documentation and Handoff

• Make sure each implementation includes clear documentation for the receiving team.
• Maintain consistent implementation checklists, handoff notes, workflow documentation, and setup records.
• Confirm that recurring deadlines, responsibilities, system access, and client-specific details are visible and accurate.
• Reduce reliance on informal knowledge transfer or one-off explanations.
• Improve documentation over time based on what teams actually need after handoff.
• Manage and support the implementation team, including roles such as Client Systems Specialist and Client Project Coordinator.
• Assign work, monitor progress, remove blockers, and keep implementation tasks moving.
• Set clear expectations for follow-up, documentation, communication, and handoff quality.
• Coach team members on client setup, project coordination, system support, and delivery readiness.
• Build a practical, consistent implementation function that supports Delivery without creating unnecessary process for its own sake.

Process Improvement

• Use implementation and transition work to identify recurring issues, bottlenecks, or avoidable rework.
• Recommend improvements to workflows, documentation, systems, and handoff practices.
• Partner with Delivery, Technology, and Operations where needed to improve how work moves from sale to service.
• Help reduce manual work and improve consistency across client implementations.
• Keep the focus on better client starts, clearer handoffs, and stronger delivery outcomes.

What You Bring

• Strong accounting knowledge and practical experience working with client financial operations.
• Experience with QuickBooks Online and other cloud-based accounting or finance tools.
• The ability to understand how client workflows, accounting systems, access, deadlines, and team responsibilities fit together.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to keep multiple implementations moving at once.
• Good judgment about when to standardize and when a client-specific adjustment is reasonable.
• Clear communication and strong follow-through.
• Comfort working across teams and asking direct questions when something is unclear.
• The ability to identify risks early and push for resolution before problems move downstream.
• A practical, service-minded approach to supporting both clients and internal teams.
• The confidence to protect implementation standards without making the process unnecessarily rigid.

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of accounting, bookkeeping, controller, client service, or implementation experience.
• Experience in outsourced accounting, CAS, bookkeeping, or professional services.
• Experience leading client onboarding, implementation, account transitions, or delivery handoffs.
• Experience managing direct reports or coordinating the work of a small team.
• Strong experience with QuickBooks Online.
• Familiarity with tools such as Ramp, Bill.com, Rippling, or similar platforms.
• CPA or controller-level experience is helpful, but not required if the candidate has strong practical accounting and implementation experience.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• New clients move from Sales to Delivery with clear expectations, clean setup, and fewer surprises.
• Portfolio Managers feel prepared before taking ownership of a client.
• Client handoffs are documented, organized, and easy for delivery teams to follow.
• Internal client transitions happen with minimal disruption.
• Implementation risks are identified early instead of becoming delivery problems later.
• Client systems, access, workflows, and documentation are ready before steady-state service begins.
• Portfolios are built in a way that supports client retention, team capacity, and gross margin.
• The implementation team is organized, responsive, and trusted by Delivery.

Simply Put

This role makes sure new clients and client transitions start clean. The Director, Client Implementation keeps the process organized, removes blockers, makes sure systems and workflows are ready, and gives Portfolio Managers what they need to take over with confidence.