Group CFO (m/f/d) | Blue Collar Services
Location: Germany
Buy-and-Build Platform
KS2609
Build the Finance Function of a High-Growth Platform from Day One
We are supporting a private-equity-backed buy-and-build platform seeking a hands-on Group CFO to help create a market-leading business in Germany's highly fragmented roofing and specialist contracting sector.
The platform is being built through the combination of three established businesses and has an ambitious acquisition strategy. With approximately €100m revenue and €10m profit at entry, the business now requires a finance leader capable of building the infrastructure, reporting, integration capability, and commercial insight required to support rapid growth.
This is an opportunity to join at the formation stage of the platform and shape the finance organisation from the ground up.
The Opportunity
As Group CFO, you will be responsible for creating a professional group finance function while supporting integration and future acquisitions.
You will work closely with shareholders, management teams, founders, and operational leaders to establish financial transparency, improve performance, and build a scalable platform capable of completing multiple acquisitions over the coming years.
This role combines strategic leadership with significant operational involvement and requires a finance executive who enjoys building rather than inheriting infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
Build Group Finance Infrastructure
- Establish consolidated group reporting, budgeting, and forecasting processes
- Create consistent accounting and financial control standards across operating companies
- Deliver reliable visibility into profitability, cash flow, and working capital
- Develop board-quality reporting and performance analytics
Lead Integration
- Assess existing finance teams, systems, and processes
- Design and execute the integration strategy across the initial platform companies
- Determine which functions should remain local and which should be centralised
- Create repeatable integration processes for future acquisitions
Drive Commercial Performance
- Improve understanding of branch, project, and customer profitability
- Develop reporting around labour productivity, material costs, and operational performance
- Introduce KPI-driven decision-making across the organisation
- Support management in identifying performance improvement opportunities
Strengthen Cash Management
- Improve forecasting, cash visibility, and treasury processes
- Enhance working capital management
- Improve billing, collections, and cash conversion
- Ensure appropriate oversight of growth-related funding requirements
Support M&A Activity
- Partner closely with acquisition and integration teams
- Support financial evaluation and due diligence processes
- Assess acquisition opportunities from a financial and operational perspective
- Ensure newly acquired businesses can be integrated efficiently into group reporting structures
Build the Team
- Design the future finance organisation
- Recruit and develop finance talent as the platform grows
- Establish clear accountability across group and local finance teams
- Build a high-performance finance culture
What We're Looking For
We are seeking an operationally minded CFO who combines strong technical finance expertise with buy-and-build experience and excellent stakeholder management.
Ideal Background
- Group CFO, Finance Director, Divisional CFO, or Finance Transformation leader
- Experience within specialist contracting, construction services, technical building services, industrial services, or related sectors
- Prior buy-and-build and post-merger integration experience
- Experience operating within private-equity-backed environments
- Track record establishing finance functions across multi-site organisations
- Strong understanding of commercial drivers in operational, blue-collar businesses
- Experience integrating acquired companies and standardising reporting structures
Personal Characteristics
- Hands-on and pragmatic
- Strong relationship builder
- Comfortable working alongside founders and entrepreneurs
- Able to balance operational detail with strategic leadership
- Credible partner to investors, boards, and management teams
- Fluent German and English
Why This Opportunity?
- Shape a platform from its formation stage
- Lead a significant buy-and-build journey
- Work closely with experienced investors and operating executives
- Build an organisation rather than maintain an existing structure
- Significant influence on strategy, acquisitions, and value creation
- Exposure to a highly fragmented market with substantial consolidation potential
For finance leaders who enjoy creating order from complexity, integrating businesses, and building scalable platforms, this represents a rare opportunity to leave a lasting impact on a rapidly growing organisation.
For a confidential discussion, please get in touch.
