About the Opportunity
Culinova is a rapidly growing manufacturing organization with approximately $100M in revenue and strong momentum for continued expansion. The company is operating in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and is preparing for its next stage of growth, including pre-IPO readiness, mergers and acquisitions, operational scale, and continued financial sophistication.
This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly energized, strategic, and hands-on Chief Financial Officer to serve as the right hand to the CEO and help lead the company through a pivotal growth phase.
The ideal CFO is not only technically strong, but also commercially minded, operationally engaged, and energized by building, improving, and scaling a business. This individual will bring strong financial discipline, sharp analytical capability, exceptional communication skills, and the confidence to operate in a high-growth, deadline-driven environment.
This opportunity is best suited for a CFO who is highly motivated by growth, performance, financial upside, and the opportunity to help create meaningful enterprise value. The company is seeking a leader who thrives in a demanding environment and is willing to put in the time, effort, and focus required to achieve key milestones tied to IPO readiness, M&A execution, profitability, operational scale, and continued company growth.
This is an on-site leadership role in a highly collaborative culture where urgency, accountability, and cross-functional partnership are essential.
Position Overview
The Chief Financial Officer will provide strategic financial leadership across the organization, partnering closely with the CEO and executive team to drive growth, profitability, operational efficiency, and enterprise value.
This leader will oversee the finance and accounting function and will be responsible for financial strategy, forecasting, modeling, cash flow management, cost containment, contract review, M&A support, investor, lender, and board-level reporting, and scalable financial infrastructure.
This role requires a CFO who can operate at both the strategic and tactical level — someone who can build financial models, challenge assumptions, identify risk, improve processes, lead a team, and provide clear financial insight that supports sound business decisions.
The right candidate will bring an ownership mindset and understand that exceptional outcomes require exceptional commitment. This is a high-impact role for a finance executive who wants to help build, scale, and grow a company through significant value-creation events.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership
- Serve as a trusted strategic partner and right hand to the CEO.
- Lead financial strategy to support growth, profitability, scalability, and long-term enterprise value.
- Provide executive-level insight into financial performance, business trends, risks, opportunities, and key decisions.
- Support pre-IPO readiness, including financial infrastructure, reporting discipline, internal controls, and investor-facing financial preparation.
- Partner with executive leadership on strategic planning, business performance, and growth initiatives.
- Help drive key company milestones related to IPO readiness, M&A activity, profitability, operational scale, and enterprise value creation.
Financial Planning, Modeling & Analysis
- Lead financial forecasting, budgeting, long-range planning, scenario modeling, and cash flow projections.
- Build and refine financial models to support growth planning, M&A activity, capital strategy, and operational decision-making.
- Analyze margins, cost structures, working capital, pricing, capital expenditures, and profitability drivers.
- Provide clear, actionable financial reporting to the CEO, board, investors, lenders, and executive stakeholders.
- Develop metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools that improve visibility, accountability, and performance across the organization.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Private Equity Partnership
- Support M&A strategy, due diligence, valuation analysis, integration planning, and transaction execution.
- Partner with private equity stakeholders, advisors, and external partners as needed.
- Evaluate acquisition opportunities through financial modeling, risk assessment, synergy analysis, and operational impact.
- Help prepare the organization for continued investment, acquisition activity, and potential public-market readiness.
- Bring the pace, discipline, and accountability expected in a private equity or high-growth investment environment.
Operational Finance & Cost Discipline
- Drive financial discipline across the organization, with a focus on cost containment, margin improvement, profitability, and operating efficiency.
- Partner with manufacturing, operations, sales, supply chain, and executive leadership to improve business performance.
- Review contracts, commercial agreements, pricing structures, vendor relationships, and financial commitments.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, reduce waste, enhance reporting, and strengthen financial controls.
- Challenge assumptions, evaluate risk, and ensure financial decisions are aligned with company growth and profitability goals.
Accounting Leadership & Team Oversight
- Oversee the accounting and finance team, with direct leadership of the Corporate Controller.
- Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant financial reporting.
- Strengthen accounting processes, reporting cadence, internal controls, and financial systems.
- Build a high-performing finance function that can support scale, complexity, growth, and public-company readiness.
- Mentor, develop, and hold the finance team accountable to high standards of execution.
- Foster a culture of urgency, accuracy, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Technology, Systems & Process Improvement
- Champion technology, automation, and process improvements that increase accuracy, speed, efficiency, and visibility.
- Evaluate financial systems, reporting tools, and business intelligence capabilities.
- Use data and analytics to improve decision-making and support operational performance.
- Bring a progressive mindset to building scalable financial infrastructure.
- Drive efficiencies through improved systems, automation, reporting cadence, and disciplined financial processes.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a highly intelligent, energized, and driven finance executive who thrives in a demanding, growth-oriented environment. This person is naturally proactive, entrepreneurial, and comfortable operating with urgency and accountability.
The right CFO will bring a combination of strategic vision, technical financial expertise, operational instincts, and hands-on execution. They will be confident working closely with a CEO, board, private equity partners, lenders, advisors, and internal leaders.
This individual should be highly motivated by results, financial upside, milestone achievement, and the opportunity to help create significant enterprise value. They should be energized by the chance to contribute to major company milestones, including IPO readiness, M&A activity, revenue growth, margin expansion, profitability improvement, operational scale, and overall value creation.
This role is best suited for someone who wants to help build, scale, and grow a company, not simply maintain the status quo. The ideal candidate will understand that a growth-stage, pre-IPO environment requires intensity, commitment, responsiveness, and the willingness to put in the work required to deliver at a high level.
Qualifications
- Proven experience as a CFO, VP Finance, VP Accounting, or senior financial or accounting executive in a high-growth company.
- Public company experience strongly preferred.
- Manufacturing industry experience preferred.
- Private equity-backed company experience highly desired.
- Experience supporting pre-IPO readiness, M&A activity, acquisitions, integrations, or significant corporate growth preferred.
- Strong financial modeling, forecasting, budgeting, and analytical skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage cost containment, margin improvement, cash flow, and profitability initiatives.
- Strong technical accounting and financial reporting foundation.
- Experience reviewing contracts, commercial agreements, pricing structures, and financial obligations.
- Proven leadership experience overseeing accounting and finance teams.
- Ability to work onsite in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, deadline-driven environment.
- Progressive mindset around technology, systems, automation, reporting, and operational efficiency.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial information into clear business insight.
- High energy, strong work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, and self-starter mentality.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure, manage tight deadlines, and deliver on critical business objectives.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to balance strategy, execution, risk, growth, and profitability.
Work Environment
This is an onsite leadership role within a highly collaborative, fast-moving, and performance-driven organization. The company values leaders who are present, engaged, responsive, and willing to work closely with the CEO, executive team, and department leaders to solve problems and move the business forward.
The pace is fast, deadlines are real, and expectations are high. The right CFO will view this environment as energizing and rewarding, not overwhelming. This is an opportunity for a leader who wants to be deeply involved in the business and make a measurable impact.
Compensation
A competitive executive compensation package will be offered, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role.
This opportunity is intended for a finance executive who is motivated by meaningful performance, growth, and value creation. Compensation will reflect the importance of the role and the impact this leader can have on the company’s continued success.
