Chief Financial Officer

Our client, a public global diversified industrial manufacturer, is seeking a Chief Financial Officer who will serve as a strategic financial leader, overseeing all aspects of financial management for a multi-site, highly profitable $200M+ manufacturing business unit. This role is pivotal in transforming legacy operations into scalable, modern systems aligned with the company’s aggressive growth trajectory. The ideal candidate will bring public company experience, strong operational finance capabilities, and a proven track record of driving cultural and process change across complex organizations.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Act as a key advisor to the CEO and senior leadership, influencing strategic decisions and financial direction.
• Lead and develop the finance team to meet evolving business needs, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the primary financial liaison to the parent company’s executive team, including European based leadership.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration across geographically dispersed teams, promoting a unified, global business mindset.
• Drive cultural transformation from a legacy operation to a scalable, performance-driven organization.

Technical & Operational Responsibilities

• Oversee all financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and planning processes, ensuring accuracy and strategic alignment.
• Help direct ERP modernization efforts, transitioning from legacy systems to scalable platforms.
• Implement robust financial controls, compliance frameworks, and inventory management systems.
• Deliver monthly financial presentations to both local and corporate level leadership, with deep analysis on performance metrics, variances, and market impacts.
• Manage financial close processes, ensuring compliance.
• Partner with operations and sales to optimize cost accounting, margin analysis, and profitability tracking.

Strategic & Transformational Focus

• Identify and execute low-hanging operational improvements with high ROI.
• Support M&A initiatives and integration efforts where applicable.
• Critically evaluate capital allocation decisions to align with strategic goals.
• Contribute to the development of scalable systems and processes to support projected business growth (2–3x over the next 3 years).

Required Experience

• Multi-site manufacturing finance leadership, ideally with experience as a Division or Regional Controller.
• Experience supporting revenue of $100M+.
• Public company experience with strong understanding of compliance, reporting, and controls.
• Exposure to European based parent company culture.
• Proven success in driving process and cultural change.
• Strong business acumen and commercial mindset.
• Board or executive team interaction.
• Experience working across virtual leadership teams.

Preferred Experience

• M&A and post-acquisition integration exposure.
• ERP implementation or transformation leadership.

Education Requiements/Preferences

• Bachelors degree required, Accounting/Finance or similar major preferred
• CPA preferred
• MBA or Masters Finance preferred

Personal Attributes

• High integrity, low ego, and strong interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by transformation.
• Ability to influence and lead through change.
• Willingness to travel and be present at key sites 2–3 days per week.