Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an experienced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to provide strategic financial leadership, drive long-term profitability, and ensure rigorous financial controls across the organization. The CFO will partner with the CEO and executive team to develop and execute growth strategies, optimize capital structure, oversee external reporting and compliance, and build a high-performing finance organization that supports business objectives and investor confidence.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Vice President of Finance / VP Finance
Corporate Controller or Head of Accounting
Head of FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)

Advancement To:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
President or Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Board Director / Non-Executive Director

Lateral Moves:

Head of Strategy or Corporate Development
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Head of Investor Relations / Capital Markets

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute the company's financial strategy in alignment with business objectives, including long-range planning, capital allocation, and cost optimization to drive sustainable growth and shareholder value.
Lead financial planning and analysis (FP&A) activities, producing rolling forecasts, scenario modeling, and actionable insights to inform executive decision-making and resource prioritization.
Oversee all external and internal financial reporting to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with GAAP/IFRS, regulatory requirements, and investor expectations.
Serve as the primary finance leader for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic partnerships, leading due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, integration planning and post-merger synergies realization.
Manage corporate treasury functions including cash flow forecasting, liquidity management, banking relationships, debt financing, covenant compliance and capital markets engagement.
Build, mentor and scale a high-performing finance organization; recruit, develop and retain top talent across accounting, FP&A, tax, treasury and financial operations.
Design, implement and continuously improve financial controls, policies and procedures (including SOX readiness where applicable) to mitigate risk and strengthen governance.
Drive annual budgeting process, aligning departmental plans with corporate strategy while ensuring budget discipline and accountability for financial results.
Lead investor relations and communicate financial performance, business strategy and market positioning to analysts, investors, lenders and the Board of Directors.
Present financial results and strategic recommendations to the Board of Directors and Finance/Audit Committees, providing transparent analysis of risks and opportunities.
Lead tax strategy and compliance across jurisdictions, optimizing tax positions while ensuring accurate and timely filings and proactive tax planning.
Implement and optimize ERP and financial systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle) to streamline processes, enable scalable operations and improve data integrity and reporting timeliness.
Establish and monitor key financial and operational KPIs (gross margin, EBITDA, cash conversion cycle, burn rate, CAC/LTV, return on invested capital) and drive cross-functional accountability for targets.
Oversee cost transformation initiatives and process improvement programs to improve margins, efficiency and operating leverage across the organization.
Ensure robust risk management including insurance, hedging strategies, liquidity contingency planning and enterprise risk monitoring to protect company assets.
Lead financial modeling and business case development for new product launches, pricing strategies, capital investments and strategic initiatives to inform executive decision-making.
Partner with commercial, product and operations leaders to align financial strategy with go-to-market plans, pricing, contract terms and revenue recognition policies.
Manage relationships with external auditors, bankers, legal counsel and other advisers to ensure smooth audits, compliance and access to capital markets.
Champion data-driven financial processes and analytics, driving adoption of BI tools and reporting automation to deliver timely, actionable insights to stakeholders.
Oversee payroll, benefits finance, and compensation planning to ensure competitive and compliant programs aligned with company objectives and cost structure.
Steer working capital optimization initiatives and supplier/customer payment strategies to enhance cash flow and operational resilience.

Secondary Functions

Provide ad-hoc financial analysis and decision support for cross-functional initiatives, including product investments, pricing experiments and operational pilots.
Collaborate with HR and executive leadership to design executive compensation, equity plans and incentive structures that align with long-term shareholder value.
Act as a cultural ambassador for financial discipline and ethical behavior, promoting transparency, accountability and continuous improvement across the business.
Support investor communications, roadshows, fundraising and IPO readiness activities, including the preparation of prospectuses, investor decks and financial disclosures.
Drive finance transformation programs to modernize systems, centralize processes, and enable scalable, repeatable financial operations across global subsidiaries.
Mentor and coach finance leaders on scenario planning, stakeholder management and strategic communication to elevate the finance function’s business impact.
Coordinate with legal and compliance teams to ensure contracts, grants, and vendor agreements reflect appropriate financial terms and protections.
Support enterprise-wide strategic planning cycles and operating rhythm, contributing financial scenarios that inform resource allocation and growth prioritization.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic financial planning & forecasting — long-range planning, scenario modeling, sensitivity analysis and rolling forecasts.
Financial reporting & compliance — GAAP/IFRS expertise, SEC reporting experience and SOX controls implementation.
Accounting & close management — month-end close, consolidation, journal entries, intercompany accounting and account reconciliations.
FP&A & financial modeling — complex valuation models, DCF, LBO, scenario analysis, KPI tracking and executive dashboards.
Mergers & acquisitions — due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, integration planning and synergy tracking.
Treasury & cash management — cash forecasting, liquidity planning, capital markets, debt facilities and bank negotiations.
Tax strategy & compliance — international tax planning, transfer pricing awareness and tax provisioning.
ERP & financial systems — implementation and optimization experience with NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials or similar.
Investor relations & capital raising — equity and debt financing, investor communications and analyst engagement.
Risk management & internal controls — enterprise risk frameworks, insurance programs and controls testing.
Regulatory knowledge — familiarity with industry-specific regulations and reporting obligations.
Advanced Excel, SQL and BI tools — ability to build automated models and dashboards using Tableau, Power BI, or Looker.

Soft Skills

Strategic thinker with the ability to translate financial insights into actionable business strategies.
Executive presence and polished communication to influence Board members, investors and cross-functional leaders.
Strong leadership and people management skills; proven ability to build and mentor high-performing teams.
High ethical standards, integrity and commitment to transparent financial stewardship.
Problem-solving mindset with resilience, adaptability and sound judgment in high-pressure situations.
Collaborative partner who builds trust across commercial, product and operational teams.
Results-oriented with a focus on measurable impact, accountability and continuous improvement.
Excellent presentation skills; able to communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
Change agent capable of driving finance transformation and adoption of new tools and processes.
Detail-oriented while maintaining the ability to prioritize strategic objectives and delegate effectively.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related field (required).

Preferred Education:

MBA or Master’s in Finance/Accounting; professional certifications such as CPA, CMA or CFA are strongly preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Finance
Economics
Business Administration
Financial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 10–20+ years of progressive finance experience with 5+ years in a senior leadership role (CFO, VP Finance, Corporate Controller) in fast-growing private or public companies.

Preferred:

Proven track record leading finance through growth phases, M&A, IPOs or complex capital raises.
Experience managing finance teams across multiple regions and scaling systems and processes in high-growth environments.
Industry experience relevant to the hiring company (e.g., SaaS, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, retail) is often preferred.
Demonstrated success in stakeholder management with Boards of Directors, investors and senior executive teams.