Chief Financial Officer
Flying Horse Capital Portfolio Company | Tampa, FL Metro (On-site)
Flying Horse Capital is hiring the first full-time CFO for a recently acquired portfolio company in the Tampa metro. The role owns finance, builds the department, leads IT, and shares HR oversight with the CEO.
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer, with close partnership with Flying Horse Capital
Direct reports: Finance & accounting team (to be built), IT; shared HR oversight with CEO
Compensation: Base + annual bonus + equity + co-invest rights
About Flying Horse Capital
Flying Horse Capital is a Dallas-based permanent capital firm that acquires and holds founder- and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market. We buy to own — there is no exit timeline. We invest in the people who run our companies, support them with operating resources across the portfolio, and build for the next generation, not the next sale.
Our philosophy traces to two family businesses: a Connecticut auto repair garage and a Rhode Island donut shop that grew into a regional chain. Both were built by veterans who believed in hard work, community, and doing right by their people. We hold our companies to that standard.
About the Company
The company is a founder-built business headquartered in the Tampa metro and recently acquired by Flying Horse Capital. Under long-term ownership, we are investing in the people, systems, and infrastructure to support its next stage of growth.
The Opportunity
This is the company's first full-time CFO — a builder role, not a maintenance role. An interim CFO has led finance for the past three months, stabilizing the close, reporting, and post-acquisition integration. Interim resources currently cover controllership and other key finance functions.
The new CFO will take the seat from that foundation and build the permanent team: assess the current function, design the target organization, and hire the people who will run it. Beyond finance, the role leads IT and shares HR oversight with the CEO, making it a true second-in-command seat for an operator who wants to grow with a long-term owner.
Key Responsibilities
Finance & Accounting Leadership
- Own all finance and accounting: close, reporting, treasury, tax, audit, and compliance
- Deliver timely, accurate monthly reporting to the CEO and Flying Horse Capital
- Lead budgeting, forecasting, and FP&A; build KPIs and dashboards that drive operating decisions
- Manage cash flow, working capital, banking relationships, and lender reporting and covenants
- Strengthen internal controls, policies, and procedures appropriate for a growing, sponsor-backed company
- Partner with the CEO on pricing, margin improvement, capital allocation, and strategic initiatives, including add-on acquisitions
Department Build-Out & Talent
- Assess the current finance function and interim coverage; design the target organization
- Recruit, hire, and develop the permanent finance team, including Controller and supporting roles
- Lead a disciplined transition from interim resources to full-time staff without disruption to the close or reporting
- Build a high-accountability team culture aligned with the company's values
Information Technology
- Lead the IT function and outsourced IT providers
- Own the systems roadmap — ERP, reporting tools, infrastructure, and cybersecurity
- Ensure systems scale with the business and support accurate, timely data
- Coordinate with Flying Horse Capital on portfolio-wide IT standards and shared services
Human Resources (shared with CEO)
- Share HR oversight with the CEO across payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR policies
- Own HR administration, payroll, and benefits cost management; partner with the CEO on hiring, compensation, and organizational design
- Ensure employment compliance and sound HR infrastructure as headcount grows
First 12 Months
- Days 1–90: Transition from the interim CFO; assess people, processes, and systems; deliver a finance org plan and IT roadmap to the CEO and Flying Horse Capital
- Months 4–6: Hire key finance roles and begin transitioning off interim resources; tighten the monthly close and management reporting
- Months 7–12: Fully staffed permanent team in place; annual budget and forecasting process running; systems upgrades underway; finance operating as a strategic partner to the business
Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive finance experience, including 3+ years as a CFO, VP of Finance, or Controller in a lower-middle-market company
- Proven record of building a finance team from the ground up — hiring, developing, and leading staff
- Experience in a private equity or sponsor-backed environment; post-acquisition integration experience strongly preferred
- Oversight of IT and/or HR functions, including ERP selection or implementation
- Strong technical accounting (GAAP), FP&A, cash management, and lender reporting skills
- Hands-on operator comfortable working in the details while leading at the executive level
- CPA preferred; Big 4 or regional public accounting background a plus
- Founder- or family-owned company experience a plus
- Based in, or willing to relocate to, the Tampa metro
