Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Position Summary

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a key member of the executive leadership team and is responsible for the overall financial strategy, performance, controls, and financial health of the company.

Operating across 27 branches in eight Midwestern states, the company requires a CFO who can combine strong financial discipline with a practical understanding of a multi-location, operationally intensive business. The CFO will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team while building a finance organization capable of supporting continued growth, improved profitability, strong cash generation, and operational accountability.

This role extends well beyond accounting and financial reporting. The CFO will provide leadership around budgeting and forecasting, branch and company profitability, working capital, capital allocation, financial systems, risk management, banking relationships, internal controls, and strategic decision-making.

The successful candidate will be comfortable moving between high-level strategy and detailed operating results and will help translate financial information into clear actions for branch, regional, and executive leaders.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Serve as a strategic business partner to the CEO and executive leadership team.
• Develop and execute the company's financial strategy in support of growth, profitability, cash flow, and long-term enterprise value.
• Provide objective financial analysis and recommendations regarding major business decisions, investments, expansion opportunities, organizational initiatives, and capital allocation.
• Develop financial models and scenario analyses to support strategic planning and decision-making.
• Identify financial and operational trends early and help leadership take corrective action.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into the financial performance of the overall company, regions, branches, customers, and major business segments.

Financial Planning, Analysis & Performance Management

• Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing forecasting process across all 27 branches.
• Establish consistent financial expectations, metrics, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Develop and maintain meaningful KPIs and management reporting for executive, regional, and branch leadership.
• Analyze revenue, gross margin, labor, operating expenses, overhead, EBITDA, working capital, and cash flow performance.
• Provide branch-level P&L analysis and identify opportunities to improve profitability and operating performance.
• Partner with operational leadership to understand financial variances and develop actionable improvement plans.
• Improve the company's ability to forecast revenue, profitability, cash flow, and capital requirements.

Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Ensure timely, accurate, and reliable monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Maintain appropriate accounting policies, procedures, controls, and financial reporting standards.
• Oversee the monthly and annual close processes and continually improve the speed and quality of financial reporting.
• Ensure accurate consolidation of financial information across all branches and operating entities.
• Coordinate annual financial statement audits/reviews and relationships with external accounting and tax advisors.
• Maintain the integrity of the company's general ledger and financial reporting systems.

Cash Flow & Working Capital Management

• Maintain strong oversight of company liquidity and cash flow.
• Develop reliable short- and long-term cash forecasting.
• Drive improvements in accounts receivable, collections, billing accuracy, accounts payable, and overall working capital.
• Establish appropriate metrics and accountability for DSO, aging, collections, billing cycle times, and other working-capital measures.
• Optimize the timing and management of cash inflows and outflows.
• Ensure the company maintains adequate liquidity to support operations, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and growth.

Branch Financial Performance

• Establish financial reporting and performance standards across all 27 branches.
• Create clear financial scorecards that allow branch and regional leaders to understand their performance.
• Partner with operations to improve branch-level revenue, gross margin, labor productivity, expense management, and profitability.
• Identify underperforming branches or areas of the business and help leadership develop corrective action plans.
• Establish consistent financial processes and controls across locations while recognizing legitimate operational differences between markets.
• Help create a culture in which branch leaders understand and take ownership of their financial results.

Financial Systems, Processes & Scalability

• Evaluate and improve financial systems, reporting tools, processes, and organizational structure.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of financial information.
• Ensure financial systems and processes can scale as the company grows.
• Develop consistent processes for budgeting, forecasting, purchasing, billing, collections, expense management, and financial reporting.
• Partner with IT and operational leadership on ERP, accounting, payroll, reporting, business intelligence, and related system initiatives.
• Establish a disciplined approach to financial data and reporting so leadership operates from consistent and reliable information.

Banking, Capital & Risk Management

• Manage relationships with banks, lenders, insurance providers, external accountants, tax advisors, and other key financial partners.
• Manage debt facilities, covenant compliance, borrowing capacity, and treasury activities.
• Evaluate financing alternatives and capital requirements.
• Lead financial analysis related to major capital expenditures and investments.
• Oversee appropriate insurance, financial risk management, and financial compliance activities.
• Partner with legal, HR, and operational le

Growth, Acquisitions & Integration

• Evaluate organic growth opportunities, new branches, geographic expansion, and potential acquisitions from a financial perspective.
• Lead or support financial due diligence for potential acquisitions.
• Develop acquisition models, valuations, return analyses, and integration plans.
• Establish financial controls and reporting for newly acquired or newly opened locations.
• Help ensure acquisitions and expansion initiatives achieve expected financial returns.

Leadership Responsibilities

The CFO will lead and develop the company's finance, accounting, billing, and payroll organization.adership to manage financial and business risks.

Direct reports and areas of responsibility are expected to include:

• Director of Finance
• Accounts Payable Manager
• Accounts Receivable Manager
• Billing Team
• Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Staff
• Payroll Staff

The CFO will:

• Build a high-performing, service-oriented finance organization.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, expectations, and accountability within the department.
• Develop managers and future leaders within the finance organization.
• Evaluate the finance organizational structure and recommend changes as the company continues to grow.
• Establish succession plans for key finance positions.
• Create a culture of accuracy, urgency, accountability, continuous improvement, and partnership with operations.
• Ensure the finance organization provides strong support to branch and operational leaders while maintaining appropriate financial controls.

Key Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by the CFO's ability to:

• Improve the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.
• Create reliable company and branch-level forecasting.
• Improve visibility into branch profitability and operating performance.
• Strengthen cash flow and working-capital management.
• Reduce accounts receivable aging and improve billing and collection performance.
• Establish effective financial controls across a decentralized organization.
• Improve budgeting discipline and financial accountability throughout the company.
• Develop actionable financial reporting and KPIs for operational leaders.
• Build a strong and scalable finance organization.
• Improve financial systems and eliminate unnecessary manual processes.
• Provide the CEO and leadership team with high-quality analysis that improves business decisions.
• Support profitable growth while protecting the financial strength of the company.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Significant progressive financial leadership experience, including senior-level responsibility for accounting, FP&A, cash management, and financial operations.
• Experience leading finance for a multi-location, decentralized, or branch-based organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing a substantial finance and accounting organization.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, accounting principles, internal controls, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and working capital.
• Demonstrated ability to translate financial information into practical recommendations for operational leaders.
• Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working directly with CEOs, owners, boards, lenders, and senior operating executives.
• Strong financial systems and technology orientation.

Preferred

• CPA and/or MBA.
• CFO or senior financial leadership experience in a $100M-$500M organization.
• Experience in construction, specialty contracting, building products, distribution, manufacturing, field services, or another multi-branch operating environment.
• Experience with both organic growth and acquisitions.
• Experience improving or implementing ERP, financial reporting, budgeting, business intelligence, or related systems.
• Experience operating in a privately held or entrepreneurial business environment.

Leadership Profile

Strategic but hands-on. Able to think about the company's next five years while still being willing to dig into a branch P&L, cash forecast, aging report, or margin issue when necessary.

Operationally minded. Understands that financial results are created in the field and can build strong relationships with branch and operational leaders.

Data-driven. Uses facts and analysis to identify problems, challenge assumptions, and improve decisions.

A strong communicator. Can explain complex financial issues in straightforward business language to both financial and non-financial leaders.

Accountable. Sets high standards, follows through on commitments, and expects the same from the finance organization.

A builder. Enjoys improving teams, systems, processes, reporting, and organizational capabilities rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

Commercially oriented. Understands that the purpose of finance is not simply to report what happened, but to help the business improve what happens next.

Comfortable challenging the organization. Has the judgment and confidence to respectfully challenge the CEO and other leaders when the financial facts warrant it.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 12-18 months, the successful CFO will have developed a deep understanding of the company's branches, customers, operations, and economics; established credibility with both executive and operational leadership; strengthened the finance organization; improved forecasting and management reporting; increased visibility into branch-level performance; strengthened cash and working-capital management; and created a more consistent financial operating rhythm across the company.

Most importantly, the CFO will become a trusted partner to the CEO and leadership team - someone who provides the financial discipline, insight, leadership, and infrastructure necessary to successfully operate and grow a $150+ million multi-state organization.

This role is ideal for a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach to financial operations and a passion for continuous improvement. If you're ready to make a meaningful impact across a diverse portfolio of companies, we'd love to hear from you.

Compensation & Benefits

• $125,000 - $175,000 per year
• Paid time off + company holidays
• Heath, dental, and vision insurance
• Healthcare and dependent FSAs
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability, and life insurance plans
• 401k with company match

American Fence Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer & a drug-free workplace.