Henry Ford Health partners with millions of people on their health journey, across Michigan and around the world. We offer a full continuum of services from primary and preventative care to complex and specialty care, health insurance, a full suite of home health offerings, virtual care, pharmacy, eye care and other health care retail. With former Ascension southeast Michigan and Flint region locations now part of our team, Henry Ford's care is available in 13 hospitals and hundreds of ambulatory care locations. Based in Detroit, Henry Ford is one of the nation's most respected academic medical centers and is leading the Future of Health: Detroit, a $3 billion investment anchored by a reimagined Henry Ford academic healthcare campus.
Job DescriptionShape the Financial Future of Healthcare Excellence
As Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) at Henry Ford Health, you'll be the architect of financial integrity and governance for one of the nation's leading integrated healthcare systems. This is more than a compliance role—it's a strategic leadership position where your decisions directly impact patient care, research innovation, and organizational sustainability. You'll partner with executive leadership to transform complex financial challenges into competitive advantages while building a world-class accounting organization.
The Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) is responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of Henry Ford Health's accounting, financial reporting, fund accounting and control environment. The CAO ensures compliance with GAAP, regulatory standards, and internal controls while enabling system strategy, growth, and financial sustainability.
This role serves as a key advisor to the CFO, executive leadership and partners across finance, treasury, tax, legal, research, and operations to ensure strong financial governance and decision support across a complex, integrated healthcare system. The role will report to the SVP, Corporate Financial Services
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead all system-wide accounting functions, including general accounting, consolidation, and financial close
- Ensure timely and accurate financial statements in compliance with GAAP and regulatory standards
- Establish and maintain a strong internal control environment and financial governance processes
- Oversee external audit activities and regulatory filings
- Oversee funding accounting including research grants, community grants and restricted/unrestricted donor funds
- Serve as a key financial partner to HFH's research enterprise, including the partnership with Michigan State University, ensuring appropriate accounting, compliance, and financial oversight
- Provide strategic leadership of tax, including planning, compliance, and optimization across a complex healthcare system
- Provide technical accounting leadership for complex transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, and system integration
- Partner with FP&A, treasury, tax, and operational finance to support enterprise performance and decision-making
- Lead accounting's role in ERP implementation, including:
- Driving people, process, and workflow transformation
- Ensuring alignment of accounting structures, controls, and reporting within the ERP
- Standardizing and simplifying processes to enable scalability and efficiency
- Partnering with IT and operational leaders to support successful deployment and adoption
- Drive standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across accounting operations
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and reporting requirements
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the CFO and executive leadership on accounting, reporting, and risk considerations
LEADERSHIP & CULTURE
- Model HFH mission, vision, and values in leadership behaviors and decisions
- Build and lead a high-performing accounting organization, including talent development and succession planning
- Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
- Lead change effectively across large-scale transformation initiatives (e.g., ERP, integration)
- Collaborate across corporate, clinical, and market leadership to advance system priorities
Qualifications
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; Master’s preferred
- CPA required
- 15+ years of progressive accounting/finance leadership experience in a complex, multi-entity environment (healthcare preferred
- Deep expertise in financial reporting, internal controls, and regulatory compliance
- Experience with internal/external audit, funding structures, tax strategy, ERP implementation, and research funding environments strongly preferred
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
- Master's degree
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification
- 15+ years of progressive accounting or finance leadership experience in a complex, multi-entity environment
- Healthcare industry experience
- Deep expertise in financial reporting, internal controls, and regulatory compliance
- Experience with internal and external audit
- Experience with funding structures
- Experience with tax strategy
- Experience with ERP implementation
- Experience with research funding environments
What We Do
Henry Ford Health is a Detroit-headquartered academic healthcare system serving more than 2 million people across Michigan and beyond. Its integrated offerings include primary, preventive, urgent, specialty, home, and virtual care, health insurance, pharmacy, and eye care. The organization also advances clinical innovation, research, clinical trials, medical education, community health, health equity, and services for vulnerable communities throughout the region.
