Fractional CFO Jobs at Ascent

At Ascent CFO Solutions, we hire seasoned CFOs for fractional roles supporting high-growth startups, scale-ups, and PE/VC-backed companies. If you are a senior finance leader with 15+ years of experience, several years in full-time CFO seats, and you are ready to trade single-employer life for a portfolio of meaningful client engagements, this is the career to look at.

Skip Ahead:

• CFO Job Listings
• About Fractional CFO Roles
• About Interim CFO Roles
• FAQ

The Clients You Work With As a CFO at Ascent

Ascent’s client base is intentionally diverse. In any given quarter, your portfolio might include:

• A SaaS company preparing for a Series B raise.
• A scale-up navigating its first acquisition or capital raise.
• A healthcare or biotech company managing rapid hiring and equity complexity.
• A professional services firm building its first real budget and forecast cadence.
• A manufacturing or CPG business preparing for an exit.
• A VC- or PE-backed company being readied for its next board milestone or fundraise.

Industries Ascent works in regularly include SaaS and technology, professional services, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, eCommerce, CPG, FinTech, real estate, and aerospace. The variety is the point. A fractional CFO at Ascent sees more company stages, more business models, and more strategic situations in 18 months than a W2 CFO at a single company sees in five years.

How the Fractional Model Works

Most senior CFOs come into the conversation with one practical question: how does this actually work day to day? The answer is more structured than people expect.

You work with a small portfolio of clients. The exact number depends on the size and complexity of each engagement. Most fractional CFOs at Ascent serve between three and five clients at a time. Each engagement has a defined scope, a regular cadence (usually weekly or bi-weekly executive meetings), and a clear set of deliverables. You are not chasing a different fire every day. You are running a stable book of business as the strategic finance partner to multiple CEOs.

The work is remote, with periodic in-person time for clients in the Denver/Boulder area and occasional team gatherings. You set your weekly schedule around client meeting cadences. You are accountable for your portfolio, not for showing up at a desk.

Compensation is $115–130/hour and scales with experience and the complexity of the engagements you support. Hours per week vary by portfolio size. Most active fractional CFOs work between 25 and 35+ hours per week.

Who Thrives in This Role

Fractional work is a different shape of career. Some senior CFOs are wired for it. Some are not. The ones who thrive at Ascent tend to look like this:

• 15–20 years of accounting and finance experience, with several years in full-time CFO seats.
• Bachelor’s degree required; CPA license or MBA strongly preferred.
• Track record as the “right hand” to a CEO, leading strategy, fundraising, and board-level communication.
• Experience working across a wide range of industries and business models.
• Considerable experience building financial forecasts and cash-flow models.
• Proven experience leading mergers and acquisitions, including diligence, valuation, and integration.
• Significant experience raising capital in the venture capital space.
• Comfortable being hands-on in accounting and ERP systems including QBO, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and other accounting packages.
• Highly proficient in MS Excel; Google Sheets a plus.
• Proven experience working with fast-growth companies from early stages to roughly $50M in revenue.
• Confident communicating with founders, CEOs, boards, and investors in plain language. The work is technical. The client relationship requires translation.
• Self-directed, organized across multiple workstreams, and able to switch context cleanly between clients without dropping detail.

This role is not the right fit for someone who wants a single employer, a single set of books, and a steady operating rhythm at one company. It is a fit for someone who wants variety, autonomy, and the chance to work alongside a tight bench of senior CFOs and controllers on companies that are actively moving.

Fractional CFO Compensation, Location, and Schedule

• Pay: $115–130/hour, scaling with experience and engagement complexity.
• Hours: Generally 25–35+ hours per week across your client book; you set your own schedule.
• Location: Boulder/Denver, Colorado preferred. Strong remote candidates considered. Occasional in-person client meetings and team events expected.
• Engagement type: Long-term W2 role on the Ascent team supporting ongoing client engagements rather than one-off projects.

Benefits include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) match.
• Quarterly stipend toward educational or professional development.
• Technology stipend.
• Paid sick time, holiday time, and volunteer time.
• Bonus/commission eligibility.
• Mentoring opportunities.

What Does a Fractional CFO Do?

A Fractional CFO serves as the senior finance leader for a portfolio of client companies. You are the strategic partner to the CEO and executive team, owning the forward-looking work: finance strategy, forecasting, fundraising, M&A, and board-grade reporting. On many engagements, you also lead a team of accounting staff (Ascent or client-side) to make sure the close and reporting deliverables land on time and at quality.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Working directly with CEOs and executive teams to develop and execute finance strategy.
• Providing strategic business advice across operations, growth, and capital decisions.
• Preparing and maintaining financial models, rolling forecasts, and cash-flow forecasts.
• Managing the budgetary process and analyzing budget-vs-actual variances.
• Assisting clients in fundraising and/or M&A activity.
• Managing Ascent and/or client resources to oversee and complete the month-end close and reporting packages.
• Onboarding new clients, which may include an assessment phase.
• Establishing and implementing appropriate accounting processes and internal controls.
• Identifying and tracking key trends and metrics.
• Developing and maintaining executive dashboards and KPI monitoring and reporting.
• Coordinating and managing the annual audit and tax return process.
• Financial reporting to key Board of Directors members and shareholders.

You typically work alongside a fractional Controller assigned to the same client. The Controller owns the close, the reconciliations, and the clean accounting output. You own the strategy, the forecast, the capital story, and the relationship with the CEO and board.

In this full-time (~40 hours/week) contractor role, you will serve as a trusted advisor to a diverse portfolio of clients navigating transformation, rapid growth, operational improvements, fundraising, M&A, and exit preparation. This is a hands-on, entrepreneurial opportunity for a finance leader who thrives in fast-paced environments and enjoys working across industries.

As an Interim CFO, you will step into organizations during critical transition periods—whether covering a leave of absence, filling a gap between permanent CFOs, supporting a restructuring, or stabilizing the finance function during rapid growth. You will provide immediate executive-level financial leadership, ensuring continuity, stability, and strategic direction while maintaining business momentum. You will be accountable for client satisfaction, deliverable accuracy, timeliness, and overall engagement success.

Our clients include startups, scale-ups, privately held companies, and VC- and PE-backed organizations across a wide range of industries such as Technology, SaaS, Professional Services, Construction, Manufacturing, eCommerce, Healthcare, CPG, FinTech, Real Estate, and more.

Interim/Temporary CFO Duties

• Serve as a strategic partner and “right hand” to CEOs and executive teams
• Develop and execute comprehensive financial strategies aligned with business goals
• Build and maintain financial models, rolling forecasts, and cash flow projections
• Lead budgeting processes and analyze budget-to-actual performance
• Identify and monitor key financial trends, KPIs, and business metrics
• Develop executive dashboards and board-ready reporting packages
• Support and lead fundraising efforts, including venture capital and private equity transactions
• Lead M&A initiatives, including due diligence, valuation support, and post-acquisition integration
• Oversee or directly manage month-end close processes and financial reporting
• Assess and improve accounting processes, systems, and internal controls
• Coordinate annual audits and manage tax return processes
• Present financial results and strategic insights to Boards of Directors and shareholders
• Lead client onboarding engagements, including financial assessments and transition planning

1. Is the Fractional CFO role W2 or 1099?

Both structures exist within the Ascent team depending on the engagement and the candidate. The specific structure for a given role is discussed during the interview process. Fractional CFOs at Ascent typically work under a W2 with full benefits, while Interim or project-based CFO engagements are sometimes structured under a 1099 contract.

2. How many clients will I work with at once?

Most fractional CFOs at Ascent carry between three and five client engagements simultaneously. Newer team members typically start with two or three and expand as they learn Ascent’s operating cadence.

3. Do I need a CPA or MBA?

A Bachelor’s degree is required. A CPA license or MBA is strongly preferred. A strong record as a strategic CFO with deep experience in forecasting, fundraising, and board-level finance can substitute at the right level of experience.

4. Is the role fully remote?

Boulder and Denver candidates are preferred because some clients value periodic in-person executive meetings. Fully remote candidates with strong fractional or multi-client CFO experience are considered. Occasional in-person team gatherings are part of the role.

5. What does the work look like in the first 90 days?

The first 30 days are onboarding into Ascent’s operating systems and getting introduced to your initial client portfolio. Days 30 to 60 are about taking ownership of those engagements, completing assessments where needed, and stepping into the strategic finance seat with each CEO. Days 60 to 90 are when the cadence becomes steady—forecast cycles, board prep, KPI reporting—and your portfolio starts to shape into the client mix you will run going forward.

6. What kinds of companies are Ascent’s clients?

Ascent works with high-growth startups, scale-ups, and private companies, including VC- and PE-backed businesses across SaaS, technology, professional services, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, eCommerce, CPG, FinTech, real estate, and aerospace. We typically work with companies from early stages through roughly $50M in revenue.

7. Where is Ascent located?

Ascent has offices in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, and serves clients across the country. The team is distributed, with a core of Colorado-based fractional CFOs and controllers.

8. Why do CFOs choose Ascent?

Ascent has been a 2-time Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies honoree and a 4-time Built In Best Places to Work winner. CFOs choose Ascent for the schedule flexibility, the variety of industries and company stages, the strength of the internal bench (CFOs, VPs Finance, Controllers, Accounting Managers, and Senior Accountants who actually collaborate), and the 12+ year reputation for delivering custom engagements with accuracy, responsiveness, and expertise.

Ready For a Rewarding & Flexible Career?

If the role and the model fit, the next step is the application. The hiring team reviews qualified resumes weekly and responds to candidates who match the experience profile.

Apply for the Fractional CFO role

Questions about the role or the team? Send a note through the careers contact form or message the Ascent team on LinkedIn. We are happy to talk to senior CFOs thinking about a portfolio career.