CFO ROLE POSITION SPECIFICATION
OPPORTUNITY
The Company is a private equity–backed industrial manufacturer generating approximately $40 million of EBITDA and serving a diverse set of end markets requiring precision, reliability, and consistent product performance. The business has built a strong reputation through deep customer relationships, technical capability, and a high-quality product offering.
Operating at meaningful scale, the Company represents a well-established platform within its sector and has evolved beyond its earlier growth phase. With a strong foundation in place, the business is now focused on driving performance, enhancing operational coordination, and positioning for continued scale and future strategic outcomes.
The Company operates in a specialized niche within the broader industrial landscape, benefiting from recurring demand, long-standing customer relationships, and attractive margin characteristics relative to its peer set. The platform has demonstrated consistent performance and is well-positioned to accelerate growth through both organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions.
The private equity Sponsor identified the Company as a compelling investment opportunity based on its differentiated market position, stable demand profile, and clear pathway to value creation through operational improvement and growth. The investment thesis is centered on enhancing financial and operational visibility, driving performance across the platform, and supporting disciplined expansion.
With new ownership in place, the Company is focused on its next phase of evolution - further scaling the business, improving alignment across operations, and elevating financial infrastructure to support more sophisticated decision-making. The CFO will play a central role in this effort, partnering closely with the CEO and Sponsor to drive performance and enterprise value.
At a Glance
- ~$40MM EBITDA industrial manufacturing platform
- Niche, differentiated product offering with strong customer relationships
- Recurring demand profile with attractive margin characteristics
- Backed by an experienced private equity sponsor focused on operational value creation
Compelling Investment Highlights
- Well-established platform with significant scale and growth potential
- Opportunity to enhance performance through improved visibility, coordination, and discipline
- Strong foundation with clear upside in reporting, analytics, and operational execution
- Positioned for both organic growth and selective add-on acquisitions
Value Creation Levers
- Enhance financial reporting, forecasting, and performance visibility across the platform
- Improve cost accounting, margin insight, and operational KPIs
- Support pricing strategy, capital allocation, and growth initiatives
- Lead financial diligence and integration of acquisitions
- Partner with operations to drive efficiency and EBITDA expansion
This is a highly attractive opportunity for a CFO who is motivated by driving performance and scaling a platform business in partnership with a committed Sponsor and leadership team. The role offers meaningful influence, visibility, and the ability to directly impact enterprise value creation.
PRIVATE EQUITY OWNER
The Company is backed by a highly regarded private equity firm with a multi-decade track record of investing in and scaling middle-market businesses. The firm manages several billion dollars of committed capital across multiple funds and has completed numerous platform and add-on investments across its history.
The Sponsor is known for its hands-on, collaborative approach, bringing not only capital but also deep operational expertise, strategic insight, and access to experienced operating resources. They partner closely with leadership teams to drive performance, enhance operational capabilities, and execute strategic growth initiatives, including M&A.
With a reputation as a thoughtful, engaged, and value-added partner, the firm is committed to building high-performing, scalable businesses and delivering strong outcomes through disciplined execution and alignment with management teams.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Chief Financial Officer will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and private equity Sponsor, with full responsibility for financial leadership, performance visibility, and execution of the Company’s value creation plan.
The Company represents a scaled, multi-entity industrial platform that has grown through a combination of organic expansion and acquisitions. As a result, the business operates across a diverse set of products, facilities, and end markets, with increasing complexity in its operating model.
Core Responsibilities
- Partner with the CEO to drive strategy, performance improvement, and execution of growth initiatives
- Serve as the primary financial interface with the private equity Sponsor and Board
- Lead all aspects of finance, including accounting, FP&A, reporting, controls, and treasury
- Scale and optimize a finance organization capable of supporting a multi-entity, multi-site platform
- Establish a disciplined financial operating cadence across the business
- Support M&A activities, including diligence, integration, and synergy realization
- Drive alignment between finance, operations, and commercial teams to improve performance
Mandate & Early Priorities (First 6–12 Months)
1. Platform-Level Financial Visibility & Reporting
- Establish unified, consistent reporting across entities, product lines, and locations
- Develop clear KPIs and performance metrics across the organization
- Improve transparency into revenue, margins, and operational drivers
2. Cost Accounting & Margin Optimization
- Enhance cost accounting capabilities across a complex product portfolio
- Improve visibility into SKU-, customer-, and channel-level profitability
- Partner with operations to identify and execute margin improvement opportunities
3. Performance Management & Cross-Functional Alignment
- Strengthen linkage between financial performance and operational execution
- Support pricing strategy, product mix, and service delivery decisions
- Drive accountability across business units and functional leadership
4. Forecasting & Planning Discipline
- Implement a robust, forward-looking forecasting and planning process
- Introduce scenario modeling aligned with growth initiatives and M&A activity
- Improve predictability and consistency of financial performance
5. Systems & Infrastructure Enhancement
- Evaluate and enhance ERP and reporting systems across the platform
- Improve data quality, accessibility, and reporting automation
- Ensure scalable infrastructure to support continued growth
6. M&A Integration & Value Capture
- Lead financial integration of add-on acquisitions
- Track and measure synergies and performance improvement initiatives
- Support disciplined evaluation of future acquisition opportunities
Success Profile (12–24 Months)
- Finance operates as a fully integrated platform capability
- Clear visibility into profitability across products, customers, and geographies
- Strong alignment between finance, operations, and commercial execution
- Reliable forecasting and planning processes embedded across the business
- Measurable EBITDA improvement driven by pricing, cost discipline, and integration
- Business positioned for continued scale and future strategic outcomes
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
All candidates must demonstrate exceptional leadership, business partnership, and financial acumen, along with the ability to operate effectively in a performance-driven, private equity-backed environment..
Education / Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required
- CPA, MBA, or equivalent preferred but not required
- 12-15+ years of progressive finance experience
- Experience in industrial manufacturing, distribution, or multi-site industrial platforms required
- Prior private equity portfolio company experience strongly preferred
- At least one successful exit strongly preferred / required
Role-Specific Requirements
- Proven experience operating within a multi-entity, multi-site, or acquisitive platform
- Experience in businesses of comparable scale (approximately $25MM+ EBITDA or greater complexity)
- Demonstrated success improving financial visibility across complex environments (products, SKUs, locations)
- Strong cost accounting and margin analysis expertise
- Experience supporting or leading integration of acquisitions
- Ability to scale and optimize reporting, forecasting, and planning capabilities
- Track record of partnering closely with operations and commercial teams to drive performance
- Experience operating in growth-oriented, evolving environments with increasing complexity
- Ability to introduce structure, discipline, and accountability while maintaining business momentum
Leadership Profile
- Builder mindset with the ability to bring structure and clarity to complexity
- Strong business partner with a deep understanding of operational and commercial drivers
- Hands-on, pragmatic leader comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels
- Credible and confident with CEO, Sponsor, and Board stakeholders
- High accountability, ownership mentality, and execution focus
- Low ego, strong judgment, and ability to influence across a decentralized organization
- Thrives in private equity-backed environments with clear performance expectations
LOCATION
The role is based in the Midwest. Candidates currently located outside the region must be open to relocation.
COMPENSATION
Compensation will be competitive and aligned with market and experience, including base salary, annual performance-based incentive compensation, and meaningful equity participation aligned with value creation. Target Base Salary: $300,000 – $375,000
Equity Participation: Meaningful participation in the Company’s long-term value creation plan
Total compensation will be commensurate with experience, track record, and demonstrated ability to operate at scale within a private equity-backed environment.
