Chief Financial Officer | Interim-to-Permanent | Brisbane | Advanced Manufacturing
A growing Australian manufacturer in the advanced manufacturing / industrial technology sector is looking for a CFO to step in at a pivotal moment in its growth. This is a recapitalised scale-up with a rebuilt board and leadership team, moving deeper into commercial and industrial markets and backed by significant government-supported growth initiatives.
Why this role
This isn't a caretaker appointment. You'll succeed the outgoing CFO cleanly, then expand from there — taking full ownership of the finance function and giving the CEO real headroom to focus on leading the business. You'll be trusted to operate with genuine autonomy, not managed day to day, and to hold your own alongside an experienced, hands-on board. It starts as a 6-month contract — but it's built as a genuine two-way audition for a permanent CFO seat, not a stopgap unless that is your preference.
What you'll own
- Full ownership of financial reporting, compliance and governance to a high standard
- Financial management and compliance for government grant-funded programs — milestone reporting, co-funding evidence, audit-readiness
- Structuring and advancing funding for significant capital projects toward financial close
- Rolling cash flow, runway and working capital as a live, weekly discipline — not a static model
- Board-grade reporting that's credible, timely, and decision-ready
- Unit economics and pricing calls in a genuinely competitive market, plus rigour around major make-vs-buy and sourcing decisions
- Leading and lifting a small, capable finance team — real coaching and team-shaping responsibility
- Building the audit-ready foundations for more sophisticated governance and reporting as the business matures
What we're looking for
- CA or CPA qualified, senior CFO-calibre operator with a track record across the full finance function
- Capital markets experience and genuine board-facing credibility — comfortable holding your own alongside experienced directors and sophisticated stakeholders, and capable of leading or supporting a capital raise process if called on to
- Energised, not unnerved, by scale-up reality: cash constraints, ambiguity, and high-stakes work with limited resources
- Hands-on and strategic at once — you lead through the team, not by doing their jobs
- Self-directed and fast-moving: you pick up context and run with it
- Government grant, structured/project finance, or capital markets experience highly valued; manufacturing background a strong plus
The details
- 6-month contract initially, with a genuine path to permanent for the right person
- Brisbane-based, reports directly to the CEO
- Package commensurate with experience
If this sounds like an opportunity that you can thrive in then get in touch.
