The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides strategic financial leadership for the automotive group, overseeing all financial operations, planning, reporting, risk management, compliance, and capital strategy. The CFO ensures the organization’s financial health, drives operational efficiency, and partners with executive leadership to support growth, acquisitions, profitability, and long-term strategic initiatives. This role requires deep expertise in automotive retail financial operations, including dealership accounting, manufacturer financial programs, inventory management, floorplan control, and performance analytics.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Financial Planning
- Develop and lead the organization’s overall financial strategy in alignment with business growth plans.
- Provide financial insights and recommendations to the CEO, board, and senior leadership to drive business decisions.
- Lead multi-year financial planning, annual budgeting, and forecasting processes across all dealerships and divisions.
- Evaluate capital structure, financing needs, and long-term investment strategies, including real estate, acquisitions, and divestitures.
Financial Operations & Performance Management
- Oversee all accounting functions, including general ledger integrity, month-end closing, accounts payable/receivable, payroll accounting, and treasury operations.
- Ensure accurate, timely completion of monthly manufacturer financial statements, dealership financials, and consolidation reports.
- Analyze dealership performance, identifying variances, trends, and opportunities for margin improvement and expense control.
- Lead financial and operational benchmarking across stores, brands, and departments.
- Develop, monitor, and optimize cash flow and liquidity strategies.
Automotive Retail Controls, Compliance & Risk Management
- Maintain full compliance with GAAP, IRS regulations, state sales tax rules, and federal automotive regulations.
- Oversee internal controls to mitigate risk, prevent fraud, and ensure safeguarding of all assets.
- Lead financial audit processes, including annual independent audits, lender reviews, and manufacturer audits.
- Manage floorplan relationships, inventory audits, funding processes, and reconciliation accuracy.
- Ensure compliance with lender requirements, covenants, and reporting timelines.
Leadership, Team Development & Organizational Alignment
- Lead, mentor, and develop the accounting, payroll, compliance, and financial planning teams.
- Establish clear performance standards, KPIs, and accountability structures.
- Collaborate closely with the COO, CEO, Director of HR, Controller, General Managers, and department leaders to ensure financial transparency and performance clarity.
- Create a culture of operational discipline, financial integrity, and continuous improvement.
Business Growth, Acquisition Support & Special Projects
- Lead financial due diligence, modeling, valuation, and integration efforts for acquisitions, divestitures, and major capital projects.
- Partner with Real Estate teams to evaluate and manage dealership property investments and leasing strategies.
- Support technology modernization efforts (DMS, payroll systems, reporting tools, BI platforms).
- Oversee insurance, risk programs, benefits funding strategies, and vendor financial relationships.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
- 10+ years progressive financial leadership experience, with at least 5 years in retail automotive.
- Deep knowledge of dealership accounting, manufacturer statements, floorplan management, and auto retail financial KPIs.
- Strong leadership experience managing accounting, financial planning, and compliance teams.
- Advanced analytical, forecasting, and financial modeling skills.
- Expertise with dealership management systems (CDK, Reynolds, DealerTrack, Quickbooks, PowerBi etc.) and financial BI tools.
Preferred
- CPA, CMA, or MBA strongly preferred.
- Multi-store or large automotive group experience.
- Experience with acquisitions, real estate investment, and lender relations.
- Experience improving cross-departmental financial processes (sales, service, parts, F&I).
Key Competencies
- Strategic Financial Leadership
- Operational Excellence
- Analytical Rigor & Problem Solving
- Change Management & Process Improvement
- High Integrity & Ethical Judgment
- Executive Communication & Reporting
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Quick, Accurate Decision-Making in Fast-Paced Environments
Performance Metrics
The CFO will be evaluated on:
- Accuracy and timeliness of financial statements and reporting
- Budget performance and year-over-year profitability improvements
- Cash flow management and balance sheet strength
- Expense control, margin enhancement, and operational efficiency gains
- Floorplan performance and inventory turn
- Audit results (internal, external, manufacturer, lender)
- Development of a high-performing accounting and finance organization
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
