Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Private Equity-Backed Manufacturing / Project-Based Organization
Position Overview
Our client, a private equity-backed company with approximately $150 million in revenue, is seeking a dynamic and strategic Chief Financial Officer to lead the finance and accounting function during a period of growth and transformation. This executive will serve as a key business partner to the CEO, private equity sponsors, and Board of Directors, providing financial leadership across the organization while helping drive operational performance and long-term value creation.
The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in the manufacturing sector and/or project accounting environments, along with a demonstrated track record of supporting M&A activity, integrating acquisitions, enhancing reporting and controls, and presenting to executive leadership and the board. This individual must be both strategic and hands-on, with the ability to build scalable processes while maintaining strong day-to-day financial discipline.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead all aspects of finance and accounting, including financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, treasury, tax, audit, compliance, and internal controls
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team on financial performance, business planning, capital allocation, and growth initiatives
- Partner closely with private equity sponsors to support value creation plans, financial transparency, KPI reporting, covenant compliance, and investment performance analysis
- Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial packages to the Board of Directors and participate actively in board meetings
- Oversee the company’s financial planning and analysis function, including budgeting, forecasting, scenario modeling, and strategic planning
- Drive operational finance initiatives across the business, with emphasis on profitability, working capital management, cash flow optimization, and margin improvement
- Provide leadership over manufacturing finance, including cost accounting, inventory management, standard costing, variance analysis, and plant-level performance metrics
- Oversee project accounting activities where applicable, including job costing, contract review, revenue recognition, backlog analysis, and project profitability
- Lead all finance-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, financial modeling, quality of earnings support, purchase accounting, integration planning, and post-acquisition performance tracking
- Evaluate and strengthen accounting operations, financial systems, internal controls, and reporting capabilities to support a scalable growth environment
- Manage lender, auditor, tax advisor, and other external stakeholder relationships
- Build, develop, and mentor a high-performing finance and accounting team aligned with the company’s strategic objectives
- Support strategic initiatives such as system upgrades, process improvements, geographic expansion, and operational transformation
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred
- 12+ years of progressive financial leadership experience, including senior finance roles in middle-market organizations
- Prior experience as a CFO, VP of Finance, Divisional CFO, or top finance leader in a private equity-backed environment strongly preferred
- Strong background in manufacturing finance, including cost accounting, inventory, operations support, and margin analysis, and/or deep expertise in project accounting
- Demonstrated experience leading or supporting M&A transactions, including diligence and post-close integration
- Proven ability to work effectively with private equity sponsors and Boards of Directors
- Strong command of GAAP, financial reporting, cash management, internal controls, and business performance analysis
- Experience developing scalable finance processes, systems, and infrastructure in a growth-oriented company
- Excellent executive presence, communication skills, and ability to influence across all levels of the organization
- ERP systems experience required; experience with system implementation or upgrades is a plus
Preferred Leadership Profile
- Strategic, commercially minded finance leader with strong operational instincts
- Hands-on executive who can move easily between high-level strategy and detailed execution
- Proven success in fast-paced, change-oriented, and sponsor-backed environments
- Strong collaborator with the ability to influence cross-functional leaders across operations, sales, supply chain, and HR
- Results-oriented leader with a track record of driving accountability, process improvement, and enterprise value creation