Lead the Financial Strategy of a Growing Retail Business
Our client is a successful, privately owned retail organisation with a significant multi-site footprint across the United States. As part of their continued evolution and growth, they are seeking an experienced Chief Financial Officer to join the executive leadership team and partner closely with the CEO and ownership group.
This is an outstanding opportunity for a commercially minded finance leader who combines strong technical expertise with a hands-on approach and a genuine passion for retail. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping strategy, driving performance, optimising operations and helping the business achieve its long-term growth ambitions.
The Role
Reporting directly to the CEO, the CFO will provide strategic financial leadership across the organisation while overseeing a broad remit covering finance, accounting, tax, treasury, payroll, merchandise control, risk management and loss prevention.
You will act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and ownership team, helping guide key decisions around growth, profitability, operational improvement and capital allocation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Partner with the CEO and ownership group to develop and execute the company's financial strategy.
- Provide insight and recommendations to support business growth, investment decisions and long-term planning.
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling activities.
- Support business expansion, acquisitions and strategic initiatives.
- Deliver actionable insights that improve financial and operational performance.
Financial Management & Reporting
- Lead all accounting, finance and reporting activities.
- Ensure the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of financial information.
- Manage external audit processes and relationships with advisors.
- Oversee cash flow, liquidity and working capital management.
- Drive process improvement and operational efficiency across the finance function.
- Leverage technology, automation and AI to enhance reporting and decision-making capabilities.
Retail Finance Leadership
- Monitor and analyse sales performance, profitability and key retail KPIs.
- Provide financial insight on pricing, promotions, merchandising and category performance.
- Drive improvements in margin, inventory productivity and overall profitability.
- Partner closely with operations, merchandising and supply chain teams to support business performance.
Inventory, Merchandise Control & Loss Prevention
- Provide executive oversight of inventory valuation, stock accuracy and merchandise control.
- Ensure robust controls are in place across inventory movement, reconciliation and cost accounting.
- Partner with operational teams to minimise shrinkage and improve inventory visibility.
- Monitor loss prevention performance and implement strategies to reduce operational losses.
Tax, Treasury & Risk Management
- Lead all tax planning, compliance and reporting activities.
- Oversee banking relationships, capital structure and treasury operations.
- Manage enterprise risk, insurance programmes and business continuity considerations.
- Ensure compliance across federal, state and local tax jurisdictions.
Team Leadership
- Lead and develop high-performing teams across finance, accounting, tax, payroll and related functions.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and commercial partnership.
- Establish KPIs and performance measures that align with business objectives.
About You
You are an experienced finance executive who thrives in a fast-paced, operationally focused retail environment.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or a related discipline.
- MBA preferred.
- CPA qualification strongly preferred.
- 10-15+ years of progressive financial leadership experience.
- Experience within retail, consumer-facing or multi-site operations.
- Strong understanding of:
- Inventory management
- Merchandise control
- Gross margin optimisation
- Shrink and loss prevention
- Multi-state tax compliance
- Experience supporting privately held, family-owned or closely held businesses.
- Proven ERP leadership experience, ideally within Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS).
Personal Attributes
- Strategic thinker with a commercial mindset.
- Hands-on leader who enjoys being close to the business.
- Strong relationship builder and influencer.
- Highly analytical with excellent problem-solving capabilities.
- Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels.
- Passionate about continuous improvement and leveraging technology to create business value.
Why Join?
- Opportunity to work directly alongside the CEO and ownership group.
- Significant influence on both strategic direction and operational performance.
- Broad executive leadership remit across a growing retail business.
- Ability to make a meaningful impact on growth, profitability and long-term value creation.
- Join a collaborative leadership team committed to innovation and continuous improvement.
