CFO

CFO Job Description Template

A CFO provides critical advisory and operational experience in accounting, capital markets, treasury management, and corporate strategy to help a company grow and thrive.

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An effective CFO keeps a high-level view of the business, operating in the middle of all the data flows in and around the business’ component parts. A CFO uses this vantage point to create and maintain a high quality finance function, partnering with the CEO to guide the company into sustainable future growth, successful funding rounds, and major financial events such as an IPO, M&A activity, and restructurings.

CFO Job Description Template

Copy this template, and modify it as your own:

Company Introduction:

{{Write a short and catchy paragraph about your company. Provide information about the company’s culture, perks, and benefits. Mention office hours, remote working possibilities, and anything else that makes your company interesting.}}

Job Description:

The CFO is broadly accountable for the administrative, financial, and risk management operations of the company, including the development of a financial and operational strategy, identifying and tracking relevant KPIs, and the ongoing development and monitoring of control systems to preserve company assets and report accurate financial results.

The ideal candidate will have previous experience working as a full- or part-time CFO in {{company’s primary industry}}.

Responsibilities:

A CFO’s role is broad in nature, but typically includes the following:

  • Assist in formulating the company’s future direction through providing input on the company’s business plan, financial and tax strategies, budgeting, and forecasting
  • Develop performance measures that support the company’s strategic direction
  • Maintain in-depth relations with all members of the management team
  • Manage the accounting, human resources, investor relations, legal, tax, and treasury departments
  • Oversee the financial operations of subsidiary companies and foreign operations
  • Manage any third parties to which accounting or finance functions have been outsourced
  • Oversee the company’s transaction processing systems
  • Oversee employee benefit plans, with particular emphasis on maximizing a cost-effective benefits package
  • Supervise acquisition due diligence and negotiate acquisitions
  • Personally review and approve all Form 8-K, 10-K, and 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (if the company is publicly held)
  • Understand and mitigate key elements of the company’s risk profile
  • Monitor all open legal issues involving the company, and legal issues affecting the industry; ensure that the company complies with all legal and regulatory requirements
  • Report financial results to the board of directors; report risk issues to the audit committee of the board of directors
  • Maintain appropriate insurance coverage
  • Monitor cash balances and cash forecasts; arrange for debt and equity financing; invest funds

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in finance, operations, research, statistics, math, economics, or related analytical discipline preferred
  • Master’s degree in accounting or business administration, or equivalent business experience
  • Prior experience as a CFO for a {{similarly sized}} company in the {{company’s industry}}, or equivalent experience
  • 10+ years of progressively responsible experience for a major company or division of a large corporation, or prior experience as an advisor to or executive at an early-stage company
  • Advanced Excel proficiency. 10+ years of practical experience of using Excel for building and maintaining financial models
  • A natural curiosity and a “big picture” mentality
  • Excellent spoken and written communication and experience partnering with an executive team
  • Preference will be given to candidates with an MBA in finance and the Certified Public Accountant or Certified Management Accountant designations

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