Location: Wendouree, Victoria (Head Office)
Company: Freighter Group
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Employment Type: Full-time, Executive
About Freighter Group
Freighter Group is a premier name in large-scale industrial manufacturing and transport logistics solutions. With our primary manufacturing hub and corporate head office based in Wendouree, Victoria, alongside an expanding national footprint of specialised retail dealerships and wholesale divisions, we are entering an exciting phase of strategic growth and digital transformation.
The Role
We are seeking a visionary, commercially astute, and decisive
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead our financial operations and serve as a trusted strategic partner to the CEO and the Board.
As an executive champion for digital transformation, you will oversee the total integrity of our financial systems, corporate treasury, and complex cost-accounting structures. This role requires an operational leader who is equally comfortable steering high-level corporate strategy as they are diving into high-volume manufacturing financials, Bill of Materials (BOM) accuracy, and inventory optimisation.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership: Partner closely with the CEO and Board to design, execute, and monitor long-term business strategies, translating complex financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-financial stakeholders.
- Operational & Cost Accounting: Oversee complex cost-accounting functions across our heavy-industry manufacturing operations, ensuring absolute precision in Bill of Materials (BOM), accurate Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) tracking, and robust margin analysis.
- Treasury & Capital Stability: Manage corporate treasury functions, including negotiating multi-million-dollar credit facilities and ensuring rigorous adherence to banking covenants to secure the Group's long-term liquidity.
- Digital Transformation: Serve as the executive sponsor for our ongoing systems evolution, driving the integration and optimisation of Tier 1 ERP systems (with an emphasis on SAP / SAP S/4HANA pathways).
- Financial Control & Integration: Drive the annual budgeting and rolling forecast processes across multiple divisions—including manufacturing, retail dealerships (NSW, SA, VIC and QLD), and wholesale networks. Lead the financial integration of new technologies and international IP transfers.
- Risk & Compliance: Mitigate corporate risk related to currency fluctuations and raw material price volatility. Ensure total compliance with Australian corporate law, GST, taxation, and manufacturing-specific regulations.
- Team Leadership: Mentor, empower, and develop a high-performing national finance team, cultivating a collaborative and accountable culture.
- In addition to Finance, the role will have oversight of Logistics and Supply Chain, as well as IT. Approximately 39 staff with 5 Managers.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Experience: 15+ years of senior financial leadership experience (with a minimum of 5 years in a CFO or equivalent role) specifically within a large-scale manufacturing, heavy industry, or industrial environment.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business.
- Professional Qualification: Current CA or CPA certification.
- Systems Expertise: Deep technical and functional experience with Tier 1 ERP systems (extensive experience leading large-scale SAP implementations is highly desirable; exposure to SAP S/4HANA is a distinct advantage).
- Commercial Acumen: A proven track record in strategic product pricing, supply chain resilience, and optimising working capital/inventory.
- Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated success managing relationships with external auditors, tier-one banking partners, tax advisors, and board members.
- Location: Must reside within a commutable distance (approximately 1 hour or 60 miles) of our head office in Wendouree, VIC or be willing to relocate.
What We Offer
- A pivotal executive seat in a historic, scale-driven Australian manufacturing group.
- The opportunity to shape a major corporate digital transformation and systems implementation.
- A competitive executive remuneration package reflective of the role's scale and strategic importance.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Achievement of budgeted EBITDA and Net Profit targets.
- Optimisation of working capital cycles (Days Sales Outstanding / Inventory Turns).
- Successful maintenance of banking covenants and facility headroom.
- Delivery of "clean" half-year and annual audits.
- Efficiency gains and reporting accuracy derived from the SAP S/4HANA environment.
