Chief Financial Officer Job Description
Cowen Partners is a leader among the nation’s top CFO executive search firms. Nothing drives results and creates value for our private equity clients like finding them their next Chief Financial Officer.
Our hands-on executive recruiters have deep experience working with start-ups and pre-IPO companies, providing top talent and diverse candidates to fit an array of C-suite recruitment needs.
Cities include New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Phoenix.
Clients are typically $50 million plus in revenue and successful placements span the entire C-Suite (CEO, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Operating Partner, etc.) and include vice president and director level leadership roles.
CFO Job Description
- Develops financial well-being of the organization by providing financial projections and accounting services, preparing growth plans, and directing staff.
- Accomplishes finance human resource strategies by determining accountabilities; communicating and enforcing values, policies, and procedures; implementing recruitment, selection, orientation, training, coaching, counseling, disciplinary, and communication programs; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; and planning and reviewing compensation strategies.
- Develops finance organizational strategies by contributing financial and accounting information, analysis, and recommendations to strategic thinking and direction and establishing functional objectives in line with organizational objectives.
- Establishes finance operational strategies by evaluating trends; establishing critical measurements; determining production, productivity, quality, and customer-service strategies; designing systems; accumulating resources; resolving problems; and implementing change.
- Develops organization prospects by studying economic trends and revenue opportunities; projecting acquisition and expansion prospects; analyzing organization operations; identifying opportunities for improvement, cost reduction, and systems enhancement; and accumulating capital to fund expansion.
- Develops financial strategies by forecasting capital, facilities, and staff requirements; identifying monetary resources; and developing action plans.
- Monitors financial performance by measuring and analyzing results, initiating corrective actions, and minimizing the impact of variances.
- Maximizes return on invested funds by identifying investment opportunities and maintaining relationships with the investment community.
- Reports financial status by developing forecasts, reporting results, analyzing variances, and developing improvements.
- Updates job knowledge by remaining aware of new regulations, participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal networks, and participating in professional organizations.
- Accomplishes finance and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
Chief Financial Officer Job Description: Responsibilities
- Financial planning and strategy
- Managing profitability
- Strategic planning and vision
- Quality management
- Promotion of process improvement
- Forecasting
- Corporate finance
- Budget development
Chief Financial Officer Job Description: Experience
- MBA or bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or equivalent experience.
- Master’s degree preferred.
- Certified Public Accountant certification a plus.
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in accounting and financial management practices.
- Experience in a senior management position.
- Proficiency with accounting software, word processing, and spreadsheets.
- Solid GAAP and financial reporting technical skills.
CFO Job Description: Benefits, Culture & More
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Take a Deeper Dive into CFO Recruitment Topics
- The Ultimate CFO Hiring Guide
- Average CFO Salary by Company Revenue
- Where Do You Fall on the CFO Spectrum?
- CFO Equity Grants
- Top 5 CFO Search Firms
You can also get answers and information right now from one of the nation’s top CFO recruiters.
CFO Interview Questions
Cowen Partners is a national executive search firm specializing in CFO searches. We have put together 100+ of the best CFO interview questions so that you can be confident in your hiring decision.
Your Job Opportunity
- Do they understand the job opportunity and the company?
- Are they asking intelligent questions about the job and the job opportunity?
- What appeals to them about this particular opportunity and what do they bring to table?
- What value will they immediately add to the company? How will their experience benefit this company?
- What does their compensation history look like and does this opportunity make sense from a financial perspective? If not, why would they take a pay cut? (No one ever wants to take a pay cut no matter they tell you and they must prove to you logically why it makes sense.)
- Does the commute work for them and have they had a similar commute for many years? Check to see how long they lasted the last time their commute was this long. (No one wants to drive farther regardless of what they tell you and again it is one them to prove to you why they would do that.)
- What concerns do they have about moving forward in the process and is there anything that would keep them from being interested in the opportunity at this point? Do they have questions for you and/or anything else they would like to share with you?
Job History
- Is the candidate currently employed full time?
- What is their reason for considering a new opportunity?
- What are their reasons for movement over the last several years?
- Specifically, what made them leave each position and move to the next one?
- Does the candidate have good tenure in each of their last few positions?
- Have they progressed nicely in their career into higher level roles?
Communication
- Do they communicate extremely well?
- Are they high energy?
- Do they speak loud and clearly or are they timid and reserved?
- Are they more introverted or extroverted?
- Do they make you pull questions out of them or do they explain their ideas fully, take cues from you, listen at the right time and speak at the right time?
- Do they speak English fluently, smoothly and eloquently?
- Is it easy to understand what they are saying, and do they make sense when they are talking to you without you having to put effort into understanding them?
- Do they talk too much, or are they overbearing?
- Do they say things that are politically incorrect?
- Do they speak abrasively or harshly?
- Do they speak negatively about a former employer or co-worker?
- Are they likeable and were you able to develop good rapport with them?
CFO Interview Questions – Personality
- Are they irritated, or do you sense any frustration when you ask them to explain things detail or ask them difficult questions?
- Do they stay positive and embrace the questions or do they seem distant, cold, short, frustrated, or irritated with you for asking them?
- Situational Questions Specific to the Opportunity
- Describe a time when you made a bad decision that impacted your team in a negative way and what the outcome was
- Tell me about a time that you and a board member got into an argument about a capital spending project
- What was one project you never got finished for the President/CEO and how did you feel about that?
More Helpful Information
Today’s CFO: Which profile best suits your company?
Management roles vary by organization, depending on a company’s history, the characteristics of its industry, and the demands of investors. And although fitting CFOs into a clear-cut typology may seem artificial, we found it useful to understand how companies are filling the role to get a clearer picture of how it’s changing. Based on our research, we categorize CFOs into four general profiles.
100+ Chief Financial Officer Interview Questions Here!
Cowen Partners is a national executive search firm specializing in CFO searches. We have put together 100+ of the best CFO interview questions so that you can be confident in your hiring decision.
Average CFO Salary
While the national average CFO salary according to Payscale is $133,000.00, it is important to know that there are many factors that impact this number. The average CFO salary is $133,000.
Cowen Partners CFO Search Firm
At Cowen Partners, we are all about results and nothing drives results and creates value for our clients like finding them a qualified Chief Financial Officer. Our President and Founding Partner, Shawn Cole is a thought leader on the subject and contributes to several publications, including CFO.com, IPOHub, and CFO Magazine.
Check out our industry-leading resources to see why Cowen Partners is a 5-star retained executive search firm in New York City, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles, and beyond:
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