Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
As CFO of our U.S. subsidiary, you will be a key member of the senior leadership team reporting directly to the CEO. You will oversee all financial operations while serving as a strategic business partner to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and operational excellence. Working in a highly independent U.S. operation within a German AG structure, you will balance hands-on financial management with forward-looking analysis and close coordination with global headquarters. This is an outstanding opportunity to shape the financial foundation under new U.S. leadership and contribute directly to the success of a market-leading manufacturing organization.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Partner with the CEO and senior leadership team to provide financial insights, scenario planning, and recommendations that support strategic decision-making, pricing strategy, new product introductions, and long-term growth initiatives.
- Lead financial planning and analysis (FP&A), including multi-year forecasting, budgeting, and variance analysis to optimize profitability and cash flow.
- Collaborate with Sales & Marketing on margin management and customer profitability, work with Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain on cost reduction, capital allocation, and inventory optimization.
- Direct all accounting functions, including timely and accurate monthly/quarterly financial statements, balance-sheet reconciliations, journal entries, WIP and inventory valuation, and detailed variance analysis against budget and prior periods.
- Manage cash flow with heightened scrutiny, banking relationships, and treasury activities.
- Oversee credit and collections to maintain optimal DSO.
- Prepare and present financial reports analyzing sales, profit, and expense trends versus budget/forecast, recommending corrective actions.
- Lead the annual audit process and manage relationships with external auditors.
- Handle all U.S. federal, state, and local tax compliance, estimates, sales/use tax filings, and benefit-plan reporting (Form 5500).
- Advise on tax-code changes and their operational impact.
- Ensure compliance with US GAAP while supporting IFRS requirements for global consolidation.
- Serve as primary finance liaison with the German headquarters and global CFO team, managing intercompany transactions, transfer pricing (including related-party supplier relationships), foreign-exchange exposure, and consolidated reporting.
- Support Business Process Optimization initiatives and ERP enhancements to streamline order-to-cash, inventory, and financial processes.
- Evaluate and recommend improvements to internal controls, risk management, and insurance coverage.
- Lead, develop, and mentor the finance/accounting team; foster a culture of continuous improvement, integrity, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Review and approve capital expenditure requests with supporting financial analysis.
- Maintain banking, insurance, and regulatory relationships; prepare reports for global entities and U.S. agencies.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field required; CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred.
- 8+ years of progressive finance experience, including 4+ years in a Controller or CFO/VP Finance role.
- Prior experience in manufacturing or industrial distribution preferred.
- Demonstrated success in a U.S. subsidiary of an international (ideally European) parent company, with exposure to both US GAAP and IFRS.
- Hands-on ERP expertise (implementation or optimization experience a plus) and proficiency with financial analytics/BI tools.
- Proven strategic thinker who can translate financial data into actionable business insights and partner effectively with non-finance executives.
- Strong leadership and team-development skills; able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and negotiation abilities.
- High integrity, sound judgment, and comfort operating with a high degree of autonomy.
- Experience with risk management, internal controls, and process improvement methodologies.
